Leonardo Semplici: presentation press conference

It was held this morning, at the press room of the "Alberto Picco" stadium, the presentation conference of coach Leonardo Semplici, who yesterday got to know the team closely and conducted the first training on the grounds of the "Comunale" in Follo.
The presentation was introduced as always by Chief Football Officer Eduardo Macía: "It is an important day for us, marking the arrival of a new coach, a choice as always shared, born from deep reflection. Leonardo will be our coach until June 30, but we hope that by reaching our goal we can continue the relationship with the coach for the next two years. We wish Semplici our best of luck in his work.  
Semplici boasts a path as a true coach, born in the lower categories, where his expertise has shown that he can bring great results and emerge from the bottom. His was a path that I got to know closely when he sat on the bench of Fiorentina's Primavera team, where he did very well, managing to enhance a group of young players who later became pillars of the Italian national team, such as Mancini, Chiesa, Bernardeschi. We are talking about a coach who then performed a true sporting miracle, arriving in Ferrara to save the team in Lega Pro and instead managing to land in Serie A with a series of consecutive affirmations, confirming himself in the category for even the next two seasons. Few coaches can say they have accomplished such a feat. Not to mention the great achievement in Cagliari, where he managed to save a strong team, but one that had not found its way, giving them a precise identity."
The floor was then passed to the protagonist, coach Leonardo Semplici: "I am overjoyed to have landed in such an important Club, I thank the club and the directors for believing in me. I just arrived, but I found a very cohesive, united group of guys and this is the most important aspect. I know the ambience, for having played against it, as well as the fans who are a decisive aspect for the results that this club has had, so I am convinced that through performance we will give those satisfactions that the boys and the fans deserve and with their help manage to achieve salvation.
Knowing the team from the outside, I had glimpsed important qualities, and I think we have to start from that. Yesterday I found great willingness from the group, great desire to return to being that team that has accomplished great things in the past. The approach was very positive, with work I believe I can give direction to the team, from all points of view. With the qualities of this roster, you will have to go and improve on the numbers of the last period. I want the boys to express their identity, their professionalism and their determination to achieve the goal. It will be up to me to be able to transfer to them this great confidence that I have in them, to be able to go out and fight on all the fields of Serie A.  
To the coaches too often they put labels on their reference modules, in my twenty-year career I have almost always played with four in defense, adapting, however, each time to the physiognomy of the teams I went to meet. In Ferrara I had a player like Lazzari who allowed me to develop a certain identity of play, all this to say that I am not particularly tied to a precise tactical module, I want, however, to try to adapt to the characteristics of my team. 
Possible coexistence Shomurodov-Nzola? "Shomurodov and Nzola are two very valuable strikers, clearly the right balance will have to be found so that they can make that contribution that everyone expects. We will see whether to play them together, in these days I will try to frame them better and actually understand what are the capabilities of all of them, to find the right way from here to the end." 
Ampadu as a central defender or as midfielder? "Personally I currently see him better as a defender, he is a very pliant player, capable of playing both roles at his best, but I can say that it will depend primarily on the needs of the moment and of the team.
To achieve salvation I don't think there is a precise formula, we will have to be good at stealing points from everyone, from the big ones as well as in direct confrontations. I think this team has all the right cards to go to all the fields to compete as a protagonist. I always want to play the game, I want my guys to be able to express their personalities, to always be proactive and give everything for this jersey. 
I will try to work a lot on the psychological level, to create a good atmosphere, to be able to work well alongside the team and make sure that these guys succeed on Sunday to direct the result in our favor. There will be difficulties, but we absolutely must believe in achieving the goal.

I know the closeness and attachment that this fan base has toward the team, the only thing I ask of them is to stay close to the boys, as they have always done, because only through the cohesion of team and fans can we all get to the finish line together. I am convinced that the boys from the Curva and beyond will stay close to the team, our task will be to spit blood until the end of the season and always make them proud of us. Certainly it will be equally important for us to be able to hold some open-door sessions: this is something I care a lot about.
Udinese is a club that has been working well for a long time, this year they have had an extraordinary start, even beyond their expectations. They have strong values, with precise characteristics, very strong physically and also very good qualities. It will be a difficult match, but we are aware of our quality. We will go to Udine to field our qualities and snatch a positive result. There are 15 rounds to go and we have to start right away to put extra bricks in the table. 
Finally, in closing the conference, the floor was passed to Sporting Director Stefano Melissano, who expressed the club's intention to bring the fans even closer to the team: "It is something we have been considering for some time with Director Macía, we wanted to open, compatibly with the availability of the fields, a weekly training session to the fans; it is something very important for us, but it must be shared with the coach. When we met with Leonardo is one of the aspects on which we dwelt, because we know the value of this fan base, of how it is able to accompany the players in moments of difficulty, and also on the part of the coach we found maximum availability."