Marco Giampaolo, new coach of Torino, spoke today in presentation press conference at the Olympic-Grande Torino stadium starting at 2 pm, before supporting the first training session of his management in the afternoon at Filadelfia. Here are his statements, collected by Toronews:
CAIRO BEGINS – “I know that some have turned up their noses when I said that I had already looked for Giampaolo in the past, but it really went like this. I had already looked for it a couple of times, the third one I made it. He is a football teacher, he knows how to make teams play well, he knows how to develop the talent of players, young and old. Vagnati also has always had a great appreciation for him. Fortunately we were able to find an agreement quickly, then it took a quick joint due to the fact that he had to free himself from Milan. Now space for your questions to the coach, then I’m available to make a general point on all the topics. But first I want to thank Moreno Longo, he has grasped the minimum goal of salvation. At one point, after the seven losses in a row, the situation was complicated. He worked hard, he gave his soul, I always complimented him, even after the bad match in Ferrara in which I was certainly not equally satisfied. But even then, I congratulated him on these months of activity. With him we made a winning path together in the youth teams, then he took the goal of salvation. He deserves a thank you from me because he did his best ”.
PARLA VAGNATI – “I too want to thank Moreno and his staff, they immersed themselves in the work with great commitment. Today we present Giampaolo, a coach we wanted as a first choice because in our opinion Marco is the right man at the moment. It has the right characteristics to open what I hope is a very long term cycle. To achieve results you need planning and continuity. I also want to thank the president and Commendatore Beretta for their commitment to the Philadelphia structures: something fundamental to raise the level of society ”.
IT’S UP TO GIAMPAOLO – What are your feelings in coaching Torino in the historical moment?
“When they looked for me, we were in different moments from today. Once Torino was in Serie B and I in Serie A in Siena, the other time I had problems with my license. Torino is a historic club. There were many who told me where I happened. There are those who told me that Taurus is a different thing, that you have to live to be able to explain it. Now I want to immerse myself in work and breathe this atmosphere ”.
Are you worried about having little time?
“I’m not worried but aware that it will take time. Torino comes from a different tradition than my way of thinking. I know there will be difficulties, I know there will be blood to spit. The concept of time I have always repeated every time I have trained. Saying that he could be the first ally but also the first enemy. Sometimes I was allowed, sometimes not. When this happened to me, I was able to open important cycles. I talked about it with the president and the director and I hope to have a time horizon that can build something “.
Did we talk about the market?
“Above all, we talked about roles and profiles. As for the names, I was able to see great preparation on the part of the director and his collaborators. We have had many meetings to understand who the profiles can be. You know, however, that Torino played three behind and I play four. That Torino played with the fifths in midfield, which I have never done. Now it is therefore a question of understanding which of my players can do for us. I still haven’t been able to get to know the players, since we still have to do the first training session ”.
Is it important to have the right players as soon as possible?
“It is important, but the transfer market is not easy and we are in an anomalous situation. The championship ended two weeks ago and now we start with the new one. We are certainly starting from the second row compared to others and we know there will be difficulties. I will need to be able to summarize some things. I will be able to do it when I have a good number of players to start a certain type of project. Today we have difficulties but I am aware of it and I have to throw myself headlong into work to understand how to turn. I know that hard work awaits me ”.
A new era begins with her. From a certain point of view it is a historical turning point. How many motivations do you have in approaching this adventure considering how it went to Milan?
“It’s a good challenge. Between the golden retirement and taking on responsibilities, I preferred the latter. This keeps you alive. There will be time for retirement. I like to build. And I think Taurus has the potential to build and to settle at a certain level in the championship: because it has resources, history, economic potential. The choice of Turin for me is oriented in this sense: to be able to create foundations to become an important reality of the championship in the medium-long term. Turin can afford this to me ”.
He expected the derby with his friend Maurizio Sarri. But he was exonerated. Have you heard?
“I haven’t heard of it, we usually meet every summer for the holidays, it’s a ritual, but this year there was no way. I didn’t bother him, I can understand how much bitterness and how much disappointment you feel “.
Are you willing to wait but ask for something quickly, for example the director? Are there any key roles?
“If I could have them all now I’d be happy. But I understand the difficulties. There are roles that can be prioritized. But if we manage to get to those players I already know, times will get shorter. The summary is this. If we fail, they will stretch. Obviously we work in full harmony to make the first hypothesis concrete. The first approach I had with the company was very positive and proactive. We were clear to each other from the first phone call. There is the desire to create something to put myself in the best conditions: I am confident, I have no reason to think differently because I see how everyone is working to reach the objectives “.
Have you already talked about Belotti? What is your idea of him?
“He seems to me an available and generous player for what I was able to see seeing him as an opponent, regardless of his quality of execution. However, the attacker must be the attacker. Playing five meters further here or further has no meaning ”.
What did the experience at Milan leave you?
“It was too short to be able to make objective assessments. I only played seven games. I have coached an incomplete team that has adjusted over time. I was able to appreciate the great organization of the club, the great availability of all the human resources that gravitate around the club, the working conditions, the high-level sports center. It is clear that there is a lot of disappointment for what happened ”.
Did he ask players like Murru, Linetty, Schick?
“Murru no because we took Rodriguez. The other two are strong players. The lack of time certainly leads me to orient myself towards the players I have had, but not the mid-level ones, the strong ones. The possibility of getting there is a different matter. As far as the market is concerned, there is a director ”.
