Sacchetti in phase two: «He will say who we are»

It’s no longer the time for soft Sundays, for matches that don’t matter or that matter a little less than the others. From tomorrow to – presumably, if Cantù is aiming for promotion to Serie A – beyond mid-June, every game will be decisive. And so will these six matches in the yellow group which will conclude the regular season, before the start of the playoffs. Six matches against the best three in the Red group of A2, with round-trip matches. Cantù in this journey which will end on May 7 will start one step below Treviglio and Forlì and on a par with Cento, but above Cremona and Pistoia.

And it is precisely from Pistoia that this second phase starts, which will serve to determine the positions, from first to sixth, which will then be valid in the playoffs. Only the first two, however, will have the home advantage from the quarterfinals to the finals. Coach Meo Sacchetti was very clear in presenting this period and the first match against Pistoia: «These are important matches, they will give us our ranking in the playoff table. In general, I think we can say that from now on there are no more games that can be “played”».

A historic rival from Cantù is back for her debut. Against Pistoia they have always been heartfelt matches, above all by the fans: «They are an aggressive team, which at home can traditionally count on an important field factor, as indeed they will in Forlì and Cento. But honestly I don’t see one game easier than the other: they will all be real test benches in view of the playoffs, for us it will be a good test against excellent teams».

Cantù arrives in full force – or so it seems, by now Sacchetti for good luck no longer speaks of injuries on Fridays -, even with Rogic who had missed the away match in Cremona due to a shoulder problem. The coach expects a tough opponent: «She’ll put a lot of pressure on us, we’ll have to be good at reading the game to find effective solutions, not only in attack but also in defence. They have a couple of really interesting players, but other protagonists can emerge in these matches. This is to say that nothing and nobody can be underestimated».

In comparison there will be the best defense of the Green group and the best defense of the Reds: «Everyone has their own interpretation though. I think we should start to suffer a little less under the basket, that’s why we expect so much from Hunt and the big men: we ask them for more presence. I hope, beyond the value of the 2 points, that everyone has understood that from now on we play above all to acquire the right mentality». For Sacchetti, they will all be coaching games: «We need them to prepare the ground and they won’t take away energy, playing only once a week. If anything, the problem will arise later, in the playoffs. Now we must not be afraid of losing energy».

Lastly, a thought for the opposing coach Brienza: «I’m sure he cares a lot about this match. Now he is in an important square and he will certainly want to make a good impression where he has already been. It is a sentiment common to all but I remember that it is not the coaches who score baskets … ».