D’AVERSA: “WE MUST NOT FEEL SATISFIED, WE HAVEN’T ACHIEVED ANYTHING YET”
Following Sunday’s hard-fought 1-0 win over Empoli, Coach Roberto D’Aversa had this to say in Stadio Tardini press room:
“I asked the lads for a performance full of willpower to get a result. They deserve praise despite the difficulties, particularly the two injuries to Gervinho and Dimarco. Empoli are still in the top 10 when it comes to possession and the lads did really well, it wasn’t easy. It’s a shame that we suffered some injuries. Since the start, Gervinho has been dealt with in a way to avoid injuries, such as leaving him out for the Napoli game where there was some criticism for not playing him. You need to assess the physical and mental condition of every player and we now hope that it is nothing serious for both Gervinho and Dimarco.
“10 points after seven games? I would’ve given everything for this considering our schedule. However, the lads fully deserve to be where they are and they know what it’ll take to avoid relegation – fighting in every game regardless of the opponent. Results are often linked to desire and the lads are surprising me, however, I never had any doubts. I see them training every day. There is a mix of experience and youth, with hunger and desire among all of them. A sense of group unity isn’t easy to find, especially when there are a lot of changes. We must now just keep going and not feel satisfied – we haven’t achieved anything yet.
“Rigoni is getting back to his best and his most recent performance helped bring home the result. Ceravolo? He is a different player to Inglese. He attacks spaces and leads from the front and by playing more he’ll get back to his peak condition. He showed a lot of sacrifice tonight and spent a lot of energy. I am really pleased with his performance.
“Barillà put in a brilliant end to the season last year and played a key part in helping us gain promotion. I’m pleased that he is now also proving himself in Serie A. As for Sepe, I had him with me at Lanciano and I have no doubts about his ability. He’s arrived here after a two-and-a-half year period without much playing time, but the club did well to get him here straight away so that he could train and play in the friendlies. This was how he got into the best shape possible.”
(Photo Getty Images)
