Empoli-Venezia: D'Aversa and the Azzurri fans ready for the salvation challenge

by Simone CioniEMPOLIA lunch a little more frugal than tradition would dictate and then off to the Carlo Castellani-Computer Gross Arena because today is the day of Empoli-Venice. It will undoubtedly be a different Easter for the blue fans, ready to support the team from the stands D'Aversa in an important head-to-head clash in the race for the salvation. The first thought of the Italian coach is precisely to the high stakes. "It is important that the value of the match does not weigh on the heads and legs of the boys, who have to go on the field carefree because this will not be a final, but a good opportunity to get a little closer to our goal - admits D'Aversa -. This does not mean not being determined, on the contrary, starting from the last good performances, having a greater 'nastiness', sportingly speaking, when it comes to being able to make an impact is exactly the aspect in which we must improve. The boys have all the qualities and possibilities to win the match, even if we come from seventeen games without a win and our opponents have recovered in the last period. I repeat, however, the championship does not end tomorrow (today for those reading, ed.), the truly decisive challenges will be the last two". D'Aversa then goes on to talk about the Venezia of Amico Di Francesco, originally from Pescara like him. "Venice has found balance - insists the coach from Abruzzo -, Di Francesco is a very good coach and I'm not saying this because he is a friend and fellow citizen, but because you can see that his team is organized in both phases of the game. They have acquired solidity and quality thanks also to the arrivals in the January market. We certainly won't find the Venice of the first half of the season, where we were the team that caused them the most difficulty on their pitch. It won't be an easy match, but we will take to the field with the desire to win the three points". What won't change, however, will be the emergency that D'Aversa will have to continue to live with. Ismajli in fact didn't make it and although Anjorin and Solbakken are among those called up, we can't expect them to play particularly heavily. "I would be a magician if I said how many minutes they can guarantee - he specifies -, the truth is that in normal conditions they would not have been called up, but given the situation we decided to bring them with us". Another player who will have to be evaluated up until the last minute is Pezzella, a key player on the left lane, who has not trained in the last two sessions behind closed doors. Should he not make it, Cacace is ready. Up front, however, we should move towards the trident Fazzini-Esposito-Colombo. After the whistles from part of the Maratona at the end of the match against Cagliari, D'Aversa also returns to the importance of the Castellani crowd. "I will never tire of underlining the reality of Empoli, which led to the achievement of the objective compared to perhaps other places - he concludes -. This is a point in favor, I say it because I think so and not for fear of a protest. To save ourselves we must all be united, we need our fans and we will have to be good at dragging them to our side from the first to the last minute".