Pontedera "Three points that give us self-esteem"
Menichini and the success with Spal, the Granata coach: "I have guys who have a culture of work but we must not get too excited"
The victory over Spal was one of the last trains that Pontedera could board. Menichini's team did it, and did it imperiously, demolishing their opponents with a devastating 5-1 (so much so that some Ferrara insiders have defined this collapse as one of the blackest points in the club's history) that allows them to remain attached to the caravan that aims to escape the play-off whirlpool, even if they still occupy the last carriage. It had been 85 days since the Granata had won in front of their fans, since the 4-1 at Sestri Levante on September 8, while to find a 5-1 at Mannucci we have to go back to the match with Pergolettese on May 2, 2021. The fact is that these three points, found after 6 rounds of abstinence, while leaving Pontedera in fourth-last position, bring direct salvation closer to -1 (Lucchese and Spal) and restore mental vigor in view of the last three matches scheduled in 2024: Saturday in Rimini, then at home with Perugia on Sunday 15 December, the last match of the first round, and again at home with Legnago on Friday 20 December. But…
But Leonardo Menichini was very clear in the post-Spal press conference: "These are three points that give us self-esteem, that improve our standings, but we haven't done anything yet. If I look at the standings I get scared. We must continue to work, to improve, but we must continue to keep a very low profile, remaining very humble, with the desire to work as a team and have faith in ourselves. Then in the end we will see what happens". A confidence that the coach confesses he has always had: "The team has always worked well, I have guys who have a work culture and in certain situations we have collected less than we deserved. However, I also said after the defeats to stay calm. Just as we must not get excited after the victory over Spal, we must not get down for a few defeats that I hope will come less and less from now on. In any case, this remains a difficult championship where nothing is a given and therefore we must always make sure we can give satisfaction to our fans. Against Spal we put in a great performance and I am happy above all for the players, who are suffering. They are not indifferent. Espeche cried when leaving the field not only because of the pain (the captain suffered a sprained ankle after just 6 minutes, ed.) but also for the idea of leaving his teammates". And to those who point out that Italeng is not in the large list of Granata scorers, flanked by Ianesi in the team's top scorers with 6 goals, Menichini replies as follows: "Italeng was important even if he didn't score. He provided the assist for two goals and was a constant thorn in the side of the visiting defenders, from whom he stole numerous balls. He was therefore decisive for this large victory". Stefano Lemmi
Continue reading all the sports news on