First Team

On Tuesday, June 9, a press conference was held in the press room of the Orogel Stadium – Dino Manuzzi to introduce Andrea Mancini, the new sporting director of Cesena FC, accompanied by Corrado Di Taranto, the club’s general director.

“I’m very happy today - began general director Corrado Di Taranto - because we’re here to introduce our new sporting director, Andrea Mancini. “I want to thank Andrea for his willingness to join us right from the start. I don’t have much to add because you’ve all read his resume. He was chosen by the ownership for his personal and professional qualities, and we’re confident he’ll do a fantastic job. On behalf of the ownership, myself, and the entire staff, I wish him the best of luck for a great season.”

“Before we begin with the questions - said the Bianconeri’s new sporting director, Andrea Mancini - I’d like to thank Director Di Taranto and the ownership for giving me the opportunity to become part of this family. It’s a tremendous honor for me because I believe Cesena’s history speaks for itself; in the history of Romagna and Italian soccer, it’s one of the most prestigious clubs in Italy, in my opinion. So, for me, it’s a tremendous honor, and I’m truly grateful for the trust placed in me.”

“I believe that when a new manager arrives, it’s normal to carefully evaluate and make a decision - continued Andrea Mancini - because we can’t afford to make the wrong choice—we have to select the coach we consider best suited to what we want to build in Cesena. So we’re currently in the evaluation phase. We won’t drag this out because time is running out, and time is crucial in soccer, but we’re carefully evaluating every single detail so as not to leave anything to chance, because we have to be meticulous about every decision we make for the good of the club. We’re looking for a coach who can help us make the most of what we have in the squad, to create a proactive and attacking style of play—because that’s the kind of soccer I like, in agreement with the ownership and Corrado as well. It’s crucial not to make a mistake in choosing the coach and to bring in the best person for the project we want to build; for me, there’s no such thing as a young coach or one who’s a bit older—if someone is good, they’re good, whether they’re young or have a bit more experience.”

“A motto? I don’t like giving mottos. Certainly our goal—and I’d like everyone to think this way—is to make Cesena’s fans proud. That’s the most important thing. We have to try to always give our all in every training session, in every match, and to create an identity, because Cesena has fans with a very strong identity, and so we want to make them as proud as possible every Sunday"

“The goal is to build a solid project and develop our young players, because I believe Cesena has always demonstrated that its youth academy is a real asset, and it has proven that once again this year. The direction we intend to take is to create a project—I repeat—that is solid and sustainable, because I believe soccer is moving toward self-sustainability, though obviously without neglecting sporting results, because we all want to win. In short, what we aim to do is create value by focusing on the young players we have in our youth system and perhaps also on other young players who may join us.”

“I want to bring players to Cesena who add value and are strong. They can be Italian, French, German, or Spanish, but for me, a player must be strong and must integrate with Cesena’s identity and culture. In my opinion, the person comes before the player, so I believe it’s important to get to know all the players as well as possible, from A to Z. Data is now part of everyday life, and not just in soccer, because the world is moving in that direction, so it provides support that can be helpful. However, I think the final decision rests with the director, together with the coach and the club.”

“As for the Primavera team - concluded the the new Bianconeri’s sporting director - Campedelli has certainly done an excellent job, because reaching the league semifinals is a major achievement, and Cesena has always had a very strong youth academy—perhaps one of the strongest in Italy. There have been players in the past and even recently, such as Berti, Francesconi, and Shpendi, who came up through Cesena’s youth system. I don’t like to name names, but there are four or five players I’ve already identified in the Primavera squad who I believe can help the first team, and whom I’d like to try to bring into the first team on a permanent basis. In this regard, we’ll need to make some assessments together with the incoming coach and the club.”

The full press conference introducing the new director of the Bianconeri’s technical department is available on Cesena FC’s YouTube channel