First Team

At the end of the US Sassuolo-Cesena FC match, Coach Alessandro Diamanti headed to the mixed zone at Mapei Stadium-Città del Tricolore to comment on the game against the Neroverdi.

“Despite the result, I consider the performance positive because we bounced back from the first twenty minutes, during which we didn’t get into the game. Those are the twenty minutes we’ll have to work on a lot because, as I’ve already said, we’re a team that needs to start strong and finish strong. If you give a technically superior team twenty minutes, it’s only natural that the game turns into a chase. In the second half, we got our act together a bit; we talked it over at halftime and came back stronger, even creating three or four scoring chances. But if you don’t score against a strong team, it’s only natural that they might score a third on the counterattack. Today, though, I’m focusing on the positives: we know we need to improve in many areas, but I’m not worried because the guys are working hard and taking it seriously. It’s disappointing to lose, but we’ll bounce back and get ready for Sunday.”

“The attitude and determination to never give up must always be there. Just like the fans did today—they sang from the first minute to the ninety-fifth. For us, they’re an extra weapon: I’ve told them that, and they know it. We’ll always try to make them proud by giving it our all. It’s normal that there are things that need fixing, because in my opinion, we can do much better.”

The full comments from Coach Diamanti are available on Cesena FC’s YouTube channel: