Paphos will face Atalanta in Bergamo for the opening match of the Conference League’s League Phase (Oct. 15, 10:00 p.m.).
The team’s veteran Italian coach, Maurizio Sarri, spoke at a press conference ahead of the match.
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His comments
On the schedule and starting lineup decisions: “So far, we’ve only done recovery training. That’s modern soccer. I completely agree with our organized fans. It’s a rushed process, but we have to show up as strong as possible. As for who will play, we’ll see. We’ll make the appropriate assessments as we go. Right now, it’s absolutely essential that we keep as many players as possible active and involved so that we can keep up with this pace.”
On the team’s physical condition and performance: “We need to clearly understand whether the problem was mental or purely physical. Looking at our effectiveness and fitness data, our metrics appear to be on par with top European teams. Therefore, perhaps we struggled in other areas, mainly mental and tactical. When we managed to keep our lines high, we showed balance. However, we must also acknowledge the quality of our opponents. For example, Venezia has given everyone a hard time, not just Atalanta.”
On Paphos FC and the challenges of the match: “I’m expecting an extremely difficult game. In Italy, the level of small-to-mid-sized teams has risen impressively, and exactly the same has happened in Europe. Paphos is an excellent team that came very close to qualifying for the Round of 16, thanks to the excellent technical work being done there. They have players with significant ability to move the ball around. We all need to show absolute humility, as this approach will help us tackle the match in the best possible way.”
*photo source: Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio
