Meo: «You play to win. And first comes the team “

Pills by Meo Sacchetti, on his first day as head coach of S.Bernardo Cantù. A technician with an easy smile, with a ready joke. And by the wisdom that is universally recognized. He knows what awaits him, he knows that goals are important. And not hiding, the coach of Altamura: “Without beating about the bush, he will play to win.” But there are many nuances and many ways to get there.

For example, one of the “missions” that the coach has set himself will be to «improve the players, because it is always the players who make the coaches great. I’ve never seen anyone win with poor players… And so yes, I hope that a “spring” will spring in the players that will lead them to improve individually ».

And, in this regard, he quotes an anecdote from the past: «I faced Oscar in a friendly match, I knew that when he dribbled to the left he would make a stop and shoot. Instead, he put on a series of half-hooks. He told me that he had worked to add this movement to his repertoire as well. We are talking about one with over 30 points on average… ».

He knows he has a competitive roster in his hands and he knows that another of the tasks will be to manage it better: «Everyone will have to understand that the team comes first. Everyone will have to understand that, at times, there will be matches in which 5 ‘more will be needed by a particular player ».

A roster designed according to his indications: «We thought Bayehe would stay, we would have taken a US“ 4 ”. He went away and we tacked on Hunt, which gives us physicality, jumps and running. The play Rogic, of Slavic extraction, knows how to do a bit of everything well and has international experience. He understood what Cantù is, otherwise he would not have come. Foreigners often sign without knowing anything about their destination. I repeat: we will make everyone understand what it means to play for Cantù, because history cannot be bought, it is made ».

What team should you expect? «I would like my team to always be able to run in the open field. To do this, you need to steal the ball and defend hard. I would love to create important situations for our shooters and if they get it wrong, I won’t get mad. I will not excuse a missed dive on a rolling ball instead. There will be difficulties, but I think it is always better to have pressure than lack of attention ».

And again: «I would also like to have fun and entertain, since we have to win. But as Italy coach, in qualifying for the Olympics, sometimes I stopped to enjoy the team ».

A team that will initially have to give up his “brain” Rogic, committed to Croatia: «We knew there was this possibility, but we will adapt. We will evaluate alternatives and other players in that role. And we see Berdini, a young man who struck me for his “garra” ».

And, in dribs and drabs, the last remarks: «The captain? The team indicates it, they tell me that he could be from Ros, that’s okay for me. The favorites? In our group we, Treviglio and Vanoli Cremona, in the other group Udine and there will certainly be a surprise ».