Alessio Dionisi is glad Pep Guardiola has recently spoken about Sassuolo saying he hopes the Neroverdi will win the Scudetto: ‘It’s a joke, but it means we are doing a good job.’
Guardiola attended an event in Italy at the beginning of October and said that he hoped Sassuolo would win the Serie A title.
The Neroverdi have been playing in Italy’s top flight since 2013 and are Roberto De Zerbi’s former club.
“It was a joke, but everyone liked it,” Dionisi said at a press conference on Friday, responding to Guardiola’s claims, as quoted by Calciomercato.com.
“When a coach like Guardiola speaks about our club, it means we are doing a good job. It was a joke and it must be treated as such, but we are happy people talk about us.”
The Neroverdi will host Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio at the Mapei Stadium on Saturday.
“I don’t really know Sarri personally. I don’t know what he writes in his notes but I don’t think it takes attention away from the game. I had predicted Lazio would do well last season and I really respect them,” said Dionisi.
Domenico Berardi, Davide Frattesi and Gianluca Scamacca started for Italy against England at Wembley on Tuesday. Berardi is still under contract with the Neroverdi, while Frattesi and Scamacca worked under Dionisi at the Mapei Stadium in the past.
“I am Italian so I always watch the national team’s games. At the same time, I watched the match against England with more curiosity. There were four players I had coached, plus one who I still coach here, Berardi. Hopefully, we can continue together, but this is a great satisfaction for the club, like having Guardiola talking about us.”
Sassuolo have three wins, one draw and four defeats in the opening eight Serie A games, so they have collected 10 points so far, as many as their next opponent Lazio. Two of their three victories this season came against Juventus at home at Inter at San Siro.