Walter Mazzarri is emotional on his Torino presentation – “I’m a well-travelled Coach, but when I entered the Filadelfia I got goosebumps”.
The former Napoli, Inter and Watford boss replaced Sinisa Mihajlovic yesterday, and was officially presented to the media this morning.
“When Cairo called me, I immediately found a lot of feeling,” Mazzarri began.
“That’s every important in football. I think I’m now a well-travelled Coach, but when I entered the Filadelfia I got goosebumps.
Walter Mazzarri is emotional on his Torino presentation – “I’m a well-travelled Coach, but when I entered the Filadelfia I got goosebumps”.
The former Napoli, Inter and Watford boss replaced Sinisa Mihajlovic yesterday, and was officially presented to the media this morning.
“When Cairo called me, I immediately found a lot of feeling,” Mazzarri began.
“That’s every important in football. I think I’m now a well-travelled Coach, but when I entered the Filadelfia I got goosebumps.
“This is a glorious club. I need motivation and right now I’m very fired-up but also a bit emotional.
“I’m always sorry to replace a colleague, and the players were a bit dazed because they were attached to their Coach – that’s normal, it’d be worrying if it wasn’t like that.
“I haven’t been here long and I said to the lads: ‘I know you were attached to Sinisa, and it’s right that it’s that way’. That’s an important human value.
“After that I asked the lads for their availability and to follow my ideas, and I don’t think I’ll have problems. I like to work, every Coach is an artist.
“I know every system of play and I’m prepared. I don’t have much time, just an hour and a half today, and we need to make the most of that time.
“Let’s see if these lads will give us satisfaction right away, it’s clear that the real work will start after that.
“Football isn’t an exact science, but it needs science. There’s also luck in football too, of course, but I think if everyone gives their best – in their private lives too – and do everything we can achieve something important.
“I’ve already met with the staff. Everyone must help, we have to be a group. That’s my way of working.
“I came back to Italy because I think this is the ideal environment for me. I think I can do well but I’m not the kind to make proclamations, I like to work.
“Up until tomorrow I’ll try to give the players as much as I can, but I need to listen to the players too. After the derby ended the way it did, I need to know who will give me guarantees.
“We’ll evaluate things and pick the best possible team for Bologna. I believe there are difficult periods in football, but we have to think positive: if you think positively you can put the bad episodes behind you.
“I also want the fans to bring positivity, ourselves and the fans need to be one single body. These fans are renowned, I want them behind us right away. After that we’ll see.
“I believe that objectives should be achieved, not spoken about. Facts, not words.
“Mazzarri’s spirit is always to take things game-by-game, in the end we evaluate the results and see where we’ve arrived.
“The players need to know that if they work that way, the results will come.
“When we debuted in the Champions League with Napoli, against Manchester City, we were all beginners but we prepared for it without thinking about objectives.
“I’m talking about Napoli, but if you want Inter too we were always second in the table as long as [Massimo] Moratti was there.
“The club is essential for a Coach.
“All the experiences I have had formed me, even the apparently negative ones. And I want to give this experience to the lads.
Mazzarri was then asked what kind of style he plans to play.
“I think everyone can see when there’s a Mazzarri team on the pitch. In my career you’ve always been able to see my hand, and that doesn’t meant 3-5-2.
“In some years I’ve had stronger teams so I could give talent more room to breathe, but the important thing is to have balance.
“You need to be in synergy with the team, so they can understand my ideas. I’ve always been considered agitated on the bench, I try to give them all the motivation to win the games.
“I’ll do that here too, to win with Torino.
“Of course I’d like to play with the defensive line pushed up to the midfield like Barcelona, that would be beautiful football.
“That would appeal to everyone, but you need to look at the reality. Whoever wins the league almost always has the best defence and almost never the best attack.
“Ask [Edinson] Cavani, [Ezequiel] Lavezzi, [Marek] Hamsik: we played 70 minutes in the opponent’s half [at Napoli].
“You can score four goals, concede three and win, but in my opinion that attitude doesn’t pay.”
The new Coach was inevitably asked about the transfer market, and whether new players will be coming in.
“Everyone has their role, [sporting director Gianluca] Petrachi has his job and the Coach must do his best for the team.
“I can teach every formation, but I’ll tell you right off the bat that first I look at the players, then I tailor the formation to suit them.
“So for the transfer market I’ll give indications to the club, but I believe that this group is strong. Then over time I’ll get to know them in terms of character, if they want to improve and feel my desire to win.
“I’m trying to understand as much as I can then report it to the club. Then the President will give me his ideas, but I’ll never discuss the transfer market with you [the media].
“M’Baye Niang? Niang is a lad I know, he’s a good lad. He knows he has to work on his conviction, he’s not giving 100 per cent.
“All of a sudden he did well in England, now the time has come for him to realise that he has to bring out all his potential.”