Fiorentina Coach Stefano Pioli reflects on the death of Davide Astori, admitting “I still struggle without him”.
The Viola captain tragically passed away earlier this month, suffering a heart attack in his sleep as the team prepared to face Udinese.
“I have my habits, I always wake up early and I have breakfast at 7.30am,” Pioli recalled, speaking to Corriere Fiorentino.
“I prepare the game, I think about what to say to the team to motivate them even more. I remember my daughter, Carlotta, had just called me.
Fiorentina Coach Stefano Pioli reflects on the death of Davide Astori, admitting “I still struggle without him”.
The Viola captain tragically passed away earlier this month, suffering a heart attack in his sleep as the team prepared to face Udinese.
“I have my habits, I always wake up early and I have breakfast at 7.30am,” Pioli recalled, speaking to Corriere Fiorentino.
“I prepare the game, I think about what to say to the team to motivate them even more. I remember my daughter, Carlotta, had just called me.
“Then Dr [Luca] Pengue and the team manager [Alberto] Marangon called me: ‘get down here, get down here now’.
“I came to room 118 in my pyjamas, [Marco] Sportiello was already there. ‘Boss, Davide is gone’. But I still didn’t fully understand the tragedy.
“Then, opening the door, I saw Pengue and Marangon crying and Astori there, lying on his bed. He seemed to be asleep, but that’s not how it was.
“The most difficult moment was going to the rest of the rooms to tell the rest of the team what happened. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
“It was a very big thing. Initially I feared for my players. On Tuesday, when we resumed training, it was tough.
“A lot of our young players maybe hadn’t fully understood what happened. Getting changed, working, training without Davide that afternoon created a sense of emptiness in all of us.
“I started talking, then I asked if anyone wanted to say anything. Those who did said to me: ‘we want to carry forward the values that Davide gave us, we want to do it for him. Out of gratitude and affection'.
“At that moment I knew we’d have the strength to start again, while understanding something had been taken from us.
“I still struggle without him. There was a symbiosis with Astori, I miss hearing his voice on the pitch.
“I see it as an opportunity: for the city, for the fans, for all of us. From this tragedy we’re going through, we need to bring out something positive for the future because only with togetherness and passion can we achieve important results.
“To be clear though, I’m not talking about criticism. That’s normal in football, it’s part of the game. It’s one thing to be pulling in the same direction though, and another to take advantage of some defeats to tear everything down.
“I understand that their physical distance might have bothered some people, but Diego and Andrea [Della Valle, owners] always felt present, they have always been interested in the team.
“Creating something new means being clear about what we can and have to do.
“I know Florence, and I did not need to see the ten thousand people in Piazza Santa Croce to admire it.
“Davide taught us that with seriousness and calm you can achieve great things. And we can do them.”
Riccardo Saponara has been in sensation form since Astori’s passing, is that anything to do with the tragedy?
“I can’t say if it’s because of Davide, but certainly after Udine he trained like he’d never done before. I saw that he was good, I put him on the pitch and he replied in the manner of an important player.
“Initially he struggled with injuries and my technical choices, but now he's ready.”
One of the most emotional moments in the aftermath was the Viola’s first game after their captain’s death, beating Benevento at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
“Afterward we looked at each other and hugged each other in silence. There was no need for words.
“We all felt a release after a week which it seemed would be impossible to get through.”