Sassuolo patron Giorgio Squinzi described the secret to their success and warned “we are targeting a Champions League place.”
The Neroverdi visit Juventus today at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“There is nothing certain in football, but this can be the season where we take another leap forward and verify our project: taking Sassuolo stably into the top three or four teams in Italy,” Squinzi told La Stampa.
Sassuolo patron Giorgio Squinzi described the secret to their success and warned “we are targeting a Champions League place.”
The Neroverdi visit Juventus today at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“There is nothing certain in football, but this can be the season where we take another leap forward and verify our project: taking Sassuolo stably into the top three or four teams in Italy,” Squinzi told La Stampa.
“We want to win today against Juve, but it’ll be difficult. They are still in a different arena to us, but sooner or later we want to get in there too.
“I am comforted by seeing that last season we always played on a par with the big clubs, often winning and generally only losing due to refereeing errors.
“We are on the right track. Sassuolo must always target Europe and, for example, hiccups by Inter and Milan can help us.”
Sassuolo are in the Europa League for the first time in their history and are eager to build on a mainly Italian base, as there are only four foreign players in the squad.
“Eusebio Di Francesco is central to our project, as he started with us and together we have grown. I was never afraid of losing him to a bigger club, but I extended his contract to 2019 just in case.
“The focus on young Italians is one of our specific project goals, because it’s best for Sassuolo and Italian football. We don’t always manage it, as for example this year the centre of our attack is Alessandro Matri, who isn’t exactly young, but he is Italian.
“Domenico Berardi is a lad with great quality, but he is still rather shy. He could’ve gone to Juventus, he remained and I am very happy about that.”
Squinzi, a self-confessed Milan supporter, is unconcerned by the sale of Inter and the Rossoneri to Chinese investors.
“They are here for business, so we’ll see in the medium-to-long-term if they achieve that. The age of the rich individual patron is over.
“Do I fit that bill? Not necessarily. Sassuolo are part of the Mapei group. The club represents a wonderful instrument to improve the image of our group, but that doesn’t mean I’m prepared to do crazy things for it. Planning pays off here.”
Can Sassuolo become the Italian Leicester City?
“In 1994 we started out with the Mapei team in cycling and nobody gave us credit. At the end of that year our team was the best in the world. Can we be like Leicester? At times football can amuse you with surprises.”
Is he worried at the prospect of a new European Super League?
“It’s simple. Our group is present in 36 countries, so we need to improve our sporting results even more to enter that Super League and make our name even better known.
“As for Italian football, those in important positions for reforms think more about their own specific interests rather than changing football overall. I’ll just say I am in sync with Andrea Agnelli and was with Silvio Berlusconi. I am not and cannot be in sync with Claudio Lotito. I’ll say no more.”