Lecce, Giampaolo's charge: «You win with lucidity»

There is no tomorrow for Lecce. Or rather, there would be, but only in the event of a victory against Torino. The Giallorossi have no choice: to win to fuel their chances of salvation, with an ear turned to other fields, in particular towards the matches of Empoli and Venezia. In fact, Lecce is no longer master of its own destiny. To try to pursue the dream of remaining in Serie A, it is called upon to achieve what would be the first home success of the return round, precisely in the last match at the «Via del Mare» of the championship.

Marco Giampaolo is aware that the match against Torino, scheduled for tonight, will be decisive for Lecce's fate: «We will face a crucial match. We must manage the emotions and tensions of this match with common sense and reasoning. In the standings, we have found ourselves one point down with two games to go. The team is coming off a few defeats, but the performances have never been surrendering, often and willingly we have only lost by a narrow margin. The team is doing well, it can play its chances to the full. I will do everything possible and impossible to save Lecce». The Giallorossi coach has his sights set on the entire stake: «At this point, the result counts more than anything else. I think that to achieve victory, you have to go through the game proposal. I have analyzed our path in recent weeks. The only match in which we suffered a resounding defeat was the one at home against Como, but on that occasion I lost because I unbalanced the team too much. For the rest, we played all the matches, with our strengths and weaknesses, without ever being subdued. Could we have done something more? Could we have gotten to this point with a few more points? Absolutely yes. But now what matters is the match against Torino. We have to do everything we can to win and then see what happens. You build victories with performances over 95 minutes. I want a lucid team, I expect a fair match from the point of view of performance."

On the other side of the field there will be a Torino that, although calm in the standings, will not ease the tension. "They are a solid team - notes Giampaolo, former on duty - the director Vagnati has been good at rebuilding over time. Compared to when I was coaching, only two players remain, namely Milinkovic-Savic and Linetty, the latter I brought. They will come here to play their game. Torino is a historic club, with a great tradition, it has a solid club behind it and passionate fans. I felt good there, even though I arrived at a particular moment, in the middle of the Covid period and without the possibility of doing business in the market".

Lecce wants to say goodbye to the “Via del Mare” with a home win that hasn’t happened since last December: «I want to tell the fans that it will be the most important match of the year. I know they will be there and that they will be by our side, just as they have always been, at home and away. In football, nobody gives you anything, nothing is taken for granted, you shouldn’t expect anything from others. Let’s look at our home and I know that the fans will know how to make the difference». As for the starting eleven that will take to the field, the spotlight is on Kialonda Gaspar, who worked separately this week after suffering a bad bruise to his right shoulder in the last away game in Verona.

Giampaolo takes his time until the last moment to decide on the Angolan, who could recover by gritting his teeth: «If Gaspar gives us guarantees, he will play. Otherwise, Tiago Gabriel will take his place». The coach also has some doubts in the middle of the field: «We have seven players for three roles. The choices are the result of many evaluations. Sometimes I preferred a setter, other times I looked for different characteristics. I think the management of the seven midfielders, done with intellectual honesty, is the right thing to do. The competition is high, when there is competition the level rises. The players I consider most suitable for this match will play».