Collecchio, 29 August 2025 - Coach Carlos Cuesta spoke to the press ahead of our second game of the season, against Atalanta, in this Press Room at the Mutti Training Centre in Collecchio.

ATALANTA STRONG SIDE, WE WANT TO PUT ON A GOOD DISPLAY

“ I'm expecting a difficult match against a great opponent like Atalanta. I'm also expecting the Tardini to be rocking and wanting to see a great display. As the Club said, we're in a building phase, but we are truly focussed on what we have now. We will have a competitive team on Saturday and we will have lots of desire. It's been a week during which we have learnt and taken a lot from the match in Turin. Obviously, we've taken these points to continue our growing process and to be ready to face Atalanta. I'm expecting a strong Atalanta side, a really strong side. They've continued in their progress. They've changed their Coach and a few aspects of the team, but they have a very clear model in the way they play and who they have as players. I expect Atalanta to be very competitive and we will need to put in a good performance. They have lots of strengths, like their ability to press high and win the ball back. They're good at winning duels, and they know how to attack out wide and threaten the goal. They have lots of great individual players: they're a strong team, otherwise they wouldn't be where they are and wouldn't have achieved what they have in the past. As for us, we must try to play the way we want to play and be ready to deal with moments that might not go as planned, but we have to be ready to plan in every context'.

THE NEW ARRIVALS: ORISTANIO, TROILO AND NDIAYE

“Oristiano can give us a lot between the lines and in one on one situation, he can make the difference. He's going to add a lot of quality. He will be available on Saturday and we will see if he will have the chance to play. Troilo? He trained today, he went to Argentina for bureaucratic reasons. For this reason, he missed some training sessions, but he will be there on Saturday. Ndiaye? He's ready, he will have the chance the start. He has slot in very well, he has lots of qualities that will help us play the way we want. He will allow us to add some extra quality to the side'.

ENRICO DELPRATO'S ROLE

“Enrico definitely has the characteristics to play as a centre back and a wing-back. He's a versatile player, he is intelligent and knows how to adapt. During the match, he can do one or the other. He is always ready, he's got lots of desire to be ready and do his best in any context'.

FROM THE TRANSFER MARKET TO THE INTERNAITONAL BREAK

“The market? I've always said the same thing, we're aligned with the Club. Therefore, in this part of the journey, we're on the same level, our concentration and focus is on playing well on Saturday and doing our best at the Tardini. Obviously the international break will give us a chance to evaluate, to find more stability and the market will be closed. We will be able to know where we are at and start a journey that will allow us to progress even quicker'.

THE POSITIVE ASPECTS FROM TURIN

“We try to take the positives from our past to grow and find solutions. Many times, when we talk about the ball, it is linked to what happened earlier. Where you recover the ball, in which conditions, has a big impact on what happens next. There were many situations where maybe we weren't able to connect with other playing options, make better use of possession to progress together and that forced us to sit deeper. Obviously, from the match in Turin, we will also take many positive lessons to keep building on what we want to do, and we will do that in every game we play'.