Frosinone, Alvini: "Stiamo lavorando bene. Gelli in B può fare la differenza"

Coach Koutsoupias and Bragaglia said you want to dominate matches, and we've seen that you talk a lot with your players. Do you use not only the tactical aspect but also the psychological one to get into their heads? "I believe that football today isn't just about the tactical, physical, and technical aspects, but there's also a psychological component that's fundamental, and so you also have to constantly train your mind. And so I also think that emotional work is important." What's still missing from this team? "The group enjoys coaching him, and so that's an advantage for a coach. You feel good with him, so when you have positive feelings, it's important. It's definitely a team that's still missing something, we know that, and the club knows that. There's constant dialogue, so we have clear ideas on this." You've often and willingly used a three-man defense. During these recent matches at Terminillo, you've also worked with a four-man defense. What do you think of this team, and what's the formation they'll use moving forward? "I think talking about a three-man defense right now is a bit too simple. Football today is very dynamic, very fluid. Within a match there are multiple matches, so you build with three, you build with four, you build with two. It's very dynamic, but you hear it even from my senior colleagues. And so we're working on multiple solutions, but because within the match you need multiple solutions, so football is more fluid, more dynamic. More situation-based, less position-based. More about interchangeability of roles than fixed positions. Coach, in short, what are the qualities and limitations of this team? "The quality we have is good technique in some players, which perhaps could be useful in a Serie B championship. We definitely need to fix some things in midfield, and also have a few more numerical advantages. But I wouldn't talk about limitations; I'd talk about a new journey that has begun. We have a very clear path, and within that path we'll work, incorporating ideas, and we have to be good at it. However, we're satisfied with what we're doing so far. What is Frosinone's goal? "What the president clearly spoke about, the primary objective for all of us, for everyone, is to stay in the league. But beyond that, the important thing is to have a clear idea, a precise identity, to always want to be recognizable during the game, to want to play the game. To want to have your own style. I like to call it style, a recognizable style, that of an aggressive team, that of a team that wants to play in both phases of the game. You may or may not succeed in that, but the important thing is that you have that idea deep down in your heart and you want to put it into practice. I don't care about anything else. The important thing is that we have clear ideas." Mister, the team is inevitably a work in progress, an ongoing construction site. Paradoxically, perhaps on August 30th you could find yourself with two, three, or four players you'll bring onto the pitch for these friendlies who are no longer there. That's how a coach works in these conditions. What study do you need to do regarding technical preparation? "A little experience over the years has led you to work with everyone in the same professional manner, thus giving the team the utmost professionalism in their work. So we train all the players with great determination. But I don't think it will change much. I have great faith in this group here. There's constant dialogue, and we have clear ideas with the director and the president. Things may change, but we plan to move forward with this idea. We're training all the players with the same determination, so that's it. It's important for us; it's us, the staff, and me first and foremost as a coach, who make myself available to all the players who aren't at our disposal, and so we're training everyone equally. Among the players you have at your disposal, you've reunited with Gelli, whom you already coached when he was young. I ask you what your thoughts are on him tactically. So, where do you plan to include him in the lineup? "I'm pleased, I see you're doing your research. Gelli began a journey with me 10 years ago, maybe 12 years ago. Then we met again here today. If Gelli is in the right frame of mind, and I want him to be in the right frame of mind, he's a player who, with his quality in this category, can be an important player for Frosinone. So I hope he, like all of us, wants to embrace this project, this path. He can play any position in midfield because he's a dynamic player. So, for me, he's a player who can play in any position.