Donadoni: “I’m happy to be a part of this project”

“It’s normal to start a new season smiling and optimistic, there’s lots of desire to do well,” said Roberto Donadoni to Sky Sport 24. “The most important thing to me is that we become fully aware of our own capabilities regardless of the opposition.

“This is a group which works well, the new arrivals have a positive attitude. Destro started slowly last year because of issues with his condition but now he’s training well. We can’t just count on Mattia for goals. In finishing, the others have to become more dangerous and add goals and assists for the team. In this sense, I believe that lots of our attackers have talents that they’ve not yet expressed.

“Tactically, I want a flexible team which is able to change as needed, even in a single match. Obviously, that’s without renouncing on our identity. I expect Verdi and Di Francesco to build on their experience from last year and work on their qualities so that they can be even more decisive.

“Poli is a flexible player and he’s very willing to make use of his experience. He’s the kind of player we want. I think that sometimes it’s better not to say what our objective is. Not because everything is good enough but so that we don’t set limits. It’s clear that the priority remains survival but after that we need to do as well as possible.

“I’d like to leave a mark in the growth of this club. The city is hungry for good football but it also knows how it has suffered with all the ups and downs in the past. We want to develop step by step and I’m happy to be a part of this project.”