Giovanni Di Lorenzo discussed the arrival of new first-team coach Francesco Calzona and much more on the eve of the home clash with Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16.
“Calzona coming in has brough excitement,” admitted the captain, “but we’re fully aware that we need to give more than we have been doing so far.
“When there’s a third change of coach in a season, it certainly means that something isn’t right. As a team, we’re taking responsibility and we know we need to give a strong response.
“The boss can bring so much to us because he knows us and he knows the dressing room. He has really fired us up and we’re fully focused on getting back on track in every way possible.
“I’d also like to thank [Walter] Mazzarri and say how sorry we are about how it panned out. We’re now trying to take in the concepts that Calzona is presenting to us and as of tomorrow, we want to implement the things that the coach has asked of us out on the pitch.
“Maybe we’d lost a feeling of positivity recently and we’ll need to replenish our energy levels and also play with bravery because we’ll be up against a top side, so it’s a chance to turn things around.
“We want to get through this situation all together. We’re fully committed to turning our season around, starting tomorrow.
“We’ll need to be fully focused against Barcelona and also play with clear heads and the carefreeness that you sometimes need to get back to being yourself and exploit our potential.
“These are the games that you play football to be involved in and we’re hoping to give our fans something to shout about.”
