National Team in Albania to conclude an intense run of four consecutive matches

A final effort – in every sense – awaits the San Marino National Team, who arrived yesterday in Tirana, where they will visit Albania at the splendid Kombëtare Arena. In the pre-match press conference, head coach Roberto Cevoli and defender Dante Rossi focused on the theme of consistency in performances and on managing physical and mental energies in an unprecedented international ten-day stretch.

“To the good performances that we are increasingly able to produce on the pitch, we now need to add greater consistency – both over time and within the game itself. In recent times, positive performances have been coming regularly,” confirmed coach Cevoli, “but now comes the hard part: we cannot afford to let up, not even by a centimetre because, as difficult as it is to keep raising the bar, it is frighteningly easy to slip backwards. Of course, being able to secure positive results would boost our self-belief and give the team further momentum, providing a guarantee of greater continuity for the future.” Reflecting on the opposition – unusually faced twice in the space of a week – the San Marino coach seems to have clear ideas on what to expect from his counterpart Maran: “Albania come into this from a heavy defeat in Finland, a match also marked by some debatable refereeing decisions. On the other side of the pitch we will be up against an angry team, which could work against us if we focus solely on the absolute value of the opponents and the atmosphere. We will be playing in a fantastic stadium that will definitely make itself heard tomorrow, driven by a substantial crowd – something that can certainly create pressure, but can also spur us on even more. Overall, I am confident because the lads have recovered well and, despite a few absences due to unforeseen events and suspensions, everyone is ready both physically and mentally. That is not something to take for granted, given that the many journeys we have made over these days are a significant factor which also has to be considered.”

For tomorrow night’s Albania-San Marino match, around 8,000 tickets have already been sold, and the home FA is aiming to push that figure up to 10,000 by kick-off. The game will be played at the Kombëtare Arena in Tirana, at 20:45. The match will be broadcast live and free-to-air on San Marino RTV (ch. 550 DTT). Nicola Nanni and Bartolomeo Riggioni will miss out through suspension, while it is unlikely that Pietro Marinucci – struck by a viral illness during the night and immediately treated by the medical staff travelling with the National Team – will be able to return to the list of 23 called up.

Returning to the press conference, Dante Rossi – one of the most experienced players in the squad – echoed the views of his head coach. “Playing four matches in such a short period does not happen every day; in fact, it is something completely new. To manage it, it is extremely important that we are mentally prepared. What is certain is that we are using up a lot of energy, running and working very hard for this shirt. It is not easy, not even from a purely physical perspective, but we can rely on a tight-knit and united group, where every player is ready to run for his team-mate and help each other out on the pitch. From my point of view, we are ready to face a National Team as strong as Albania, with the desire to build on the high-level performances we have produced in the last two competitive matches, and first and foremost to iron out some of the mistakes we have made.”

An example of professionalism and commitment, Dante Rossi does not hide the fact that praise for good performances, if not accompanied by points, is no longer enough. “For the San Marino National Team, every match is an opportunity to do well and confirm the trend that shows us growing and improving in many areas. Wearing this shirt and playing at this level is an honour, and we therefore want to make the most of every single chance that can allow us to bring home prestigious results. We have turned in some very good performances and are doing so more and more often; however, among ourselves – within the squad – we know that this is not enough. We want to give and do more, pushing ourselves to that famous 101% of our potential in order to manage to put some points on the board in this edition of the UEFA Nations League as well.”