Virtus, Baraldi snuggles up to Luca Banchi
The words of Luca Baraldi
Interviewed by Corriere dello Sport, CEO Luca Baraldi spoke about the pressure the team may have in this Frecciarossa Final Eight 2024: “The team è used to playing big games. If anything, it increases the awareness that the event is coming up and therefore the motivation. It's only positive. For us, the Italian Cup matters so much, because we haven't won it during our management. And it's been missing from the club's trophy case for 23 years. We came close to it last year, there's a desire for revenge with respect to a cup that eluded us mainly because of our opponents".
Could the partial balance of the season change depending on how the Italian Cup goes? “Only for the better. It would be the second trophy of the season, è an opportunity. A stepping stone to the Scudetto and Euroleague playoffs, which are our goals. Not winning it would only mean that we are not ready right now, not that we are not good. However we feel ready, the team è. The Euroleague playoffs? We are maybe four wins away. With 8 games to play "it would be enough" to maintain the average we have".
Baraldi also extolled the club’s relationship with coach Luca Banchi: “In the utmost transparency, with respect, professionalismà and trust, which è the most important thing. We have a lot of it in him and he is reciprocating it beyond the results, with his way of working and managing the team every day. Both in soccer and basketball I have worked with very great coaches, I can say that Banchi è really very good. If Virtus è the credit è his and the players, there'è so much of the coach in these results".
