Towards Parma–Como Women: Stefano Sottili’s pre-match words

Como Women are preparing for their match against Parma, valid for the eighth round of the Serie A Women Athora. On the eve of the game, scheduled for tomorrow at 6:00 PM at the “Il Noce” stadium in Noceto (PR), coach Stefano Sottili spoke, sharing his feelings ahead of the match.

“We approach this match the way all teams do after a break: step by step. Our opponents also had several players involved with their respective national teams, so the situation is similar for both sides. In fact, we only had the full group available in the last two or three days of the week—the time needed to prepare for the match all together. Some of the girls came back in great shape, others a bit less so, and this makes it harder to be certain about availability and the overall condition of the team.”

On the challenges of the match against Parma: “This is a league where every match hides its own dangers. There is great balance, and to get results you must always deliver a high-level performance. Parma are a team that play very well, especially in possession. They have an almost ‘Spanish’ playing philosophy in some ways, and they execute very well what they intend to do: I like them, and they offer interesting solutions. If we don’t work well collectively, they can cause us problems.”

On the league table: “Right now, I consider every match a turning point. The standings are not yet defined: aside from Roma, who are trying to create a gap, there are very few points separating the second-place team from the last. This shows how balanced the league is and how difficult it is to achieve consistent results. I think it’s too early to call this a decisive match, but certainly every game can shape the season: in such a balanced league, keeping consistency in results allows you to stay on the left side of the table instead of slipping to the right.”