28 October 2014
Giovanissimi Nazionali coach Claudio Gabetta believes the team’s consistency on the training ground has been the key to their imperious start to the campaign.
Flying high at the top of the league with seven wins from their opening seven fixtures, the Bianconeri youngsters have burst out of the blocks at a devastating pace and their coach puts this early season form down to the work that goes on behind the scenes during the week.
Speaking exclusively to the club’s in-house television service Jtv, Gabetta said: “It’s an important moment in which you can work a great deal thanks to the six training sessions we hold each week.
“J-College allows us to conduct double workouts on Wednesdays and Thursdays which, combined with the sessions on Tuesday and Friday, gives us the opportunity to prepare the lads as best we can.
“This year Grabbi and Malfatti have helped out with specific workouts tailored for the defenders, midfielders and strikers, guaranteeing even greater efficiency.”
Most satisfying of the successes to date was a Derby della Mole triumph over inter-city rivals Torino nine days ago, with Gabetta revealing his trick to approach the game as if it were any other proved a winning one.
“We try and keep it as ‘normal’ a game as possible, because the lads are always really up for it. Many of them know each other and perhaps have gone to school together.
“It was a good game, especially in the first half, when we dominated, scored, hit a post and showed the correct approach. They fought back after the break, but we were alert. Our goalkeeper made two important dashes from his line in the closing stages and we held on for a deserved win.”
More recently, Sunday’s 6-1 demolition of a decent Varese outfit brought further confirmation of the giant strides made by the Bianconeri starlets.
“This summer they drew with Atalanta and beat Milan in the Scirea tournament, so we knew we were in for a tough game and a great start put us two goals to the good inside the opening two minutes.
“It was an important performance in terms of our intensity and mentality and that’s precisely our aim: we have a strong group and we don’t just want to develop their technical abilities, it’s also important to instill the right spirit.
“We aim to teach them that training is the key to development, encouraging them to give everything they’ve got in each session. It shows them that victory only comes about through hard work on a daily basis.”
The Giovanissimi will aim to stretch their winning streak when they travel to face Alessandria on Sunday, signalling the start of an important run of matches which could have a fundamental say on the destiny of their season.
Previewing the game, Gabetta concluded: “We’ll be up against a Lega Pro side who are doing very well. It will be the chance to see how the lads are coming on. Then we face Savona, with other useful tests against Novara, Spezia, Sampdoria and Genoa on the horizon.”
