Empoli-Samp, the interview with Nicola Pozzi: “My four goals against Cagliari, Malesani and Sinisa…”

In Genoa his presence was announced by the “Din Don”, the chorus with which he remembered that goal in Varese that had allowed Sampdoria to regain Serie A: “I’m coming from Varese, Pozzi scored a goal”.

The blucerchiati was the second love of Nicola Pozzi’s life: “We had to bring Genoa back to Serie A. The relegation of the year before, 2011, had hurt us too much. And with that goal in Varese I paid off my debt to city”. In Empoli, on the other hand, he hadn’t left any open wounds: Tuscany were the first to launch him into big football: “I’ve always been grateful to President Corsi. I was young and with so many limits, he wanted me badly. The years in the blue I have in my heart”.

And now comes the comparison between the two teams in his career. Who are you rooting for?

“For both, obviously. Empoli can still score many points, and I don’t want to see Sampdoria in Serie B again.”

Yes, the last time with the relegated Dorians she was on the field: it was a cursed season.

“That’s the right word. We finished a good first leg in mid-table, then we got scared with our first defeats. We had lost Cassano and Pazzini during the winter transfer market, but it’s not an alibi: that team had all the qualities to stay in A”.

He returned after only one year in Purgatory and thanks to his 20 goals.

“In Serie B we started with some difficulty, then Iachini got us back on track. And the goal in Varese, the decisive one for promotion, is the most important I’ve scored.”

Today’s Samp is in great danger of reliving the specter of Serie B.

“It’s a complicated situation. They had regained morale with the victory at Sassuolo: it could have been the beginning of a comeback, a test of pride. But the standings remain complex”.

In Genoa it is a sad moment also due to the disappearances of Vialli and Mihajlovic.

“I was trained by Sinisa for three months: a genuine man, he never made fun of anyone, outspoken as an individual and coach. A precious person for today’s football, just like Vialli whom I only met one evening, for an event: Luca infected you with irony and knew how to conquer you with respect”.

Now another Serbian at Sampdoria: is Stankovic the right profile to get to safety?

“He can convey the right grit he had as a player. He has to perform a miracle and it’s not even easy to understand which opponents he has to race against: for me, from Lecce down, no one can be calm”.

From one coach to another: what is the secret of Zanetti’s Empoli?

“I believe in the coach’s work. He’s worked his way up since the youth sectors, he won the gold bench in Serie C when he was still very young, he’s an intelligent and quick-thinking coach. Last season in Venice helped him taste Serie A. And then the skill of Accardi should be mentioned, a director who rarely appears on the screens but deserves only compliments. I like Empoli because they know how to defend low without presumption: they concede few goals and then punish in speed”.

And with young people they are not wrong. The latest example is Baldanzi.

“The umpteenth winning bet from the owners: he has talent and he’s demonstrating it. Double applause for Empoli because they field him in a delicate role like an attacking midfielder, a rare commodity in today’s Serie A. He and Fazzini have a guaranteed future”.

Is there a player you see yourself in?

“Cambiaghi. Young, eager to prove a lot, inserted in small doses in the fray. Empoli, with him, will obtain many satisfactions”.

You made history in Empoli with the poker scored against Cagliari. A day to tell the grandchildren about.

“And the great thing is that that race made me argue with Malesani…”

“I had scored four, I kicked again and hit the post. I wanted very poker, at that point. But the coach took me off half an hour from the end because he had noticed that the Cagliari defenders were coming in hard: he wanted to protect me, he told me. I instead I was looking for the fifth goal, I knew that in my career I would never have an opportunity like that again. But it ended there.”

Her career began in Cesena, before Milan fell in love with her.

“I’ve never played in the league for the Rossoneri, but the memories are unforgettable. I slept in the room with Maldini, he never stopped cheering me on. At first, I thought I’d end up in the Primavera, but Galliani threw me with the big players: in the shooting sessions next door I had Rui Costa, Kakà, Tomasson, Inzaghi, Shevchenko and Crespo at my side. And how was I able to play with people like that?”

A few months at Milan, then the various loans.

“But I remain grateful to Ancelotti. He gave me space during the summer tournaments, I showed off in friendlies: it was difficult to do more at that time. Then from Empoli onwards my career took off”.

Do you have any regrets about how your adventure as a footballer went?

“Only for two factors: the injuries that have compromised it several times and my impulsive nature that has limited me. Sometimes I lacked calmness. In retrospect, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to debut in the senior national team after all the rigmarole in the youth team : but the competition was very tough, certainly not like now”.

What does Nicola Pozzi want to do in 2023?

“Last year I coached Grassina, in Eccellenza Toscana. It wasn’t an easy adventure, but one that made me fall in love with the bench: for this I thank the president and the fans. Today I catch up, watch games from Serie C down, wait for the right call. And I play padel with a few friends: the other day I was with Borja Valero”.