Gianluca Da Poian / IF I SAY
Riccardo Serena is a son of art, as they say in these cases. We remember Dad Michele, first on the pitch and then as a coach. Venice, Juventus, Monza, Verona, Sampdoria, Fiorentina, Atletico Madrid, Parma and finally Inter: these are the teams of his long career as a full-back, while from the bench he led Venice, Mantua, Grosseto, Spezia, Padua, Venice again, Feralpi Salò and Vicenza, from which he resigned in February 2019.
«Now wait for the opportunity to get back on the game, without haste. Meanwhile he has several pastimes: biking, fishing. And it keeps fit. The calves are always twice as large as mine », smiling his son Riccardo, the very central pivot of the San Giorgio Sedico, who is climbing the rankings to the sound of victories, tells us with a smile. The last came Thursday in the derby in Feltre, very similar to the decisive step towards safety.
It is very close to the finish line. Nine points according to the coach Luca Tiozzo. But the team travels on the wings of enthusiasm and is not afraid of anything. Normal when you see ghosts for months, your coach happens to all and more and moreover you stay off for a month due to Covid. For moments like this you come out stronger.
«We have been through difficult situations, but now we are fine. And something magical was created, as explained by our coach. We get results by playing well ».
Riccardo, you wore the Union Pro, Mestre and Abano jerseys in D, then two and a half years in Padua between C and B, a part of the season in Rieti in C and in October you chose Sedico. Why?
«Because he spoke well to me … an opponent. Pierluigi Marcato, my friend from Union Pro. He knew how to be an excellent team and he recommended it to me when they set out on my trail. Even if the person I heard most was Ivan Da Riz, Ferro’s deputy until the exoneration of late October. After the first call from DS Della Vecchia, Da Riz was looking for me almost every day, showing me how much I was wanted in Sedico. Could I ever have said no to an opponent from my first team debut? Feltrese – Favaro Marcon, Venetian Excellence, we won 2-0 at the Zugni Tauro ».
Speaking of fairy tales, in Abano in D 2016-2017 you lived a dream with a coach… Luca Tiozzo.
“Maybe there we really touched the sky with a finger. In names I believe this San Giorgio Sedico stronger than that Abano. Almost unknown, we stopped only in the playoff semifinal with Triestina at Rocco, drawing 1-1 and missing a penalty in extra time. But on the other hand, if you give our coach time to work, he gets this kind of results ».
For you Abano was the springboard in professionalism with the Padova shirt, including nine tokens in Serie B.
«I won the C championship by playing quite a lot with Bisoli at the helm, then the following year nothing worked and we were relegated. Do you know those years when everything goes wrong? Let’s say that I have lived through opposite years. But playing at those levels and in those squares is rewarding ».
What changes compared to the D?
«The more you climb, the more rhythm and physicality increase. The first week of retreat I didn’t even touch the ball during the bull, but by the third it was already better ».
Let’s go back to Tiozzo. They describe him as the feisty coach with a strong character, yet his San Giorgio Sedico also knows how to play very well.
«Believe me, he really likes being proactive. We are combining competition and hunger with possession of the ball. If you control what happens on the pitch, if you learn to move in one or two taps, it is easier to get results. In addition, we prepare the challenges in a maniacal way ».
Between disqualification and daspo, somewhere else Tiozzo would have risked the exemption.
“It was right that it went like this. We would have thrown away our growth path. Look where we are now. But we haven’t achieved anything yet, our fairytale awaits a happy ending. We can improve on various aspects, for example in the finalization phase ».
Do you support any team where dad played?
“The Serena family is Inter.”
So the Nerazzurri Scudetto and Sedicense salvation?
“We hope so.” –
© breaking latest news