Cereda: Our secret is the chemistry between the lines

Davos – a well-deserved and much-needed success which at present is perhaps the greatest goal to be achieved by Umbro Biotta and which should be celebrated as such. In the Davos Six Days, the Biancoblo was actually able to play four matches at the same level of high level and defeat opponents of eminent level such as Sparta Prague and Örebro and not leave the slightest chance to the two opponents, IFK Helsinki and Davos. , which for various reasons was not in the hands of Bestoni and his comrades. And from the start of Leventinese’s second Spengler adventure, it was noticeable that the team was mature, determined and in perfect shape.

Now the new “mission” of the Cereda team is to take advantage of this event to build a winning mentality that is also reflected in the championship, and which, among other things, the biancobl team has so far lacked exactly the consistent performance seen for Spengler . It is certainly not a thing for today in Bern, nor for Friday in Friborg or Saturday with Bienne, in fact the initial physical and mental reaction can be easily predicted and understood, but in the long run it would be a real shame if this situation remained a dead letter. .

On the other hand, it is difficult to assess the impact of this on a purely non-mathematical context at the moment. It is true that the victory is a sure stimulus for investment sponsors and the worldwide interest aroused by the Graubünden event now allows Ambrì Piotta to be on the lips of all hockey fans. This is also evidenced by the specialized statistics site EliteProspect, according to which the fifth most searched player in the last few hours is Umbro striker Alex Formenton.

And though not yet official, the presence of biancoblù in the next Spengler is now taken for granted.

We were not afraid of losing

But for now, and rightly so, the team and coaching staff are enjoying success in a tough and combative final against Sparta Prague, in which Leventini’s success is essentially deserved. Formenton presented his team twice (in the sixth minute in numerical superiority and in the 24th minute in numerical inferiority), then the Leventina team was good in responding to the two Czech equalizers (in the seventh minute with Tomasek and in the 54th minute with Horak), still creating some chances before The apotheosis of penalties, with Bürgler and Pistoni’s conversions and Juvonen’s decisive shots. “It was great to win like that, even if we weren’t thinking of doing it sooner – comments coach Luca Cereda -. After 2-2, the boys were good at not letting themselves panic or fear losing, but I recognized the desire to move on to complete the task for which we came to Davos. It was a balanced match that the two teams could have won, perhaps the difference was the persistence ».

In short, the middle of the day was full of emotions, between the iron and the expected celebrations: «In the first half I had the impression that everyone, including me, was almost impatient to win, so we told ourselves to stay calm and move on. A pass step, then a penalty shootout, I told Zwerger to sit next to me and never jump on the ring again.”

Consistency in performance is a factor that was also confirmed by the Cementina coach: “We played four solid matches, we immediately found good harmony with all lines, defense and attack, and I think that was the secret of this week and we must also present it in the league ».

The task now is to resume the championship, taking advantage of the accumulated confidence to face the inevitable drop in energy: «In the short term there will be a little euphoria, but then the emotional toxins will also come out, given that we have gone through many emotions, but in the medium term And the long one, those who last long like Spengler usually get to the end of the tournament in good shape, so after enjoying this win, starting today we throw ourselves back into the tournament. It is never easy to win, and the fact that you see that there are small things that can be done to achieve success must also be brought to the championship. Coming out of Spengler there is always a period when it is necessary to let go of the feelings I have had, and we will see if we can plan to work well with the boys, but for now we are enjoying this victory.”

In this regard, the addition of Alex Formenton (until the end of the season) and Nando Eggenberger, on loan from Rapperswil until the end of January, made an excellent impression: “We’ve always played four lines here, I think even in the decisive extra time, that’s the key, when you play “A lot. We hope Nando will be there until the end, as Rapperswil can call him back at any time. They are two solid items, they know how to play hockey and who we are happy to have with us.”

Luca Cereda lived through Umbro’s previous successes as a kid entering the first team, while this time as a coach he is perhaps the main architect. How did you get through this moment? “I had a good day today, which in any case was rather short, after the semi-final against Davos we went to bed late and the alarm clock was early, I was almost in a trance, so much so that my first concern after the match was knowing where I had finished with my bag.

Borgler: `It’s nice that you closed it’

Dario Borgler, who had already won the championship in 2011 with Davos, emphasized how the opponent was very tough: in the first half we played well the first few minutes, then they could play more, but we were there. Too bad about 2-2, but it doesn’t matter how we win, the important thing is that we succeed. In extra time we tried two counter-attacks and in the end it is a good story that Ante scored the decisive penalty kick.

However, there is not much time for celebration, since the calendar certainly does not help the whites and blues from this point of view (for comparison, Davos hosts Geneva tomorrow and Rapperswil on Friday): « After a day of celebration, it is time immediately, since yesterday To refocus on the trip to Bern ».