Crotone coach Giovanni Stroppa admits he wasn’t sure today’s game with Lazio would go ahead after flooding. ‘We were assured the situation was under control.’
Just hours before kick-off, there was footage of floods in the Calabria town, with authorities carrying people out of their homes and rescuing them from trapped cars.
Crotone coach Giovanni Stroppa admits he wasn’t sure today’s game with Lazio would go ahead after flooding. ‘We were assured the situation was under control.’
Just hours before kick-off, there was footage of floods in the Calabria town, with authorities carrying people out of their homes and rescuing them from trapped cars.
“There were some real concerns we wouldn’t be able to play, and in the first few minutes the pitch did get worse, but fortunately the rain began to ease and the wind calmed down too, so that allowed us to play a half-decent football match,” the coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“The pitch seemed to be in perfect condition this morning, but when we arrived at the stadium, the situation deteriorated.
“We want to send our love to the people of Crotone during this difficult situation. There were a few clips that we saw on our phones, but we were assured the situation was under control and above all that there was no loss of life.”
Ciro Immobile’s diving header and Joaquin Correa from a tight angle managed to decide the 2-0 Lazio victory.
“Lazio showed they were able to adapt to the conditions and play a ‘dirtier’ game than they are accustomed to. We could’ve done more, but we were up against a stronger team.
“I said in the press conference beforehand that we create the chances, so that’s the important thing, and now we need to convert more of those opportunities so we are not so sterile.
“We’ve had good performances, but you need to put the ball in the back of the net and that is not just a technical or tactical issue. It’s about choices and in some situations the inability to finish things off.
“We are on the right track and have to keep going until we convert more of these many chances.”
Do Crotone need a new centre-forward to help or even replace Nwankwo Simy?
“Well, talk to the President! We’ve been without Denis Dragus for about six weeks, Emanuel Riviere got injured early on too, so we didn’t really have the chance to rotate the squad and bring in fresh legs.”