Marco Baroni, the manager of Hellas Verona, spoke during a press conference ahead of their clash with Inter.
Baroni discussed the complexities around the transfer market in football, revealing, “When a player receives significant offers, it is difficult to retain him. He could have a slightly different performance than last year.”
The coach also indicated a commitment to fighting to the end, saying that the only certainty was that the remaining players needed to be committed 100%. He added that young individuals would play if necessary. He stressed that, regardless of the market, the league was challenging.
“There’s a league in front of us and we can’t lose focus because of things we can’t control,” Baroni remarked. He implied a desire to keep the squad focused on things within their control. “We were affected by events that didn’t happen in the last match, but in these last six games, we have noticed considerable improvements since we changed our playing system.”
Baroni called for more engagement, insisting, “We need to have our minds turned on; it’s the only way to achieve our goals.”
The manager also discussed the impact of concurrently working with an open transfer market. He stated, “It is clear that it is conditioning to play with an open transfer market session as happened in Sassuolo where we played in the last hour of the market.”
On the topic of new signings, Baroni said, “Here, people want to save themselves first and foremost, and they will do everything to achieve that. If a player cannot be retained, it’s clear he must leave.”
Overall, the Verona head coach called for focus and resilience from his players, whilst emphasising the need for heads to remain “switched on” amidst the challenges of the season and transfer market.