#VeronaVirtus | Coach Marco Baroni's post-match comments

Folgaria – Coach Marco Baroni’s comments following Hellas Verona-Virtus Verona, the Gialloblù’s second friendly of the #Folgaria2026 training camp.

Coach, I’d like to start with the captain’s armband. You told us that the goalkeepers would wear it until you made a decision. Today you gave it to Suslov: will he be the captain? And, at this point, will he stay at Verona? "Today the referee did not allow us to make the substitution needed for Perilli to wear the armband. The captaincy is something a coach has to assess carefully. I am not used to simply giving it to the oldest player or the one with the most appearances. Of course, those are important factors, but there are other considerations to make as well. As for Suslov, I do not see why he should leave. We still need to sign four or five players and will certainly have to make one sale, aside from Montipò’s departure".

What is your assessment of the opening league fixture, which will see Verona host Ascoli? "It is still so far away that, at the moment, we need to focus solely on our daily work. There is still a great deal to build and a lot of work to do. However, there have been some very positive signs. There is involvement and commitment, and that is the most important thing we are asking from the team at this stage. For the rest, we are looking towards the next match, because every game is an opportunity for us to assess our progress. Today, we did some things well and there were others we need to improve. It is not easy to play on a pitch that is smaller and narrower than a regulation pitch, against a team defending very deep in front of its own penalty area. Finding space is difficult, but we managed to play several passes in behind and get into the box on many occasions. For me, the important thing is to create goalscoring opportunities, because this team has to score through its style of play. Goals will not simply come by themselves".

This is the second consecutive friendly in which Bega has not featured, despite being one of the new arrivals. What is his situation? "Bega has a muscular problem and is carrying out an individual programme on the pitch. We are waiting to be able to work with him consistently, because so far he has completed only two training sessions with the team before having to stop".

I’d like to discuss Kastanos. Throughout his career, he has always played as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder or second striker. In the first two friendlies, however, we have seen him play as a holding midfielder in a two-man midfield. How is he adapting to this role, and how willing has he been to play there? "I ask for a lot of movement on the pitch, including players moving away from their starting positions. As you can see, our midfielders rotate frequently, because this allows us to create space and then occupy it with the wingers or full-backs. Kastanos is a quality player. We want to play quality football, so he will be an important player for us".

How are the new players settling in? Today, for example, we saw Cerbone attempt to make an impact on several occasions. Also, how is Oyegoke after coming off in some discomfort? "He only suffered a slight sprain, which is normal at this stage of the season. We have worked very hard, including on a very soft pitch, because it often rains here in the evenings. It is normal for the players to feel a little heavy-legged. We have done a lot of work, much of it with the ball, so these minor aches are physiological. The same happened to Bradaric, but I do not think it is anything serious. After a day of recovery, they should both be able to resume training without any problems".