The Granata coach is pleased after the win in Rome and the team’s advancement to the Coppa Italia quarterfinals: “We’re improving.”

After three seasons, Torino is back in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals (they’ll face Inter on the road in a single-elimination match), and Marco Baroni makes no secret of his satisfaction at eliminating Roma at the Olimpico. “The team is improving; we also had a strong second half in Bergamo,” the Granata coach began on Italia 1. “I’m happy for the players, the fans, and the club, but more than just advancing to the next round, I was particularly interested in how we did it. The team performed very well in every aspect, from aggressiveness to playing the ball forward—it’s just a shame about those two lapses in concentration.” The Torino coach, however, doesn’t want to set any limits or goals for himself. “I strongly believe in values, growth, and hard work. The path is clear: I asked the sporting director and the president for players who have ‘future’ written on their jerseys,” Baroni added. “That’s what I try to bring to the field: hard work, sacrifice, and improvement.”

Finally, the Granata coach turned his attention to analyzing the season. “I don’t think it’s easy when you make changes: we started out planning to play a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1,  but we had to adjust based on the players’ strengths,” he admitted. “I know people here want everything right away, but when you’re trying to help young players improve… I, too, am disappointed by some setbacks, but they’re part of the growth process. Our goal for the season? To constantly improve and take on new challenges every day on the field. The secret lies solely on the field; we need to focus on our daily work and our development. The team, the club, and I are focused solely on that.”

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