Filippo Giovagnoli’s visit to Dundalk started as a “comic mission” but has now become a dream come true.
Few might have thought that Lot would lead the men into the unknown Italian Europa League group stages, replacing Winnie Perth at the end of August.
However, the 49-year-old said the sheriff will play big European performances against Tiraspol and K Cloxwick in qualifying matches.
Geovagnoli has similarly good feelings, overcoming the Group B opener against Mold at Talag Stadium tonight.
“Yes, I have a similar feeling, because I see them working every day, I can see them practically performing, ready for this difficult mission, so I think we will have a very good performance.
“Usually when we perform well, something good can happen based on the result, so I’m really positive,” he said.
Geovagnoli has confused everyone with three wins in Europe to date, but has given its credit to his players, including home and away matches against Arsenal and Rapid Vein.
“Sometimes when you start a mission it is a comic, you jump into a dream, but the dream and the mission become your natural. Now that this is our norm, we have to perform on this stage.
“This is a very successful team. They have a winning mentality and you can see that they are more focused and raise their standards when challenged.
“It simply came to our notice then. We did not bring this. It was already here. We are facilitators for them. We try to help them technically and strategically, but they already have this kind of mentality, so this is a huge advantage. ”
When he admitted that he had nerves on his side in the play-off win against K Cloxwick at the Aviva Stadium last month, Geovagnoli thinks Dantalk can now express himself as the pressure has eased to a certain extent.
“We had a problem with the nerves in the playoffs when we played KÍ, but getting to this point in the playoffs was a big deal. Now I think we are going to perform. We are more relaxed and we have nothing to lose. We need to work well and make sure we can compete at this level.
“We want to score points everywhere, to perform well, to perform well and to compete. We want to show everyone that Dantalk deserves to be there and that we can perform at a high level. That is our goal, “said Geovagnoli.
The club’s opposition analyst Shane Keegan expects a tough test from the Norwegians, but hints that Dundalk has vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
“They are very strong and there is no doubt about it,” he said.
“I don’t think there is a million miles between them and the sheriff. It is clear that we are well equipped in that game so we can have enough confidence.
“I think they have a lot of aggressive standards, but we look at them defensively and think there are one or two areas where we have the potential to go and exploit,” he said.
Mold coach Earling Moe also warned that Dandalk could not be taken lightly.
“We’ve been looking at them for a while now after the draw, and we think we have a good view of what Dantalk is,” he said.
“They did well in Europe. They are a team that seems to fit in a bit under the new coach in terms of playing from the back. I think they are very strong going forward. The left and right winger and top man are good players, so we expect a tough game. ”
Moldois will miss Lake James, Frederick Salstad, Henry Wingo and Christopher Haroldseed due to injuries.
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