Interview by Marco Bonomo
With the name of a gladiator, Massimo Carrera has managed to find himself at the right time and place yet again. His fans believe this to be the case, and dedicated a banner to him: “Forza Massimo, fortune favors the brave.” Massimo is not Decimo Meridio, but Carrera and the fans are those of Spartak Moscow, the Russian team with the most titles. A team from a city which received its name from a different gladiator: Spartacus. There is no revolt to carry out, but Massimo Carrera hopes to stay on top of the Russian Premier League. He was given his managerial role after being promoted from his position as an assistant to former coach, Alenichev; Alenichev was sacked after he lost the Europa preliminary round against AEK Larnaca. Just as when Carrera was interim head coach at Juventus, his destiny has again offered him the chance to be a protagonist, and he has not shied away: “What would I have said if they told me this during the summer? That is impossible, unimaginable. I came here as an assistant, but then I accepted this challenge and the responsibility to do my best in order to win as much as possible with Spartak” – says Carrera in an exclusive interview with Gianlucadimarzio.com. Carrera hopes to achieve the title which has been absent from Spartak since 2001. Pressure? “Whenever a manager agrees to coach a team, there will be pressure regardless of the objective. Here it is even higher than usual, because Spartak is like the Juventus of Russia. But I have no fear whatsoever.”
The Spartans said that the true strength of a warrior is the soldier who is by his side. Carrera can boast the support of his fans who have slowly become enamored with him, and expressed their feelings through the aforementioned banner: “It was an emotional moment, because being able to receive a gesture of affection like this along with the fans’ overall support is difficult and rare. I thank them.” The goodwill for Carrera also extends to his players. Or rather, his warriors. In a video circulated online, Carrera can be seen celebrating a 2-0 won over Anzhi by embracing his players as he shouts: “Warriors! My warriors!” “Entering a team with players that have great esteem for you, forming a group of friends, and a family. These are the principal components for achieving success. We are united. No one thinks about their own self-interest but of what is best for Spartak.” Words which remind of Antonio Conte, a manager for which Carrera substituted in 2012 when he was suspended by the league: “Even in that circumstance I found myself assuming a managerial role almost by chance. There were other options such as entrusting the team to Baroni who at the time coached the primavera. However, it was up to me, and I simply utilized the ideas which Conte developed for us each week. I shared his idea of football, and that made everything simple.” For this reason, Carrera is not surprised that both currently share the same fate of sitting in first place in their respective leagues: “I had no doubts of Antonio. I believe that he is one of the best, and knew that he would succeed at Chelsea.”
His everyday life is now situated in Moscow: “I live in the sports center. My family did not come for these first few months. I live for soccer and Spartak without any distractions.” Carrera has also been taking Russian classes: “I have been attempting to learn the language. It is difficult and requires patience, but I want to be able to at least say something!” It requires the same patience necessary to prepare his Spartak. Former Sampdoria player, Fernando, and striker, Ze Luis, along with Popov and Ananidze are all integral parts of Carrera’s side: “We are an organized team. We always want to play for the win by fighting until the end. Players ready for Italy? Yes, but I won’t name any names, because I want them here for now!” Carrera then spoke about Serie A: “I see the results but do not have much time to watch the games. I try to watch Juventus whenever I get an opportunity to. They say Juve does not play well? Well…they win. Atalanta? I played with Gasperini when I was young and at Pescara; he was at the end of his career. I know him as a person. He is a good man, and I had no doubts that after Genoa he would succeed in Bergamo. He is the ideal manager for Atalanta, because it is a team which places a strong emphasis on youth. The team has an incredible fighting spirit.” Maybe one day Carrera will face him in Serie A… “No, for the moment I am solely concentrated on Spartak. I want to commit myself fully here, and that is all that interests me.”
