The parade of well-known journalist-fans continues at the PalaFitLine in Desio. If for the match between Cantù and Brindisi Mino Taveri, the face of Mediaset and a Brindisi fan, was seen in the stands, on Sunday evening for Cantù-Turin it was the turn of Massimo Marianella of Sky Sport, known for being pro-Cantù.
«It went well for me – the journalist joked -, I probably saw the best match of this start of the season. Maybe the numbers say otherwise, because Cantù didn’t shoot very well. But that would be an understatement: there are many other positive things that emerged in this beautiful match from a competitive point of view.”
«Risk of the Night Taylor»
Character, defence, different solutions impressed Marianella: «Cantù confirmed what I thought was good. If he improves his shooting percentages, it will be a great championship. Meanwhile I saw an NBA-like defense by Riismaa on Taylor: it was worth the whole match. I probably saw Basile’s first real “no” evening, but he has character.”
Satisfied? «If you want to win dirty games, it’s always a good sign. You can see that Cantù is well trained and that she still has room for growth and improvement. I saw a lot of defense and a good bench, which will help a lot in this long championship. As a fan, I left happy.”
Situations that can be improved? «Definitely the shot, but I also expect the various leaders of this team to emerge with even more strength. Just scroll through the names, there’s certainly no shortage of them.”
And, speaking of fans, a reference to the stadium could not be missing: «In Desio you always feel the full involvement of the people, in Cantù you always manage to create a good bond between team and public. There is never a shortage of chants for the history of Cantù, a glorious past that the club always manages to valorise: if you play for Cantù, you have to carry this in your bag. I like that, one step away from 2025, in an A2 match at the start of the championship, this story manages to emerge again: I’m a romantic, I always appreciate it.”
«A right formula»
On the new A2, Marianella prefers to suspend judgement: «We live in an era of change, we at Sky Sport are accompanying the new football Champions League on television, for example. Apparently, I prefer this new A2 format, let’s see if and how it will work. In any case, I find it right that, after 38 games, there is an important prize such as promotion for the first place, even if now it’s difficult for me to say which one is the favourite, although I have an idea… Furthermore, I also think about the “glance”. There is a group and a ranking: it is a situation that I always prefer.”
