After closing the regular season with a third place in their group and after defeating Brescia in the playoffs and Genoa in the round of last-16, the black-and-blue Under 15’s season came to its close in the double-fixture against Empoli in the quarterfinals. Coach Alessio Gambirasio has commented the season as follows:  “The final balance is undoubtedly positive. We faced structural shortcomings in August, with some of our players in the thick of their growth phase. While we barely trod water in the first two months, tournaments included, as things started picking up in a gradual manner (sure, with some lows at times), the development path eventually turned out almost seamless for each and every one of our players: naturally, despite all the unavoidable individual discrepancies (with some lads now slightly ahead of those still going through their growing phase), the balance is positive and everyone pulled their weight. Aside from the playoffs against Brescia, where fear almost got the better of us since we had everything to lose, we stood our ground against Genoa and Empoli, despite both teams flaunting a better placement in their respective groups: in the second-leg against Genoa we showcased maturity. Against Empoli we did not find our happy ending: reaping less than we sowed, we didn’t manage to capitalize on the many chance we created (I dare say, one of the season’s hallmarks and a weak point we will definitely have to work on). Besides, we faced a really strong opponent”.

“What really stood out the most for me was how our lads grew in terms of personality: while at the beginning of the season used to hit the pitch with the wrong approach, struck by fear and anxiety, whenever we faced opponents that were deemed, at least on the paper, stronger than us; the lads roughed it and shifted their attitude -something I’m most pleased about. After all, these are mandatory steps of every development path. Aside from the overhaul in their mentality, our lads also became more and more aware of their own means: which does not mean being brash or impulsive, mind you; but rather having a better self-perception of their own strengths and weaknesses. Adopting a goal-oriented road mark, in conjunction with the precious help provided by Anna Ferrari, one of our pedagogues, was the real linchpin of our lads’ growth: I think that shifting our focus from victory to personal growth has been a winning move that will bear even more fruits in the long run”.