Latvia head coach Paolo Nicolato has urged his squad to produce a step forward in both performance and results as preparations continue for this month’s Baltic Cup fixtures.
The national team are training in Piņķi ahead of the semi-final against Lithuania in Kaunas on 6 June, before returning to Rīga for the next match on 9 June.
“Everything is going quite well,” said Nicolato, who acknowledged the camp has been affected by injuries (national team in this international break is without injured Roberts Uldriķis, Raimonds Krollis, Renārs Varslavāns, Kristers Tobers, Jānis Ikaunieks and also Vladislavs Gutkovskis is a question mark – author adds). He added that the absences could open the door for less-used players to earn minutes, insisting their motivation will be key in the coming games.
Nicolato described the Baltic Cup as an important checkpoint before the start of the new Nations League campaign, saying he wants to see the right attitude. “This is our last chance to see the team before qualification, and I want to see the right approach,” he said.
The Italian coach said his focus remains on helping players develop and improving the team step by step, with individual progress central to making Latvia more competitive. After two years of work, he said he is eager to see the players reap the rewards.
Looking ahead, Nicolato said he wants his side to be better in September than they were 12 months earlier. “It looks to me that the players are fully in our process,” he said. “But it is time to show something more and better, including in terms of results.”
Asked what will matter most in the next match, Nicolato pointed to a combination of factors rather than one single element. “Work, actions, motivation, aggression – those kinds of things. Also fighting spirit,” he said, adding Latvia must bring those qualities together with what they have learned.
Source: https://lff.lv/zinas/19014/p-nikolato-ir-laiks-paradit-kaut-ko-vairak-un-labak/
