Alessio urges Killie stars to stick around
Alessio hopes Killie’s rising stars aren’t snapped up
KILMARNOCK boss Angelo Alessio admits he is worried that his squad could be picked apart this summer. The Italian coach has inherited a team that accrued a record points total and qualified for Europe under Steve Clarke last term.
The new Scotland manager further enhanced the collective transfer value of the squad when he selected Eamonn Brophy, Greg Taylor, Stephen O’Donnell and Stuart Findlay for his first Scotland games.
Those four will be back training at Rugby Park this week as the build-up to the Europa League qualifiers against Connah’s Quay Nomads of Wales steps up, and Alessio intends to speak to each to sell them his vision of the way forward.
‘I’m worried, of course,’ he admitted. ‘These players have to think about their careers but I think the club can make sure they stay.
‘I think Kilmarnock can stay in the top six and of course I want to keep my best players. If a player comes to me tomorrow and says: “Hey boss, I want to leave”, it will be difficult for me.
‘This week I will speak with all of them. These are good guys, good players. It’s important I speak one v one with everyone because it’s important to understand them and establish a good relationship.’
The transition period will be smoothed by the continued presence of Alex Dyer, who has retained the assistant manager position he held under Clarke. Joining the management team is
Alessio’s fellow Italian
Massimo Donati, a former Celtic midfielder who also played for AC Milan.
Donati hung up his boots in 2018 after a short stint at St Mirren. Prior to that he had been at Hamilton, where he shared a dressing room with Brophy, who struggled to make a breakthrough before moving to Killie under Clarke’s predecessor Lee McCulloch.
‘When I was at Hamilton, he didn’t play a lot,’ says Donati. ‘I was really surprised because in training sessions he could score from any position, right foot and left foot.
‘He was a very powerful player and I knew the future was good for him. Now you see he’s in the national team. He still has to work hard, definitely, but he has potential.’
Brophy (below with Donati at Hamilton), 23, made his Scotland debut in the win over Cyprus earlier this month and will find himself back in action exactly a month after his previous season ended.
It doesn’t add up to much of a break but Alessio, who previously assisted Antonio Conte at Juventus and Chelsea, is full of energy as he goes it alone for the first time since 2008 when he coached SPAL after stints at Imolese and Massese in Serie C2.
A former Juve midfielder himself, he lined up with Conte at Siena and was by his side until the end of his time at Chelsea.
‘Siena was a small club but our attitude was the same there as it was at Juventus,’ he explains. ‘I know only one road if you want to be successful — hard work every single day.
‘In my life, I love risk. It’s part of my life. After eight years, I came out of the comfort zone.
‘Antonio kept all his staff under pressure. The staff have to work at the same level.’
The 54-year-old insists he will apply the same standards in Scotland as he has in his previous work, although he is wary of tinkering too much with Clarke’s winning formula.
He added: ‘This team grew in performance for two years to reach the top part of the league. It’s deserved. It’s not casual if they finished third, not lucky.
‘In this moment we think it is a good European draw for us and it’s important to start the new season in the right way.
‘We only have a short time until the first game but I believe that, if we work in the right way, we will be ready for this match. ‘There will be a few changes but
I am happy with the players that are here. I watched a lot of games last season and one in particular — the last game against Rangers, which we won 2-1.
‘I watched a strong and passionate team and I was very happy with the passion of the fans too.
‘I want to change some things. That’s normal. At the moment we have eight or nine players who are the same as last season’s and I want to continue the work and the job that was done by the last manager.’
For Donati, the chance to join Alessio came out of the blue but was a welcome development as he was looking for a coaching opening in Scotland.
‘I have been looking to go down this road,’ he explained. ‘Football is a big part of my life and I was very happy when this chance came along.
‘I can’t wait to be in the dressing room again, on the training pitch and establishing relationships with players. And I am also looking to give Angelo a big hand.
‘I was talking with another club in Scotland but when I received this call I said yes.’
Although Clarke was hardly a fan of Killie’s artificial playing surface, he succeeded in ridding the players of any hang-ups they had about playing at home.
The club has laid a new, apparently improved pitch for next term and Donati, who became used to operating on something similar at Hamilton, believes the players will be fine going into the new season.
‘I wasn’t a fan of playing on artificial but here it’s okay,’ added Donati. ‘This one is very good. It’s last generation, 5G. It’s still not the same as grass for a player, but it’s fine.’
Of course I want to keep my best players and we can stay in the top six
Eamonn was very powerful, I knew the future was good for him. He could score from any position