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Blick: Luca Cereda, you are now in your seventh season as coach of Ambri-Piotta. In a marriage you would say: the seventh year, damn it. How does that make you feel?
Luca Cereda: There were mixed feelings. We really thought for a long time about whether it was the right decision to continue, so sports director Paolo Duca and I together with the club. Because last season we had the feeling that we were no longer just going in the same direction. The day after the last game of the season we already talked about it and put all options on the table. After much thought, we came to the conclusion that it still made sense for us and the club. For Paolo and me, because it is a special club. It’s worth suffering for. For something bigger than both of us. And that’s how it feels now: it is a great honor, a great pride, to be part of this long history.
When you were hired in 2017, what did you think it would be like for you?
My eldest daughter was seven years old at the time. I told her that one day she will hear gossip about me, that her father is not that smart. I knew that. There will also be times when the pressure will be great. We are emotional here, it can escalate in either direction.
You grew up at the club, your heart belongs to the HCAP. Was that always just an advantage, or also a disadvantage?
An advantage. I didn’t have to spend energy on things that just happen here. For example, good players leave sooner or later. Ambri’s reality is normal for me. Certainly, every now and then it bothers me a little more. And it would also be nice if everything worked perfectly: that things went well, that we won all the home games, that the fans were happy. Because we know what that would bring here. But my connection is still an advantage.
You grew up in Sementina TI, a town of 3,000 inhabitants, and you still live there with your family. Can you take a relaxed walk through the village?
I need my rest. I recharge my batteries by being alone. That’s why you don’t see me much in public in Ticino. I spend a lot of time at home or in nature, where I don’t meet many people. If anyone wants to talk to me in Sementina, it will be about hockey, that’s for sure. This is pleasant in good moments, less so in difficult moments. Before the Friday games we always say that we are responsible for the mood of many Ticino residents on Saturday morning.
You discovered what that could mean in the closing stages of last season. What you warned your daughter about has happened.
Exactly, my kids were playing with my sister. As they walked out of the arena, the fans were cursing and yelling at me. My sister intervened, but they didn’t stop, they just got louder. My children came home and cried. Inwardly I asked myself: is everything I do for this club really worth it? Is it worth it for me, but also for the club? Because I know: Ambri was there before Cereda and will still be there after Cereda. Most people are convinced of the line we have as a club. But I’ve learned that the critics have the loudest voices.
Have you also been personally threatened?
Not much, but I did get a few emails, yes. The positive news came later after the season. But you have to put it in perspective and distance yourself from reactions. We live for hockey, it’s a big part of our lives. But there is also another part.
Were you afraid? For your safety and that of your family?
Not for safety reasons, no. But of course I thought about it. After last season I was exhausted and out of shape, mentally and physically. I asked myself: Can I still find the energy and passion to get through another season like this? It was a process. At first I didn’t feel like doing anything at all. And suddenly it got better.
What was the trigger for this?
The three weeks with the Swiss national team did me a lot of good. I had some distance from everything here and got motivation again, also to start training for myself. And I had new ideas in my head again.
Have you spoken to your wife about your thoughts about possibly stepping down as Ambri coach? Was she worried about you?
I talked to her and the kids about it a few times. The children immediately told me to continue. My wife advised me that I should choose what I feel inside and that the family would support me. But she asked me not to let it go as far as in the previous months. They felt that I had reached my limits and no longer felt comfortable. They told me I had to change something to be the Luca I was before.
That’s what’s bothering you. You are a sensitive person.
Yes, that’s right, a very considerate person. Paolo is completely different, he lets everything out straight away and then it’s over. For me it’s the other way around. I keep everything to myself, try to digest it, think about what I can do better, question my decisions. All emotions remain here in me (shows on his stomach).
Did the players know how you were doing?
No, I really got all my energy from myself. But they’ve probably already noticed something. We lost all the last seven home qualifiers. My body language was definitely different. I only realized that in the first week of preparation for the World Cup with the national team. There my eyes were opened.
How?
I felt the good energy in the staff. Sure, they’ve been waiting a whole year for this moment. No pressure in the first week. I saw what positive energy can do. I swore to myself that we couldn’t be like we were in the last weeks of the championship in Ambri. We were only focused on problems and not on the fact that there were positive things. We only saw black. Or the few players who played poorly instead of the remaining twenty who gave everything.
Didn’t you talk to the team later about your inner struggle?
No, Paolo and I simply let the team know that we were going ahead, that we were fully motivated and convinced of our path. No player needs to fear that we will have doubts.
Why did you choose this?
Because I am convinced it is the right thing to do.
Aren’t you afraid that such a personal low point could happen again?
No. I realize that it can and will be finished at some point. The more months and years I stay here, the closer the end comes, that’s normal. I am in the now. Now the energy is there and I don’t think too far ahead. It wasn’t all bad, I also learned a lot about and for myself during this difficult time.
For example?
Two things. First, the trainer must be the captain of the ship. My beliefs give me a lot of influence, and that is also reflected in my body language. It always has to be right. To do this I have to find my personal balance. Maybe do something for myself instead of for the club so that my energy level is back up the next day. Only then can I help the players. Every now and then a little distance helps. And secondly, people say what they want anyway. Not to take this too much to heart.
The Ambri wardrobe has been your second home for over 30 years. Your feeling when you enter?
Pride. emotions. A few weeks ago a film was shown at our gala and it gave me goosebumps. It’s a butterfly in your stomach, sometimes nice, sometimes not so bad. But I love these emotions. When I think about the moment of the equalizer against ZSC, four seconds before the siren, I still get goosebumps. That was crazy! Emotions are the salt and pepper of our lives.
|
team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 HC Fribourg-Gotteron
|
14
|
22
|
34
|
|
|
2
|
 ZSC Lions
|
13
|
24
|
28
|
|
|
3
|
 EV train
|
13
|
18
|
25
|
|
|
4
|
 SC Bern
|
14
|
2
|
24
|
|
|
5
|
 HC Davos
|
13
|
8th
|
21
|
|
|
6
|
 Geneva-Servette HC
|
13
|
-7
|
21
|
|
|
7
|
 Lausanne HC
|
13
|
-2
|
19
|
|
|
8th
|
 SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
|
13
|
-2
|
18
|
|
|
9
|
 HC Lugano
|
13
|
-1
|
18
|
|
|
10
|
 HC Ambri-Piotta
|
12
|
2
|
16
|
|
|
11
|
 EHC Biel
|
12
|
-6
|
15
|
|
|
12
|
 SCL Tigers
|
14
|
-24
|
15
|
|
|
13
|
 EHC Kloten
|
13
|
-12
|
14
|
|
|
14
|
 HC Ajoie
|
12
|
-22
|
5
|
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
