Mr. Ventura points the way: "Bari, you need fire."

At a time of great difficulty for Bari and Sampdoria, who face off next Saturday at the San Nicola stadium for the fifth-placed match in Serie B, Gian Piero Ventura—a former player on both occasions and a highly experienced figure in Italian football—analyzes the situation with clarity and realism.

Mr. Ventura, as a former player on both occasions, how does it feel to see Bari and Sampdoria with only one point between them after four matchdays?

I don't think anyone expected this. We're all split between surprise and disappointment. Bari had a good transfer campaign. Perhaps it takes time to assimilate Caserta's ideas, which have players with different technical characteristics that offer the possibility of creating tactical variations. On the other side, there's a Sampdoria team coming off a relegation to Serie C that they somehow managed to avoid. The shock remains. Massimo Donati, a former player of mine and one I'm close to, is on the bench. I read he's at his last resort. I feel sorry for both of them. That's the nature of football. They need time.

The teams started with high ambitions. What's going wrong, in your opinion, both technically and mentally?

The key is to analyze things not only from a technical and tactical perspective, but also from a managerial one. A detailed analysis should be conducted to understand why the fire we needed wasn't there in some matches. I heard Magalini talk about players arriving with motivation, aware that Bari is an important and ambitious club. The club will have to understand what's missing to ensure the players can give their all.

As long as Bari changes its squad every year, it will be difficult to compete against tried and tested teams.

It's a false truth. This year, Bari has many of their own players. That is, people who have embraced the cause. It's up to them to prove they deserve to be in the team, and the coaching staff to manage the situation as best they can. To win Serie B or be a key player, you need a core group with strong technical individuals and a solid, forged team. Both Bari and Sampdoria are lagging behind, and the discontent is understandable. In Modena, for example, the red and whites passively accepted the defeat. While in Palermo, they played on equal terms for a half against one of the tournament's big names. You have to do it for ninety minutes, and in the long run, the results will come your way.

In Bari, there's already talk of technical issues with the formation used so far. Do you see a problem with the team's playing style or with locker room management?

When you get one point in four games, everyone is right about the formations. Everyone explains. But, in the end, they're just words. I think Bari has a strong team that needs to be given time to exploit the quality of its players. In Serie B, the team wins. There needs to be fire.

Caserta and Donati are already being discussed. Are they at risk?

These are club matters, and I won't delve into them. Four games can't lead to hasty decisions. The issues need to be studied carefully. It's not true that Serie B is a league that doesn't wait. I've won championships. They're always decided in March or April. There's plenty of time to recover. You can be first at the end of the first leg and still be relegated. And vice versa, you can rise to the top from the bottom. Anything and everything can happen.

Massimo Donati is a profile you know well, having coached him in Bari just over 10 years ago.

"As a coach, I've only heard good things about him. He's a serious person, a reliable professional. Win two games and you're blond with blue eyes. Lose two more and you become small and black. Being a footballer and a coach are completely different professions."

Sampdoria, coming off an already difficult season, still seems to have recovered. Is it just a personnel issue, or is there more to it?

"A change of coach isn't enough to eliminate the negative effects of the past. Instead of talking about football, Genoa should be doing a mental cleanup. Even new players absorb old slag. As a squad, Bari is stronger than Sampdoria."

Sampdoria faced protests from fans at Monza. Could the pressures of such heated venues become an obstacle? How do you manage crowd impatience?

They've bought more than twenty thousand season tickets almost blind. It says a lot about how strong the fans' affection is. Just like in Bari, after all. Two victories and important performances are enough to erase the recent past. Things don't happen by chance. Bad mood affects us, especially during the week and off the pitch. You have to isolate yourself, knowing that you're only at the beginning of the journey.

How much does the lack of on-field leadership impact teams with a history and tradition? Who can become the technical and character focal point?

"The leader isn't the one you read about in the newspapers, but the one who makes a difference in the locker room. The man who leads the group during the week. He speaks little and produces a lot. He demands little from himself, but a lot from others. In Bari's squad, I'd focus on Bari natives like Partipilo, Castrovilli, and Bellomo. They can explain to others what it means to wear those colors and how much the locals can give you back in terms of affection."

Do you think Serie B is more competitive today than it was when you were coaching? Could this explain some of the difficulties?

"I wouldn't say so. It's the usual Serie B, a tournament where the team and heart count. Look at Avellino this year. You can never be sure of winning. Like Spezia last year, who started poorly now in the wake of the disappointment of the last playoffs."

What kind of match do you expect on Saturday? Will the fear of losing prevail, or will the desire to make a difference?

"I think I'm in. It's an important match for Bari. The fans expect a strong performance and a result. It's a very delicate match for Sampdoria, who I don't think have ever lost four games in a row at the start of Serie B in their history. If they lose at the San Nicola, it will also pose major problems for the management of the atmosphere. If you're already afraid of losing, there won't be a great future."

A message to Bari and Sampdoria fans: what would you say to keep hope alive at such a delicate time?

They must be the same as always, that is, the twelfth man and the point of reference for their teams. Bari is experiencing difficulties due to misinformation about the timeshare issue. A team with 60,000 spectators, something only Rome, Milan, and maybe Naples can match in Italy. With these numbers behind them, the pressure and expectations increase. You have to stay close to the team. Winning teams aren't built overnight. The important thing is that heart is never lacking.