In the Serie A

Svoboda: Liberation after total loss

Svoboda (left) performed strongly again against Genoa.(Bild: AP/Paola Garbuio)

2:0 against Genoa - Italy legionnaire Michael Svoboda has arrived with promoted Venezia. Faith gives the Viennese a lot of strength.

He takes time to pray before and after every game. "I'm a very religious person and I give thanks for the things that have already made my life possible. You can't take that for granted, you have to appreciate it," says Michael Svoboda. However, after his last prayer with Venezia, he now left the pitch as a winner for the first time in Serie A. Against Genoa, the Viennese, who once again played through and is set in the center of defense, celebrated a 2:0 at the Pier Luigi Penzo stadium. "God gave me the strength for this victory. I'm going forward, I feel fully backed by the coach and the club," said the 25-year-old.

Inexperienced squad
After four games, the newly promoted side are on four points, and while Svoboda says their performance in the 4-0 defeat at Milan was a "total loss", they have been combative and aggressive of late. "Our process is going in the right direction, for many players it's their first season in Serie A, at the beginning we had too much respect for our opponents and our inexperience cost us important points. But it's not easy when you're playing at the highest level for the first time. A lot of eyes are on you, it takes time, which was also the case for me. Now the framework is becoming more and more stable."

"Svobi" has already won promotion to the Italian top flight twice with Venezia, but after just one season he returned to Serie B. "Staying in the league is our top priority. I am convinced that we will stay in the league. That would be hugely important for the club." The next tough test awaits on Sunday at AS Roma. "A highlight! The stadium has an extreme tradition, you push yourself to your limits every day for games like this. We can only surprise, the last win naturally gives us a lot of strength and confidence." Like his prayers ...