Paolo Garbisi will remember his 2023-2024 season for a long time. A marathon of 36 matches (including 28 as a starter) where the flyhalf has experienced it all. A preparation for the World Cup, a World Cup in France with Italy, a year started with Montpellier and ended with Toulon, a Top 14 play-off lost to Mayol with his new club and, to top it all off, a summer tour with his selection in Japan, where he finished KO on a stretcher.
So of course, four short weeks of vacation before returning to training is short. “Paolo is the last one to have taken over, explains Pierre Mignoni. He had a very long season, with a lot of matches. Obviously, he had a little more difficulty getting back into the swing of things. But I'm not worried.”
Perfectionist and organized
What does the main person think? How does he judge his start to the season? As always with the Italian international (24 years old, 39 caps), it's without filter: “Honestly, it's a bit complicated. Until now, I haven't felt at my best. On the pitch, I lacked fluidity, I was a bit slow.” A perfectionist as can be, Paolo Garbisi never stops questioning himself. “I remember periods when I was much better and obviously, I think about them. But you have to manage to find the positive and continue to work.”
Physically and mentally tired by his extended season, the opener had to adapt in his preparation. And this, even if it is not easy to calm down the fiery Venetian: “I'm 24, I'm still young and I want to be at my best all the time. When you realize that you're not capable of being 100%, it's enough difficult to manage. It's an everyday job. You have to agree to work a little more on the quality of the gesture than the quantity.”
Starting four times in his five matches with Toulon this season, Paolo Garbisi knows that if his team is to find its rhythm, he must be its distribution belt. He explains: “My form, I think it also plays on our difficulties in attack. We know that when a “10” works well, the whole team works well. So it's a bit because of me too. But I work every day to improve. I hope the sequel will be a little more consistent. »
“His locker is always very tidy”
To overcome this milestone in the harbor, the kid from Martellago, 20km north of Venice, will have to break away from the pressure that surrounds him. His trainer, Pierre Mignoni, details: “Paolo is both very professional and very perfectionist. Like all perfectionists, they are sometimes a little tense with themselves. He must manage to relax a little. When you want to do so well, you can put yourself too much pressure. He wants to give the best version of himself and be perfect. Except that there is no such thing as being perfect. He has to keep his goals in mind and I have no doubt about that. He’s an international level player.”
Organized as possible, Paolo Garbisi does not want to leave anything to chance. On the pitch… as in the locker room. Emerick Setiano, present at a press conference this Friday morning, gave an anecdote when asked to describe his teammate. Before bursting out laughing: “Paolo, he's a good guy. He's square. His locker is always very tidy. He's always very clean, it's a bit of the “10” cliché, you know? He is well integrated into the group. I don't even know what to say about him… He's perfect, do you want me to tell you he's handsome? »
