At the end of the match against FC Luzern, Mattia Croci-Torti gave a clear-headed analysis of his team's performance, highlighting the positive aspects of their approach to the game but also what, in his opinion, influenced the final result.
The Bianconeri coach started from the beginning of the match, during which Lugano gave the impression that they could take control of the game. I liked the approach to the match. In the first few minutes, Lugano wanted to control and win the game, explained the coach, pointing out, however, that other factors made the difference. What I liked least is obvious: we were almost disastrous in defensive duels. We gifted Lucerne two goals in this way.
This assessment fits in with the dynamics of a match that, according to Croci-Torti, could have taken a different direction, especially in the first half hour. For me, Lugano was the only team on the pitch trying to create chances in the first thirty minutes. But we didn't score, and that's been the leitmotif of the last few weeks: we struggle to be dangerous.
THE EPISODES
The course of the match was also affected by Behrens' injury in the first half, which altered the team's offensive balance. After half an hour, he started to feel pain. The match changed at that point because we were no longer able to press them as we wanted to.
In the second half, Lugano managed to restore the balance, but the visitors' new lead marked a decisive moment. We recovered well to make it 1-1, then we conceded that goal and it killed us. From then on, they were more alive, observed Croci-Torti, who identified the mental aspect as one of the areas that needs work. I'm very angry about these situations: it's a mental aspect that goes hand in hand with the desire and hunger to win, and tonight they showed that they were more ready in that respect.
THE CHOICE BETWEEN THE POSTS AND OFFENSIVE DANGER
After the match, the coach also explained his decision to field David von Ballmoos between the posts. Croci-Torti defended the decision with conviction, reiterating his confidence in the goalkeeper and emphasising that the team's result did not depend on the former Young Boys player's mistake. It's difficult to blame David tonight. He has always trained hard and deserved to play. If there are a hundred problems tonight, this is the least of them.
More generally, the Bianconeri coach expects to see an improvement in the team's ability to create danger in the final third. It's always a case of 'I'd like to, but I can't'. I'd like my team to create and do more, but today we weren't up to the task in the final thirty metres. I expect much more.
Despite the setback, Croci-Torti looks ahead to the next challenges without fear. We're definitely going to try to get points in St. Gallen, he says decisively, reiterating that the result in Cornaredo should not have any repercussions on the team's progress. Lugano's attention now shifts to next week's away game at FC St. Gallen, an important challenge in the Brack Super League before the international break.