Mattia Croci-Torti is savouring the victory over Zurich, knowing that his side have beaten one of the most complete and intense teams in the league. “Zurich have quality, physicality and a different level of pace to the rest. All their matches are decided by the finer details, and today we were good at precisely that: the finer details,” commented the Bianconeri coach after the 1-0 win at Cornaredo. “We conceded more possession than usual, but we remained focused, solid and organised. The only regret is not having sealed the match earlier, because there were two or three chances to make it 2-0.”
The manager’s satisfaction is particularly evident regarding the defensive performance, which also marks the first ‘clean sheet’ in several weeks. “It’s been a long time since we finished a match without conceding a goal, and this gives us confidence and a sense of purpose in our work. Today there wasn’t a worst player on the pitch, but above all, there wasn’t a single player who didn’t work for the team. Everyone was on the ball, everyone was focused.”
Croci-Torti then explained some of his team selection choices, starting with Dos Santos’ return to the starting line-up: “I knew their centre-backs aren’t the quickest, and we needed more depth and pace. Dos Santos was coming off a positive run but without the stats to show for it: now he’s scored two goals and provided two assists in four matches, and that gives him confidence.”
The spotlight was also on Bislimi, who was dropped slightly deeper to balance the team: “When I play him deeper, he loses a bit of his incisiveness, but today he worked hard in the tactical phase, closing down passing lanes and staying composed right until the end. Against such an intense opponent, it wasn’t easy.”
The manager also highlighted Zanotti’s development, the key figure in the move that led to the decisive goal: “Mattia put in an almost perfect defensive performance. If he can make more use of his left foot, he could really go on to have a significant career. But we’d been missing his drive down the flank, and today it was all there to see.”
There were also words of praise for Alioski, deployed deep on the left: “The first 25 minutes were those of an experienced player, exactly what we wanted when we signed him in the summer. He was focused and alert defensively too: together with Zanotti, he contained their wingers exceptionally well.”
Towards the end, Croci-Torti commented on Behrens’s substitution, as he was forced off the pitch due to a blow to the nose: “He took a nasty knock, but his presence was crucial on set-pieces. Without him and with Brecher pushing into the box, we were outnumbered, but we defended with character and von Ballmoos made two decisive saves that secured the victory for us.”
Finally, looking ahead to the next match: “On Saturday we’re off to Geneva to face a Servette side in trouble but still a strong team. We haven’t won there for many years: it would be a significant achievement to do so. The engine is running, our foot is on the accelerator: now we must have the courage not to take it off.”