FC Lugano beat Pully Football 4–0 to secure their place in the round of 16 of the Swiss Cup. In his post-match comments, Mattia Croci-Torti expressed his satisfaction with the bianconeri’s performance, emphasising in particular the concentration shown by the team just a few days before their demanding European fixture against Red Star Belgrade, as well as the positive response from the players called upon.
FOCUS AND ATTITUDE
The first aspect highlighted by the manager was the team’s ability to approach a match – which, on paper, could have held some pitfalls – with the right mindset: “Switching from a European fixture like the one against Red Star to a match like today’s could have led to lapses in concentration, but there were none. The team remained focused. We conceded two set-piece opportunities early on, but otherwise we were alert. Lugano came here and proved they’re a team in good form. I’m pleased, especially with the response from so many of my players.”
This satisfaction also stems from the decision to completely change the line-up compared to Thursday’s match. Croci-Torti emphasises the trust he has in the entire squad: “I changed all eleven players from the match against Red Star. It’s a demonstration of confidence in the squad I’m coaching, not just because we were facing a team from a lower division, but because it’s important to have all the players ready. I saw determination and a desire to win from everyone, and this makes me even more aware that I have a team that believes in what it’s doing.”
The match also offers the opportunity to try out a few different approaches: “Some players adapted to unfamiliar positions and we finished with two strikers, a formation we hadn’t used since the start of the season. These matches are also useful for conducting small-scale experiments.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CUP
Regardless of the performance, Croci-Torti emphasises the importance of the competition in the club’s season objectives: “It was really important today to progress to the next round and to do so convincingly. We’re top of the league, we’re playing in the Conference League, but we mustn’t forget that we really enjoy the Swiss Cup and would love to reach the final again.”
It’s a competition in which the manager expects particularly fierce competition: “It’s a one-off tie and everyone is keen to win it. I’m thinking in particular of teams like Basel and Young Boys, who aren’t taking part in European competitions and will be focusing heavily on the Cup. I’ve seen the line-ups over the last few days: everyone has fielded their first-team players. This shows just how important this competition is.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO GETAFE
With qualification secured, attention now turns to Thursday’s European away fixture in Madrid. Croci-Torti is well aware of the challenges facing the Bianconeri: “We’ll now prepare as best we can for the match against Getafe, which on paper is the toughest of our six Conference League fixtures. We’ll try not to put in a poor performance, knowing that we’ve got two tough matches ahead of us against Getafe and Thun.”
The victory at Pully thus allows FC Lugano to continue their run in the Swiss Cup and to approach their upcoming fixtures with further positive performances from the whole squad.