After more than two months of winter break, FC Lugano's Under-21 team is ready to return to the pitch. On Saturday 14 February, the young Bianconeri will resume their Hoval Promotion League campaign with the stated aim of securing their place in the division, the main goal of the season.
Despite the long break, the team's enthusiasm has not waned. On the contrary, as coach Andrea Vitali explains, the team has been working hard to be ready for the restart. "The lads only had a week off, then they followed the programme prepared by the staff. They are really keen to get back, because the break has been really long," explains the Bianconeri coach.
POSITIVE FIRST HALF
The first half of the season has been encouraging. Lugano U21 finished the first half of the season in seventh place, a position that testifies to the competitiveness of the team in an extremely balanced league.
"The first part was definitely positive for us. We always remained united, we worked with great humility and found ourselves in seventh place," Vitali points out, reminding us, however, that the standings are very close and every detail can make a difference.
In such a competitive environment, the U21s' progress remains closely linked to the growth of individual players. For Vitali, performance and talent development are two inseparable aspects: "The growth of the lads coincides with their performance on the pitch. If you can maintain consistency in your performances, you will reap the rewards both in the standings and in individual growth."
DECISIVE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON
For this very reason, the second half of the season is the decisive moment. The team will have to face the so-called "final rush" with the right spirit, without looking back at what has been done in previous months.
"It's the most complicated part, because you have to achieve the goal of staying in the category. We have to turn the page and start from scratch: it's like a second championship for us," warns the Bianconeri coach.
The restart will immediately pit Lugano against SC Cham, a team that is one point behind in the standings and will be an immediate test to gauge ambitions and form. "They are a good team with great character. It will be the first game of the second half of the season and there will be high expectations on both sides," concludes Vitali.
A REINFORCEMENT FOR THE DEFENCE
Meanwhile, the Bianconeri squad has been strengthened with the arrival of Italian defender Alessio Chiesa, born in 2006, who will join the Under-21s. This is an additional reinforcement to tackle the second half of the championship with energy and determination, in which Vitali's team is called upon to transform their good first half of the season into survival on the pitch.