The 3-2 away win at Thun, coming less than three days after their European victory against Getafe, has left Mattia Croci-Torti satisfied. In his post-match comments following Matchday 11 of the Brack Super League, the bianconeri manager highlighted, above all, the maturity shown by the team, who managed to secure three vital points despite accumulated fatigue and a performance that was less impressive than in recent matches.
A MATURE TEAM
The manager’s analysis begins with the difficulties encountered in a match affected by the energy expended on Thursday evening in Spain: “Rather than a bad match, it was a difficult one. We were certainly tired, mentally as well. After a match like Thursday’s, it was tough to come here and try to take home the three points again. We weren’t brilliant, but we were a mature team, which managed to step up a gear at the right moments.”
Croci-Torti also highlighted the team’s ability to manage the match, despite some tension in the closing stages: “It’s a shame about that penalty, which caused us a bit of anxiety in the final minutes. Otherwise, I think we managed the match well. Experience tells me that when you manage to win these matches after major European successes, it means we’re understanding a lot more than in previous years. It’s a performance that makes me happy.”
MANAGING ENERGY LEVELS
Another key issue concerns squad management during a particularly busy week. Rotating the players – a strategy also facilitated by the Swiss Cup tie against Pully – allows us to spread out playing time, but it does not completely eliminate the accumulated fatigue: ‘We’ve tried to manage our energy levels, ensuring that no one went into this match feeling completely drained. Today I tried to inject some freshness with four substitutions, but we weren’t able to do exactly what we wanted.’
It’s a situation that also requires the ability to adapt to circumstances: “We need to be aware that sometimes you have to win even if it means playing a bit more physically than usual. We were still able to step up the pace at the right moments and keep the match under control.”
THREE CRUCIAL POINTS
Beyond the performance, the win carries significant weight for the league table too, allowing the bianconeri to respond to Young Boys’ victory and maintain a six-point lead at the top: “After Young Boys’ win last night, it was important to respond straight away. We’ve done just that and come away with three crucial points.”
Attention now turns to the next fixture, with the chance to prepare for it without any midweek matches: “We’ve got a slightly more relaxed week ahead, but then we’ve got a big match that could prove to be another key moment of the season.”
A week of training and recovery will therefore lead the team into the clash against Basel at the AIL Arena, following yet another victory that confirms the team’s consistency and progress.