Column: Cremonese-Reggiana 1-1

The second episode of RuBrica is dedicated to Cremonese-Reggiana, with the 24th matchday of Serie B hosted at the Zini.

Seeing the scoreboard of Reggiana, guest of Cremonese at the Giovanni Zini, marking a number other than 0 is a scenario we were no longer used to. There Cream – best defense in Serie B (17 goals conceded in 24 games) – had not collected a ball from their own net within friendly walls since last October 21st. Which then, we should actually talk about an own goal. It was Ravanelli’s against Südtirol, which cost Stroppa’s team 3 points. To get to the last goal vero scored by an opponent at Zini we have to go even further back – even to 1 October (goal by Dennis Man) – when Parma found 3 fundamental points for the race for the top places.

They will take care of dispelling the taboo Terrible Children by Alessandro Nesta (average age of the starting XI: 26.9 years, compared to 29.1 for Cremonese), who in the end managed to gain a very important point and add a further piece to the objective of early salvation. Although, seeing Reggiana’s latest encouraging performances, Nesta’s team could also reach more ambitious goals, unthinkable at the beginning of the season.

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Cremonese tries to make the “Zini factor” count right from the start and, also thanks to the new additions from the January transfer market (Falletti from Ternana and Johnsen from Venezia), tries to give the match a rhythm from the first minutes. Stroppa’s team concentrates on disturbing Reggiana’s exit, moving synchronously like a swarm of bees. The objective is clear: to regain possession of the ball as soon as possible.

Nesta’s team, on the contrary, did not seem interested in screening the first passing lines in the first half and left the defenders free to circulate the ball. The attitude can also be seen from the middle positions, with Reggiana finishing the match with the center of gravity crushed in their own half of the pitch.

One of the occasions in which Cremonese comes out high to press Reggiana’s first construction.

Reggiana, which over the course of the championship has begun to acquire awareness of its capabilities, always tries not to waste any balls and always builds from the bottom, even at the cost of taking on some risks. In some points of the match, Cremonese’s high pressure worked in favor of the Granata, even if – especially in the first minutes – there were a few too many technical errors from Nesta’s men.

In any case, Reggiana’s dangerous actions are all the result of reasoned plots, almost never of bell towers or verticalisations. It is no coincidence that the Roman coach’s team has a good number of setters in the team, capable of working together even under pressure.

An example of how Reggiana circulates the ball from right to left and then finds the central outlet.

Cremonese succeeded for almost the entire match attack broadly the visiting team, with Johnsen and Ghiglione (then Zanimacchia in the second half) starting very wide – Johnsen it practically starts from the sideline – and then centralizes. The Norwegian – since wearing the new shirt he seems less “blond” than he was at Venezia – is used by Stroppa as fifth on the left: the new position also requires commitment from him in the retreat phase and he is often seen accompanying the defensive action . Johnsen’s good game was interrupted when he received a straight red for an intervention considered careless.

Johnsen receives and unloads in the center on Vazquez. When he sees a hole in the middle of the defense he makes a “hook” movement, frees up space on the wing and occupies it in the middle of the penalty area

César Falletti deserves a separate chapterone of the best for years now all-rounders of Serie B. Relegating his role to that of left midfielder does not do justice to a player who expertly occupies every corner of the pitch. In the match against Reggiana he also had the satisfaction of scoring a good goal, with three quick touches and a right-footed shot. The goal was then canceled (or, rather, never existed) due to a previous foul by Castagnetti.

With Castagnetti (Cremonese playmaker) too close to the ball, Falletti occupies the central space, where he receives without pressure.

Reggiana, all things considered, performed an excellent defensive performance. Mercandalliscorer of the goal that unlocks the match, and Sampirisi they keep a good watch on the goal defended by Bardi. Even if he has the most difficult task Paolo Rozzio, dean of the Granata defense, who must observe Massimo Coda closely. The Emilian defender manages to keep Cremonese’s #90 at bay, but when he gives him a moment to breathe, Coda scores the Sunday goal.

Reggiana defended itself for a large part of the match with a 5-4-1 formation with very narrow lines.

The goal comes from another high recovery from Cremonese: Castagnetti goes into the tackle, Zanimacchia – who entered the field a few minutes before the goal in place of Ghiglione – receives the ball on the right, puts it for Coda, a Klaus Dibiasi-like twist and goal at the far post .

The Expected Goals (1.56-0.68 for Cremonese) describe a match without a clear predominance, which brings Reggiana to eleventh place on equal points with Pisa and Bari. Cremonese, however, loses ground compared to their pursuers and currently stops in second place with 45 points, a position shared with Como.

2024-02-11 12:00:00
#Column #CremoneseReggiana