In recent days we have heard ourselves told so many times that Paladozza is the land of plenty, unlike the crying and gnashing of teeth moving away from Porta Lame, that one could think of home matches as normal catwalks where one clocks in and resignedly awaits the beatings when leaving the landing. It wouldn’t be a great move, even if Sunday’s opponent for the Fortitude it seems non-transcendental and, therefore, flip-flop-like. Here, let’s avoid it, even if during the week we talked about the Consortium, the parties involved and other things that have nothing to do with the bouncing ball. There is still a championship to be played.
And the promotion. Which is difficult stuff, and it would be useful to remember that the current rules of engagement are a little different from those of the epic times of the elevator, when in some cases it was almost more complicated to miss the goal than not to obtain the A1: times in which 4 out of 16 went up, or 2 out of 16 with the possibility of another 4 places in the playouts (in 1992 there were even 6, the cadets, who passed). To wit: Trapani made it in 1991 with a 13-17 in regular play (one more victory than the Aprimatic of Cremona, so to speak) and a 19-21 overall. Or the Effe of Fumagalli-Alibegovic, 24-16 overall. Well, now it’s more complex: ok, it applies to everyone, but making comparisons would be disrespectful.
Pistoia, Therefore. One might have thought that the post-Rowan period would be complex, but not to this point: penultimate place, and a negative series of nine defeats that began with the arrival of Stefano Sacripanti, who had replaced Della Rosa Sr after a victory with Cento: they were 6-9, now they are 6-18. Having recently said goodbye to Seneca Knight (who went to Mestre), the big Buda has arrived who has great figures (practically 23+10) but has not yet won one, just as the Bolognese Stefanini has recently joined the roster, appearing in Pistoia shortly after having killed Fortitudo in his previous life in Bergamo. At risk is the winger Jazz Johnson, good figures but not very convincing: Karvel Anderson, who could have gone to Cividale, the aggregate and eager alternative.
The game will be played on Sunday, 6pm, live on LNP Pass, Radio San Luchino and audio commentary on Channel 88.
