Last act in Carrara for Formisano and the whole team
by Gianluca Drusian
Even the most ardent fans of the Perugia curve said it clearly and without mincing words during the week with a special banner hanging outside the gates of the red and white changing rooms: enough with everything and all the members at all levels this season.
Even the most “hot” patience ran out (and it took a lot of patience even until mid-May) for a championship, the C series, in which Perugia started as favorites (and not as outsiders, someone gradually began to leave is forgotten) and which instead left nothing but bitterness (with the exception of the victory in Gubbio) for the red and white fans.
It is already time, therefore, to take stock even if tonight, at 8.30 pm, the boys coached by Formisano will have to play the return match of the play-off finals in Carrara.
But, to go through and move forward, the Grifoni will have to win with a three-goal difference, which is possible but, objectively, difficult to believe.
The fact that the players and the coach believe in it and, even during the week, continued to work towards this objective, releasing, in some cases, auspicious and promising statements, is nevertheless praiseworthy and to be admired.
Even in Carrara, in this regard, Mr. Calabro and the players, no one spoke of a victory already achieved but everyone expects to see a Perugia that will play with a knife between its teeth (these are the words of the Tuscan coach) and that will throw itself into forward to be able to immediately start reopening the result.
To achieve this feat the team will most likely have to push a little harder on the pedal than they have done so far and pedal a lot because the climb appears to have a very steep gradient.
Of the 73 points in the championship, Carrarese earned 50 within friendly walls and in the last nine games they have done nothing but leave the pitch in a victorious manner.
Furthermore, in the important matches this year, when they were still fighting for first, then second and finally third position, in direct clashes the eleven Griffins always highlighted difficulties and achieved less than successful results.
Just as disappointing were the performances and results obtained by Perugia in the last away matches of the second round where they lost in Sestri, Entella, Torres, Pesaro, Cesena and Carrara itself.
It was said then that Perugia will have to score at least three goals and not concede any at the Marmi stadium in Carrara.
Perugia can still rely on the secure presence of Adamonis and a couple of centre-backs who played most of the season, namely Lewis (the best player of the year who arrived halfway through the championship and Iannoni, without a shadow of a doubt), Dell’Orco, Vulikic and Mezzoni (no longer Angella nor the young Souare) but for the rest of the team the doubts about who Formisano will decide to send onto the pitch continue to be the same as the last five months.
Iannoni, the most continuous and strongest of all, should play in midfield while the remaining two or three or four in the midfield or none and what the wingers might be, it is not possible to predict anything yet at the end of the championship.
The ailments, the playing time, the suspensions, the injuries are there and have been (but all the teams have them) but an idea of team stability, the so-called “squad” has never been (except in the first four matches of the Formisano era) drawn nor achieved.
The same goes for the attack. In order for Seghetti to score the three qualifying goals, who will help him, who will support him, who will assist him, if he also plays we will see and understand it only after the starting whistle.
Certainly, if making the team unpredictable, flexible and willing to change modules throughout the championship was a very specific corporate choice, then the thing has slipped out of everyone’s hands.
But today there is a technical project underway and which will continue with the renewal of the coach’s contract.
A project which is not that of the new Curi stadium (which has also been an embarrassing controversy this year) but that of the valorisation and growth of young people to be included in the first team, of which however we will see the fruits perhaps from next year or who knows in a few more years (series C).
Match referee: Andrea Ancora from Roma 1 who already managed Perugia-Carrarese in the first round.
