A defense that doesn’t concede goals is always good news. Especially when it does so in a match in which the opponent tries to attack from the start and with an aggressiveness unique in Serie B. In the 0-0 draw in Cittadella, the solidity of the back line, Pigliacelli’s clean sheet, the few chances conceded are among the items to tick off with a thumbs up.
Clearly they are not enough, there is always room for improvement and even in Veneto the Catanzaro it has not been free from problems, especially at the start, when the opponents’ pressure was strongest, but you have to start somewhere and last Saturday’s is a starting point. A step forward after the lapses that cost avoidable goals in Cesena and with Carrarese. In the absence of a convincing and above all continuous game, being able to count on a defensive line that is starting to acquire greater confidence should not be underestimated. It was not even trivial that Pigliacelli, in the last outing, did not have to perform miracles. Indeed, excluding a couple of insidious transitions, however defused by his teammates, only the crossbar hit by the Venetians on a corner kick (in itself an episodic situation) made the Giallorossi goalkeeper tremble, at his second clean sheet of the championship. It is also indicative that the goal remained immaculate in the first match of the tournament in which Caserta has chosen to switch to a four-man defense. It is true that three of the four players were veterans of last season (Situm, Brighenti and Antonini), so they were able to tune in more easily to known frequencies, but it is one thing to position yourself with three central players and two “full-backs” who fall back when not in possession, as happened in all the matches before the break, and another to do it with the two central players and the two full-backs from Cittadella: Bonini, positioned on the left, is also a natural central player, but the functions performed were those of a true full-back. In short, the quartet worked and promises to grow further both on a general and individual level.
Speaking of Bonini, so far he has proven to be one of the best of the entire team.certainly the most efficient of the new arrivals. It was a surprise up to a certain point, considering the experience gained in C and the interest he had aroused, in the summer, in other cadet clubs such as Bari and Sudtirol. However, the way in which he is confirming expectations is worthy of applause.
The same ones that the “old” Brighenti deserves. In August he turned 35, he is the oldest of the group and honestly we did not expect to see him, in these first days, as an immovable starter: up to this point Nicolò has made almost no mistakes and, several times, he has been among the best, in defense and in the team. Someone with his experience, who still manages to play like this, is an added value for a department that can still count on a complete player like Antonini and another element of substance like Scognamillo.
Catanzaro may not have a great game yet, but they can build it by relying on a defense which seems to be heading towards solidity. The advance with Cremonese will tell if the positive signals from Cittadella are constitutional or still transitory.
