Messina returns home, to its “comfort zone” with the intent of continuing to grind out points and performances in home games, hoping to then reverse the trend also away. It is already an important moment of the year, with the match against Casertana (kick-off at 20.45) which will be followed by the close commitments of Latina and Picerno: “The numbers – says Giacomo Modica – say that there is a Messina from home and one away, even if not in terms of play. We have made and paid dearly for some mistakes, we have always gone behind, but at home we have managed to overturn the negative situation, while away despite having the opportunities we have not made it. This is the biggest disappointment I have, because a team must acquire those fundamental concepts to carry forward both at home and away”.
No parallels. Last season, the return match played on the Casertana pitch represented a real turning point for Messina, but today it is impossible to draw parallels: “Now – continues Modica – we just have to be good at interpreting our game, staying in the game and respecting it. That match was our highlight and our turning point, a great and beautiful performance, but with other players and in another type of championship. Today we have to think about this particularly tricky match, trying to do our part with attention, a lot of application and above all without thinking about the negative result in Crotone. We have to carry on with our team project with serenity, desire and the desire to embody a philosophy: I am calm, we will have to interpret this match well against an opponent who has renewed a lot and represents a threat. We have the duty to start pedaling again and do very well, providing a spirited and great performance, even if in Crotone we lost undeservedly”.
The doubt. Modica is not committing himself on the formation chapter, with the biggest doubt linked to the conditions of Giulio Frisenna, absent in Crotone after a problem already encountered at the end of the match with Taranto. The midfielder could still grit his teeth and be in the game: «Giulio is an important player for us, very versatile but he needs to be well like all the others. Last week we kept him out in agreement with the medical staff to avoid losing him for a long time in case of a relapse, now he has recovered, but we still have to evaluate»
The comment. Especially on social media, in recent weeks, Modica has often been criticized for the statement “raise the bar” uttered last season. A comment in a press conference was deemed necessary by the coach: “For me that phrase also means having the freedom to do a double session during the week. For now I only train in the morning and never a double. The championship started five weeks ago and I still haven’t entered the “San Filippo”. Anyone who wants to understand, understand, but I won’t say anything else because I still remember the complaint from last year after the statements on the training fields. There are other managers in charge of doing so”.
The precedents. Previous matches in Sicily that lean towards the Giallorossi, victorious 9 times in 18 games, with just two Campania blitzes. The last crossing on October 11, 2023, ended 1-1 with goals from Ragusa and Damian, former also today a starter. In 2017 the last success of the Acr: 2-0 with goals from Madonia and Rea.