Yesterday Reggina held their first training session of 2023 and did so at the Oreste Granillo stadium. The amaranths had stopped for two days: December 31st and January 1st. The impossibility of using the Sant’Agata sports centre, while waiting for other solutions, is causing the team to work on the same turf on which the championship matches are played. A surface that, until now, has not provided great satisfaction this season. Although, in fact, two of the last four consecutive victories have come at the Granillo, the internal performance numbers are far from exciting. They have often been mentioned and today, despite a forfeit victory, they talk about only thirteen points won within friendly walls in eight matches. A haul worth that of a team in the medium-lower area of the table. Trocini and his colleagues, however, hope that the latest results, not always clear, have been the starting point for changing things. Also because the calendar, starting in 2023 and by a strange twist of fate, immediately puts Reggina in front of two home commitments.
With 2022 ending with the match at the Granillo against Igea Virtus, we will eventually arrive at an atypical journey made up of three home matches. On January 14th Acireale arrives at the Granillo, on the 21st San Luca. The idea of extending the streak of victories is tantalizing, but it will be necessary to demonstrate that this period of work during the Christmas break has served to improve the team’s offensive proposition. The need to improve home performance and attacking numbers are almost a refrain that have accompanied all the analyzes of Reggina’s progress this season.
In the return round, which begins with the match on January 14th against Acireale, there is one more aspect to consider. Nine of the seventeen matches remaining at the end of the tournament will be played at the Granillo and most of them will see the Amaranths opposing teams currently in the second tier. The last three and a total of seven of the nine teams occupying the right column of the ranking will arrive at Granillo. It is not difficult to see how there will hardly be alternatives to an almost clear path if you want to get as high as possible or even to establish one of the three pacesetters. Having barely beaten Locri and Igea Virtus, respectively fourth-last and fifth-last in the rankings, is a sign that the team will have a clear understanding of where the way can be found to assert the highest technical level and with fewer mental worries.
Yesterday, however, was also the first day of the professional transfer market. A window that also allows amateur teams to sign young people who come from clubs in the top three national categories. Reggina is actively looking for under players who can broaden Trocini’s choice. Someone will surely arrive. The news is that there could still be some releases. The reference is to players who have played little. For example, Ivan Altamura’s stay in Reggio Calabria can no longer be considered certain. The footballer, born in 2004, had done very well especially in the match against Canicattì, but otherwise his adventure speaks of just a few minutes on the pitch. His future could be far from the new Reggina.
