Triestina-Lumezzane prematch

On the eve of their midweek clash against Lumezzane, scheduled for tomorrow evening at Stadio Nereo Rocco with a 20:45 CET kickoff, Triestina coach Michele Santoni shares his thoughts on the match.

Santoni:

"After four consecutive defeats, it's obvious that only a win will do. The team's mindset is right, training has been going well, but we need to step up and get a result to restore some confidence and stability. This team hasn’t checked out during the week, the players continue to give their all in training. Right now, it’s moments of lapses in focus and concentration that are hurting us, and that’s what we need to cut out. A game like the one against Lecco should have, at the very least, ended in a draw. Instead, we threw it away with a last-minute corner kick and a throw-in, at a time when we were actually in control and could have hurt them more. We need to get better at what we’re already doing.

We’re up against a team with well-established and precise mechanisms, backed by a coaching staff that has been in place for several years. They’ve made relatively few changes, they understand their style of play, and they know both their strengths and their limits.

In terms of injuries, Olivieri is still sidelined, and Krollis picked up a knock in the Lecco game, but the rest of the squad is available. Our system of play remains unchanged. Fielding all four midfielders might give the impression of a more defensive approach, while removing one could make us more offensive. But our losses haven’t come down to the system, it’s been about focus. In Lecco, we missed that in the crucial moments, along with some attacking presence. Tomorrow, we’ll aim to correct those specific issues."