[FM23] The Traders of Trieste

[keeper#1]

January-February 2025 Update

A tough luck month for us with four one-goal losses.  We were in every match.  We switched the formation to better fit the new players in the side.  We just couldn't find a way to win.  Encouraged with the performances.  Just need the results to match the performances.

16 January at Perugia

We came out of the winter break and sleep walked through our first match.  Luckily for us so did Perugia.  Perugia had some good chances but couldn't find the back of the net with any of them.  A bore draw.

DRAW  Triestina 0 (0.32)  Perugia 0 (1.02)  -0.70 xG

25 January vs Verona

This was the first hard luck loss we had in the period.  We got out to an early 1-0 lead behind the foot of Ciammaglichella who found some space inside the 18 yard box.  We had a lot of chances from high quality scoring areas.  They tied the match just two minutes later when Haas drove the ball through Drago's hands (a recurring theme during this period).  Late in the first half, Simeone got free in the box and gave Verona the lead.  We had a good number of second half chances but could not find the tying goal.

LOSS  Triestina 1 (1.42)  Verona 2 (1.54)  -0.12 xG

February 1 at Brescia

A very tough tactical battle with promotion candidate Brescia.  But it ended in a loss.  Brescia got a goal midway through the first half.  Their defense played well and kept us outside the high quality scoring zone.  Our defense played well too but we gave up the only goal.

LOSS  Triestina 0 (0.45)  Brescia 1 (0.70)  -0.25 xG

9 February vs Mantova

Our best match of the period.  We dominated the high scoring area and Mantova never saw a chance from that area.  We made in 1-0 when Rabbi got free in the area after we recycled possession on a corner kick.  Gustaffsson closed the scoring in stoppage time when he powered a shot through the goalkeeper.

WIN  Triestina 2 (2.04)  Mantova 0 (0.36)  +1.68 xG

17 February at Cittadella

This match stung.  We gave up a first half goal when Huard got caught in possession at the top of our box and we trailed 1-0.  We fought back to tie the match when Rabbi crossed it to Melro who got free on the back post.  Early in the second half,  Capello got free in the box and had time to pick out the top corner.  We now held a 2-1 lead.  We held that lead for just six minutes when Cittadella tied the game.  Cittadella took the lead late in the second half.  We outplayed them but came home with the 3-2 loss.

LOSS  Triestina 2 (1.58)  Cittadella 3 (1.12)  +0.46 xG

22 February at Benevento

Another match that stung.  We got an early lead when Capello got on the end of a deep cross from Donati and gave us a 1-0 lead.  We held this lead for the lion share of the game.  We kept Benevento out of the high scoring zone....until the 89th minute.  Then, Benevento was able to break through after all the pressure that they created to tie the game.  Then three minutes later, Benevento powered a ball through Drago's hands and stole a 2-1 victory.

LOSS  Triestina 1 (0.82)  Benevento 2 (0.66)  +0.16 xG

FOR THE PERIOD: 1W 1D 4L  6 GF (6.63)  8 GA (5.40)  +1.23 xG

It's tough to lose four games in six while outperforming the opposition via the xG by over a goal.  Tough stretch.

Still in the top half of the table even with the cold stretch of form.

[keeper#1]

March 2025 Update

Another month where the offense decided to go on vacation.  Just two goals in four matches.  The defense kept us in every match allowing just three goals.  Still the results just weren't there.  Four points from a possible twelve.

1 March vs Ascoli

We peppered the Ascoli net with shots but it took a second half penalty kick from Capello to break through the Ascoli defense and win the match 1-0.

WIN  Triestina 1 (1.75)  Ascoli 0 (0.24)  +1.51 xG

8 March at Torino

Torino completely outplayed us in this match.  They kept us on the outside of the high-percentage scoring areas.  We did as well but they had a lot of chances and were able to break through in the match after a long spell of possession.  After that, they kept the ball away from us and held their 1-0 lead to take a 1-0 victory.

LOSS  Triestina 0 (0.50)  Torino 1 (1.48)  -0.98 xG

17 March vs Pisa

A tough match between two equally matched teams.  Another match where they got the goal they needed to win and we failed to respond.  Another match where the opposition got an early goal and kept us off the scoreboard.

LOSS  Triestina 0 (0.81)  Pisa 1 (0.82)  -0.01 xG

22 March vs Catanzaro

We tried to flip the script on the opposition.  This time, we got the early goal and tried to hold the 1-0 lead throughout the match.  Late in the match, we gave up the tying goal and went home to Trieste with just one point instead of three.

DRAW  Triestina 1 (1.44)  Catanzaro 0 (0.90)  +0.54 xG

FOR THE MONTH:  1W  1D  2L  2 GF (4.49)  3 GA (3.43)  +1.06 xG

Another month where we greatly under-performed our xG.  This has to turn around soon.

[keeper#1]

2025 Youth Intake

We upgraded from an average intake in December to a good intake in April.  Brought in two elite talents and three top talents.  Not a bad group.

And then there's the personalities.  Two unambitious and one low determination in the top five players.  Not great!

[keeper#1]

April 2025 Update

Finally, a month where our expected output matched our actual output and the results followed.  Three wins and a draw.  10 points from a possible 15.  Relegation is not a consideration and, I think, we have established ourselves as a mid-table side.

5 April vs Cosenza

 

A match which we completely dominated.  We slowly increased the amount of pressure applied to Cosenza.  We kept them far away the high scoring area which kept them off the scoreboard.  We, finally, broke through the Cosenza when Melro got on the end of a Gustaffsson free kick and gave us the 1-0 victory that we deserved.

WIN  Triestina 1 (1.54)  Cosenza 0 (0.56)  +0.98xG

13 April at Sampdoria

This was probably our best match of the season.  We jumped on the board early when Melro got behind the defense to give us a 1-0 lead.  Sampdoria had an instant reply to tie the match.  Then, the offense took over.  Merlo was able to loop a header over the Sampdoria goalkeeper to make it 2-1.  He completed his first half hat-trick in the 41st minute.  Sampdoria came out firing in the second half and closed the gap to 3-2 when we completely fell asleep on a throw-in.  We played great defense for most of the second half.  LaGamina put the game away for us in the 80th minute when he slotted home an insurance goal.

WIN  Triestina 4 (2.22)  Sampdoria 2 (0.89)  +1.33xG

17 April vs Venezia

A hard luck loss for us.  We played well and had a lot of shots on frame but had nothing to show for it.  They had one good chance which our defense thought was offside.  The referee and VAR viewed it differently and punished us for it.  Venezia escapes with a 1-0 victory.

LOSS  Triestina 0 (1.46)  Venezia 1 (0.75)  +0.71xG

20 April at Palermo

This is well played game by both sides.  We kept them on the outside but they found the net late in the first half when Buttayo fought through two defenders to win a header and took a 1-0 lead into halftime.  We responded when Melro, April was the Melro month, flashed into the box and won a header of his own to tie the game.  A good match where the tie seemed like the proper outcome.

DRAW  Triestina 1 (0.68)  Palermo 1 (0.82)  -0.14xG

27 April vs SPAL

A dominant effort on both sides of the ball.  We kept them off the scoresheet for the whole match.  Melro opened the scoring just 11 minutes into the match when he dribbled between two defenders and powered it past the goalkeeper.  Early in the second half, the Melro show continued when he got off a tight angle shot which found the far post to give us a 2-0 lead.  LaGumina took a cross from Donati to score his second of the month and sealed the 3-0 victory.

WIN  Triestina 3 (2.12)  SPAL 0 (1.06)  +1.06xG

FOR THE MONTH  3W 1D 1L  9GF (8.02)  4GA (4.08)  +3.94xG

[keeper#1]

May 2025 Update

6 May at Reggina

We opened the month with a complete beating of Reggina.  We had plenty of chances in front and denied them great looks on goal.  We got on the board early with a penalty kick and then doubled the lead just four minutes later after a great set-play from a set piece.    Late in the second half, we extended the lead to 3-0 only to give up a goal right after scoring to come home to Trieste 3-1 victors.

WIN  Triestina 3 (1.94)  Reggina 1 (1.12)  +0.82 xG

10 May vs Juventus U23

The Juventus U23 were really just playing out the string late in the season and we took full advantage.  The only shots from in front of the goal mouth that they took were from outside the box.  They scored on a low percentage shot from deep but that was after we scored two goals early in the second half.  The first when Rabbi got behind the defense on a through ball.  The second goal came when Ferreira ripped the net on a direct free kick.

WIN  Triestina 2  (2.42)  Juventus U23 1 (0.43)  +1.49xG

13 May at Frosinone

Like the Juventus U23 side, Frosinone had completely mailed in the rest of their season.  They did not bother to show up.  We pushed them around the field getting shot after shot on frame.  Both goals in the second half.  Melro raced behind the Frosinone backline after a direct ball from Vitale to make it 1-0.  Cimmaglichella doubled the lead when he picked up a loose ball in the box and fired into the net.

WIN Triestina 2 (3.37)  Frosinone 0 (0.27)  +3.10xG

FOR THE MONTH  3W 0D 0L  7GF (7.73)  2GA (1.82)  +5.91xG

FOR THE SEASON:  17W  6D  15L  49GF (8th)  36GA (T5th)  49.61xG (3rd)  40.70xGA (9th)  0.11431 xG/shot  0.11432 xGA/shot  +8.91 xG

As you can see, the xG margins between us and our opponents were very narrow over the course of the season.  Very indictive of a squad placed firmly in the mid-table

And there we are in 9th place.  Just off the last playoff spot but well clear of relegation.  This season required a relegation playoff between Ascoli and Perugia which saw Perugia go down.  Verona and Benevento earned automatic promotion places while Venezia battled through the playoff to punch their ticket to Serie A.

Jose Melro was our Player of the Year.  20 goals in all competitions.  He was pushed by loanee Carl Gustafsson who played great in the midfield but we would not have finished in 9th place if it were not for Melro's goal scoring.  Just need to find a second and third scorer to take the goal scoring pressure off of him.

The media thought enough of Melro's efforts to name him Serie B Young Player of the Year.

And was the "bronze medalist" in the Serie B Signings of the Season.  He was joined on the list by left-back Matthieu Huard.  However, for the euro spend, these two signings should have finished 1st and 2nd not 3rd and 5th.

We lost some core support even with the 9th place finish and picked up fair weather support.  

Still not in a financial position to do a lot of big money wheeling and dealing to improve the squad.  Have to improve around the edges, make the most of what I've got and hope we improve into a playoff position.

[keeper#1]

Summer 2025 Trieste Trading Post

We released a bunch of players most of whom were never going to see playing time with the senior team.  The lone exceptions are the two players at the top Marjian Cavar and Mirko Gori who saw a decent amount of time in the midfield over the last two seasons.  Their playing time had slipped so it was perfect time to let them go to another club.

We shipped out a few players on loan and one more player in the transfer market.  Riccardo Cargnelutti left on a small transfer fee.  Nothing earth-shattering here.

Coming into the club are eight players.  The biggest signing is Jakov-Anton Vasilj who joins us from Dinamo Zagreb for 550k.

Jakov-Anton Vasilj

Vasilj is a thorn in the defender's side.  He wants to get into the box and be an offense-first attacker.  He is perfect for the Shadow Striker role in the 4-2-3-1 formation that we have shifted to.  This will cause me to shift some players to accommodate him the middle of the formation.  

Alessandro Louati

Louati is one of the midfielders that brought in to upgrade the position.  He can play a variety of roles in both the defensive midfield and central midfield strata.  Good at both passing and tackling.  Can read the play very well.  The only holes in his game is he's not a great goalscorer and he's not fast.  Other than that, he is a solid midfielder.

Alessandro Macchioni

A central defender that came over from Pro Vercelli.  A very quick defender which is something that we need along the backline.  A perfect player to come in and kill off a game if our defenders get tired and we need to bring a sub on.  

Daniel Frey

A right back that can start if we need him to but is content coming off the bench as well.  Quick and a decent crosser of the ball.

Luca Palmiero

More depth into the central midfielder position with Luca Palmeiro.  Can play in both a ball-winning a play making role.  Not great in the air but decent with the ball at his feet and can find the net if needed.

Naatan Skytta

Skytta is someone who can play in the central attacking midfield position but can also slide out to the left or right wing forward position.  Though that is an unlikely scenario as we have better options on the wings and Skytta is a more natural central attacking midfielder.  A good versatile option now at the club.

Samuel Giovane

A fourth central midfielder as we revamp the position.  Giovane is much more attacking option in the defensive midfield compared to the other players.  In a pinch, he can also move up to the central attacking midfield though that is a scenario which I would like to avoid if at all possible.

Wisdom Amey

A right back brought in on loan as a much better starting option for the position.  Not a great crosser of the ball but a much better defender than our current options.

 

[keeper#1]

August 2025 Update

We crashed out of the Coppa Italia in the first round like we did last year.  That's fine by me.  Our focus is on the league and staying in Serie B.  We dominated the month of August.  Actually, I should say that Jakov-Anton Vasilj dominated the month since he scored three of our four goals.

23 August at Modena

We took advantage of our chances in this match and they didn't.  Each team was kept out of the high scoring zone.  They jumped out a 1-0 lead when their attacker got inside of Yuri Rochetti to tap-in an early goal.  Then, Jakov-Anton Vasilj went to work in the second half.  He opened the scoring, for us, midway through the second half.  In stoppage time, Wisdom Amey got off a low cross into the box which found Vasilj to give us the 2-1 win.

WIN  Triestina 2 (1.00)  Modena 1 (0.83)  +0.17xG

26 August vs Cosenza

This was just a dominating offensive performance everywhere but on the scoreboard.  We had plenty of offensive chances which were turned away by the Cosenza defense.  They only had two chances the entire match - a testament to our defensive effort.  Early in the second half, Vasilj works himself free in the box and slots home a well-placed shot to give a 1-0 lead.  That's all the goals which we would get as we closed out Cosenza, 1-0.

WIN  Triestina 1 (1.65)  Cosenza 0 (0.21)  +1.44xG

31 August at SPAL

SPAL did an excellent job of letting us shoot from outside the frame of the goal.  All of their chances came from low scoring areas as well.  But late in the first half, we got the go-ahead goal when Luca Palmiero took a shot from in close on the left wing which beat the SPAL goalkeeper.  In the second half, neither side a great look a goal and we finished the month undefeated and untied after earning our second 1-0 victory in a row.

WIN  Triestina 1 (0.65)  SPAL 0 (0.89)  -0.24xG

FOR THE MONTH  3W 0D 0L  4GF (3.30)  1GA (1.93)  +1.37xg

We sit atop the Serie B table after three matches.  Early days but we are enjoying our position and our start right now.

 

[keeper#1]

September 2025 Update

As you will in the game recaps, it was a very frustrating month.  We could do nothing but draws.  Plenty of chances just not very successful in finding the net.

13 September vs Reggina

Reggina really took the game to us in the first half.  Antoci finally breaks through on the right-hand side in the 32th minute to give Reggina a 1-0 lead.  Just six minutes later, Giacomo Drago fumbles a headed shot and Mejer picks up his own rebound to double the Reggina advantage.  I bust out the ol' hairdryer at half time and they responded.  Alessandro Capello chips the Reggina goalkeeper after he picked up a sweet pass from Naatan Skytta pass.  Jakob-Anton Vasilj wiggled between defenders after receiving a pass from Mattia Vitale to tie the match.

DRAW  Triestina 2 (2.25)  Reggina 2 (2.31)  -0.06xG

20 September at Mantova

This was a match that we should have won by a much larger margin.  We kept the ball almost completely out of our defensive box.  We pounded their box with shots and their goalkeeper stood on his head making save after save.  Capello converted a second half penalty kick to give us a 1-0 lead that we never gave up because we never had worry about Mantova getting shots away.

WIN  Triestina 1 (1.82)  Mantova 0 (0.23)  +1.59xG

23 September vs Palermo

This match we should have won.  Like Mantova, we completely shut down their offense while peppering their goalkeeper with shot after shot.  This match, we could not break through the opposition defense.  As a result, we finish up a 0-0 draw.

DRAW  Triestina 0 (1.80)  Palermo 0 (0.09)  +1.71xG

27 September at Ascoli

A battle between the top two sides in the league.  Ascoli go into halftime happy when Almendra takes a hopeful shot from the top of the box and it ends up just out of the reach of Drago and they go into the locker room up 1-0.  Vasilj makes sure their joy in short lived in the second half when he volleys home a shot from in close to tie the match.  Ascoli had a great chance inside the six-yard box late in the match that should have won the match but we make a great goal line save to ensure the match ends in a draw.

DRAW  Triestina 1 (1.09)  Ascoli 1 (1.44)  -0.35xG

FOR THE MONTH  1W 3D 0L  4GF (6.96)  3GA (4.07)  +2.89xG

[keeper#1]

October 2025 Update

We had a great month going.  Wins over our first three opponents.  Playing great offense.  Good defense.  Then we played 19th place Spezia so, of course, we played like complete crap and they handed us our first loss of the season.

4 October vs Sampdoria

We pushed Sampdoria all over the pitch.  They only had five shots for the match.  All of them from low percentage scoring area and all when the game was out of reach.  We opened the scoring when Tiago Ferreira sprung Jose Melro behind the Sampdoria defense.  Melro was, then, able to find a late arriving Alessandro Capello who was wide open in the box.  Just four minutes later, we put the game out of reach.  Matthieu Huard, Mattia Vitale and Mattia Tortoli linked up with a quick passing play which created open space of Naatan Skytta to score the second goal.  A complete win.

WIN  Triestina 2 (1.31)  Sampdoria 0 (0.21)  +1.10xG

18 October at Frosinone

Best match of the season thus far.  We completely dominated Frosinone.  They got a couple of early chances but then we locked down for the rest of the game.  They locked up our offense in the first half.  We jumped on the board early in the first half when Tordini hit a 40-yard ball behind the Frosinone back line.  The Frosinone goalkeeper came for the ball but was beaten to it by Capello.  Later in the second half, there was a deflected pass which Skytta read perfectly and got free in the box.  From there, he found Capello to add his second goal of the match as we cruised to a 2-0 victory.

WIN  Triestina 2 (3.34)  Frosinone 0 (0.86)  +2.68xG

21 October vs Brescia

This was a match where goalkeeping and defense took a back seat to the offense.  Each team vastly out-performed their xG.  We jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind goals from Skytta, who had the first two markers, and Capello, who got on the end of a deep cross from Daniel Frey.  We tried to give away the lead when Brescia added to quick goals in the 66th and 71st minutes.  After that, the defense stepped up and held Brescia without a quality chance and we earned the third victory of the month.

WIN  Triestina 3 (1.66)  Brescia 2 (0.82)  +0.84xG

25 October at Spezia

Spezia was the first team to keep our offense in check as they held us to only six chances all from low quality positions.  They got on the board when a 25-yard bomb from the midfield found the top corner of the net for the opening goal.  We handed them the second goal after a defensive mixup lead to a tap-in.

LOSS  Triestina 0 (0.34)  Spezia 2 (1.12)  -0.78xG

FOR THE MONTH  3W  0D  1L  7GF (6.85)  4GA (3.01)  +3.84xG

The loss knocked out us out of the top spot but we still reside in the second automatic promotion place.  I'm starting to think that we have a team that is capable of finishing in one of the playoff places at worst and at best contend for automatic promotion.

For the first time, we have two reliable scorers in Capello and Vasilj.  Skytta is proving to be a decent third scoring option as well.  Jose Melro has put scoring on the backburner this season and has become our top assist man with three.  Lots of midfielder with two assists as well.

[keeper#1]

Tactics of Trieste

One of the goals of the save was to get Triestina up the Italian League Pyramid using a 4-3-3 formation.  However, I have shifted away from that goal.  In the 4-3-3, no matter what I tried I could not get the two center backs from drifting far apart.  The defensive midfielder would drop back into that hole.  However, if he did not drop back, the opposition had a free run on the goalkeeper.  Naturally, this led to a lot of goals allowed.  On the offensive end, I was finding it hard to get the two central midfielders involved in the offensive phase of play.  We had a big gaping hole in the central attacking midfielder.  I could drop the center forward into this space but that would leave me with a wide strikerless 4-3-3-0.  Late last season, I switched from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1.  The offense vastly improved and the defense became more solidified as we had two defensive midfielder sitting in front of the two centerbacks.

This is now our default formation.  Excellent balance between attack and defense even with the CWB (a) on the right side.

This is our formation usage in the last 50 matches.  The 4-2-3-1 formation is providing us over 1 more CCC/game than the opposition as compared to a +0.5 CCC/game difference with the 4-3-3 formation.  It doesn't sound like much but that CCC can be the difference between an easy shot on goal and a weaker dribbler getting to the goalkeeper.

Now this is where we have scored in the 15 league matches this season.  I've talked about getting shots off from the high scoring area in front of the net.  Well, it doesn't get any better than that.  18 goals and 17 of them coming from the central area inside the 18-yard box.  Just one goal has been scored outside the box and not from a central location.  I really like what I see with this formation change.

14 of the 18 goals have come from the spine of the attack (center forward, attacking midfielder acting as a shadow striker and one of the defensive midfielders).  The four goals scored by "wide players" are three from the right forward working as an IF(a) and the left back working as a FB(s).  This goal was from a long hopeful shot from outside the box.  Truly an anomaly - not to be expected in the long term.

Meanwhile, our defense keeps the front of the goalmouth clean.  Four goals from inside the six yard box in 15 matches (.27 goals/game).  More goals from low-percentage shots outside the box than from between the six and 18-yard boxes.  Really liking this formation change and hopefully, the stats stay close to the same as teams see the formation for the second or third time.

[keeper#1]

November 2025 Updates

Another great month in the books.  Like October, the last match of the month was the only blemish on the record...this time we drew instead of lost so that's an improvement.  I'm enjoying scheduling the international break friendly to give our back-ups some game time and gives them a confidence boost as well.

2 November vs Parma

This was a match of taking advantage of the chances given to you.  They had no really good quality chances in the match.  We had two and scored goals on both of them.  Matthieu Huard hit a long hopeful ball up to Antonio LaGumina which he buried into the back of the net.  Later in the first half, Jose Melro ripped a volley into the net after getting set up by Mattia Vitale.  The second half saw no real good chances as we cruised to a 2-0 victory.

WIN  Triestina 2 (0.86)  Parma 0 (0.63) +0.23xG

8 November at Torino

Torino dominated the early part of the game but again we were keeping our goalmouth clean and letting our goalkeeper see the ball.  After a long spell of Torino possession, Mattia Tordini found Alessandro Capello, who had gotten lost in a sea of defenders, to score the opening goal.  I tapped Jorge Alastuey, who was chomping at the bit for some playing time, to go in the second half.  He rewarded me by making a weaving run through the defense to give us a 2-0 lead.

WIN  Triestina 2 (1.33)  Torino 0 (0.92)  +0.41xG

23 November vs Como

Como had a defense that was hard to break down.  Thankfully, we turned away their only good offense chance.  Early in the first half, Capello ran along the six-yard box and got free on a corner kick.  His header found the back of the net.  After that, we put it in cruise control to claim the 1-0 victory.

WIN  Triestina 1 (1.37)  Como 0 (0.68)  +0.69xG

29 November at Pisa

We turned the ball over deep in our offensive zone which Pisa used to start a quick counter attack which was converted into a goal.  Early in the second half, we recycled possession deep into our defensive zone after a corner kick.  Tordini got on the end of a long pass and found Naatha Skytta open in front to tie the match.  We had a couple of really good chances that were turned away and we headed home with a 1-1 draw.

DRAW  Triestina 1 (0.97)  Pisa (1.13)  -0.16xG

FOR THE MONTH  3W  1D  0L  6GF (4.53)  2GA (3.36)  +1.17xG

We are in a tough financial situation even with all the success on the pitch, the fans just aren't turning out and we having a hard time generating revenue.  As a result, the board has slashed the wage budget by 16k/week.  Could lead to some sales in the winter transfer window.

[keeper#1]

December 2025 Update

Our first mixed bag this season, a pair of wins, a pair of losses and a draw.  The loss to Modena really irked me - more on that later.  Just a frustrating month.

7 December vs Padova

Our best match of the month.  Lots of chances from high percentage areas and we kept them clear of the high percentage areas and they just had a couple of weak chances from wide areas.  We took a 1-0 lead into halftime when Alessandro Capello sat on the back post and outjumped two defenders on a corner kick sent in by Alessandro Louati.  Louati got his second assist of the day on the team's second goal scored by Luca Palmiero.  Jose Melro closed the scoring when Daniel Frey found him on the left wing where Melro controlled the ball and worked past his marker to finish the game, 3-0.

WIN  Triestina 3  (1.25)  Padova 0 (0.34)  +1.09xG

13 December at Bari

Our only road match of the month and we just didn't show up.  They capitalized on their first big chance of the match to make it, 1-0.  The score became 2-0 in the second half when they recycled possession on a corner kick.  We added a consolation goal when Edo Motta 24B, an academy product, scored his first senior goal for the club in stoppage time but it was too little too late.

LOSS  Triestina 1 (0.37)  Bari 2 (1.39)  -1.02xG

20 December vs Empoli

A match that we should have won based on the xG.  We had a lot of quality chances but just couldn't breakdown the the Empoli defense.  We kept Empoli on the outside and limited their chances to just a few low percentage shots but it was still a 0-0 draw.

DRAW  Triestina 0 (1.76)  Empoli 0 (0.63)  +1.13xG

24 December vs Catanzaro

Triestina-Catanzaro put on a show for the Christmas Eve crowd.  Triestina got out to a 1-0 lead when Naatan Skytta picked up a loose ball after the goalkeeper could not control a Mattia Tordini header to make the score 1-0.  Catanzaro made the score 1-1 when Iemmello threaded a ball through Giacomo Drago and the defenders into the back of the net.  Tordini makes a sliding midfield tackle and the ball ends up at the feet of Jakov-Anton Vasilj who made a quick pass to Capello.  Capello chips it over the goalkeeper for a 2-1 lead which we would not give up.

WIN  Triestina 2 (1.31)  Catanzaro 1 (1.12)  +0.19xG

FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON:  12W  5D  2L  27GF (T4th)  13GA (T1st)  26.33 (4th)  15.87xGA (2nd)

28 December vs Modena

Look at all of those Triestina chances.  None of them led to goals.  Modena got two shots from roughly the same location.  Both led to goal.  Thankfully, my laptop did not end up in a snow drift after getting thrown through a window.

LOSS  Triestina 0 (1.80)  Modena 2 (0.51)  +1.29xG

FOR THE MONTH  2W  1D  2L  7GF (6.49)  5GA (3.99)  +2.50xG

The intake does not look promising

Still in the automatic promotion places.

[keeper#1]

January-February 2026 Update

We had to sell off some talent (and some much needed depth) to try to get down to the board's newly reduced wage budget of 80k/week.  These deals got us down about 85k/week from the close to 100k/week we had before.  Petrelli and LaGumina are the two big losses here since they were our main center forward depth but Edo Motta 24B has played well in his short time at the club so I felt comfortable enough to move both players and ride with Motta has my primary center forward backup.  Meroni is another big loss as he was first centerback that I would tap if a starting centerback got knicked up or needed a rest.  Tough choices but budget cuts needed to be made.

It was another great period for us on the pitch.  Only one loss and one draw.  Five wins from seven is a nice haul especially since we are in the middle of a promotion fight now.  Two confidence-building friendlies to start the period.  No individual match breakdowns since there are seven matches.  10 goals for and only three goals allowed.  Every win was a clean sheet.  

We sit solidly in second place.  We have a six-point lead (two matches) over 3rd place Empoli with just 11 matches to go.  I'm liking where we are sitting.  The tactical switch (as discussed in a previous update) has really helped us this season.  It has caught the opposition managers off guard and allowed us to play above our heads.

Lots of players with average ratings above 7.  The one thing was not going to do in the January transfer window was break up our defensive midfield pairing of Mattia Vitale and Luca Palmiero.  They have been the unseen heartbeat of this team.  Palmiero with a very quiet four goals-five assists while Vitale has two goals and three assists.  Both are smart on the ball and don't commit many mistakes to put pressure on our defense.

[keeper#1]

Another save where we got too good too fast and board give us nothing.  We try again for something more realistic and slower build.