ALEXANDRIA. The ranking of the grays is ugly and worrying, not so much for the position that has remained unchanged (fourth to last place, on par with Crotone but in front for the direct match won) but because, day after day, the gap in points from the safety zone increases.
They were 5 before the match against Ternana, they rose to 6 from Cosenza and Spal after the 0-2 inside with the Umbrians. And, at the resumption after the break, Alessandria will face the Este team away. The most alarming aspect is that linked to the sterility of the attack, the third worst of the B, coincidentally behind Pordenone and Vicenza, last and penultimate.
The topic was often addressed by Mr. Longo: the disqualification of Marconi weighs heavily, depriving the team of a center forward with physicality, affects the lack of verve under the net of all the others. Against Ternana, in the face of a considerable amount of play, Alexandria worried Iannarilli only at 0-2. The territorial supremacy was as evident as it was irrelevant: 60% possession of the ball for Prestia and his teammates, 8 corner kicks in favor against only 3 granted to the opponents who, however, scored two goals.
A situation buffered by Kolaj’s blaze at the debut against Crotone, but which will continue at least until the home match against Parma when Marconi’s long disqualification ends. The hope is to find him on the pitch in top condition even if, without playing, it will not be easy for a player with his physical structure.
As a new-found captain on the field, Prestia does his part even after the match, as if to underline the moment the wearer comes to speak. “Serie B is this, when you score a goal, the teams close and start on the counterattack because they have all good people – explains the central defender -. Therefore we must be more careful not to go under in the score ». There is no shortage of recriminations, but the ranking reads 8 points: «There is the enormous bitterness of not being able to exploit the home factor. But there is little to add, we have lost another match and we will have to do more after the break ».
Another painful aspect is that linked to injuries. From the beginning of the season, Mr. Longo has never been able to have the full squad. Witness the almost permanent call-ups of 2-3 Primavera 2 players, especially midfielders like Speranza, Gerace and Pellegrini. Even the defense, unfortunately, is no better: Sini and Bellodi are now long-term injured, Prestia himself gritted his teeth for 90 minutes having to replace Mantovani. The player explains how his was in fact «a double return. I was injured, I accelerated my recovery and recovered badly and then came back again. I am not yet 100%, but there was a need and I did not abandon the challenge: I realize by myself that I am not yet in top condition ».
Maybe the break could be the right opportunity to get back to being at the top: “I hope this time I need it, since the previous one was not really useful since I was hurt in finishing immediately in the first game after the restart of the game. championship”. The stop at Serie B due to the commitments of the senior national team can help: «Being together can allow us to fill some of the gap we have: as a group we have always done it and we will continue like this. We have to start bringing the next matches to our side, it’s not easy but our commitment will be all oriented in this sense ».