Catania Club Focus: A Glimmer of Hope

Date: 24th April 2014 at 2:27pm
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Catania ended their nine game winless streak by defeating Sampdoria 2-1 in their last match. The Rossazzurri moved to within five points of safety with four fixtures remaining.

The final games are against Verona away, Roma at home, Bologna away and Atalanta at home. The final two are the biggest match-ups, especially considering the Rossoblu are 18th and level on points with 17th placed Sassuolo right now.

One of the biggest disappointments this season, the attack, actually delivered when it was needed the most. Sebastian Leto capitalized on some lackadaisical defending on Samp’s part and scored a beautiful side volley. Then at 1-1 just after the hour mark, Gonzalo Bergessio exposed the visitors defensively on the counter, calmly finishing on a breakaway against goalkeeper Vincenzo Fiorillo.

The interesting part was Sampdoria controlling possession. They had 53%, but were outshot 20-7, just goes to show that it doesn’t matter if a team has the ball more, it depends on what they do with it.

Defensively, Catania may be guilty for letting Stefano Okaka in on goal too easily when he buried the tying strike. Other than that, it was rock solid. The back line completed 22 tackles, dominated in the air and didn’t give the midfield any room to operate.

The question that remains is whether or not the Elefanti can maintain these performances against Hellas Verona and Roma. The former didn’t record a win in five straight games until March 30th. Since then, the Gialloblu have picked up three victories in their last four matches. Despite those struggles last month, their home form has been top drawer, earning 29 of their 49 points at the Stadio Bentegodi.

mariano-izco-cataniaCatania haven’t won a single game away from the Stadio Angelo Massimino. So chances are that they’ll lose that one, the Roma game at home may present an opportunity to earn a draw. The Giallorossi are guaranteed to finish no higher or lower than second place, so they won’t have much incentive to start their key players, unless they want to complete the season on a strong note.

The Atalanta match may become irrelevant depending on the previous three fixtures. However, that’s a club who’s struggled recently, dropping their last three encounters. That presents a chance for Catania to get a result there.

Bologna is where the Etnei’s status could be confirmed. Against the rest of the bottom five this season, the Rossazzurri have picked up just eight points in seven matches. It’s not good enough for a club that’s trying to avoid relegation, those games must be won if that team wants to stay up.

Again, that game is in Bologna, so the odds are already low, but if there was ever a time to finally win on the road, it’s on May 11th when the future of Catania could become a lot clearer. The Sampdoria performance offers one last hint of optimism, but if the course of the season repeats itself, it won’t last for very long, but it must for the sake of remaining in Serie A for 2013/14.

 

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