An unfashionable group of ‘journeymen’ players may make up much of Torino’s squad but this past weekend they again proved their worth to the cause.
Two weeks ago in this Forza Italian Football Club Focus, I campaigned for the benching of the disappointing Mario Santana in favour of someone looking to make a real impression.
Alen Stevanovic came in this past weekend against Atalanta and made a big impression in his hour on the field. He looked more like the player who impressed in Serie B last season and made a refreshing change from the frustration of having Santana take on the look of a deer in the headlights wide on the left.
In the middle of the park, Matteo Brighi, who has arguably been one of their unsung heroes this season, missed out and was replaced by Giuesppe Vives.
Fans would not have noticed the difference as the 32-year-old put in the type of typically assured performance you would expect of him and showed that if the first team players are not playing to their best then there are men pushing for their spot behind them.
Star defender Angelo Ogbonna made his return to the side but Guillermo Rodriguez is unfortunate to have slipped out of the side following his assured displays in the Azzurri international’s absence.
Riccardo Meggiorini came on and made a difference as did Jonathas in the short time that he was on the field (only 10 minutes) but it certainly helped shake things up in a static attack and helped bring about the eventual winner.
No man made a bigger impact from the bench though than super-sub and eventual match winner Valter Birsa who staked a real claim of his own for a permanent starting spot.
He popped up with four minutes left on the clock and the scores tied level to flick Matteo Darmian’s cross home and bring the Granata within the nine points they need for survival.
It was a massive goal, both for Toro and for the Slovenian himself who dedicated the strike to his family.
“I saw Darmian’s cross coming and I knew it would be too high for Jonathas,” he said of his match-winning strike. “I was right and was able to anticipate it before the defender and get there.
“It is a goal I dedicate to my family because they have always supported me and I always try to be ready when I can be to give my most for the team.”
With performances like this, he will soon no doubt having to be ready from the start of games because he certainly has that something different and can change a game in an instant.
The so-called squad players, led by Birsa but not limited to him, certainly did their chances of featuring in the future no harm at all.
In other news surrounding the club this week, it appears that the club’s latest attempts to return to their former home, the Stadio Filadelfia, have been scuppered once more.
This is a great shame for Torino fans who have had their hopes raised too many times down the years by empty promises surrounding a return to the place where the Grande Torino, and other great sides, strutted their stuff until 1963.
For everyone concerned, it would be best if this situation was resolved soon and allow supporters to know whether they will ever realise their dreams of seeing the side play at this famous old ground one way or the other.
Although whether they play there or not is irrelevant in Turin, for it will always be the club’s home.
