It’s easy to talk about tactical organization, about active football, but then you have to deal with whoever throws it in. The good old goalscorer, the number 9, who moves around the penalty area as if it were his natural habitat, still matters. In the Serie B championship, now a third of the way through, there are three teams leading the expected goals ranking, that is, expected goals based on parameters that take into account a team’s attacking performance. The first three places in the special rating compiled by the website fbref.com are Palermo (22.0), Cremonese (21.1) and Lecco (18.1). No surprises for the Grigiorossi, who are the top team in the championship, having won four of their last five matches, with two 3-0 wins over Spezia and Brescia in their last two matches. Stroppa brought tactical individuality to a squad of absolute quality that had failed to gain momentum under Ballardini.
Lecco’s perfect bronze medal is surprising up to a point: after a very poor start, they are now enjoying a magical moment under the leadership of the Bonazzoli-Malgrati duo and have 11 points from their last five games. However, in terms of expected goals, no one scores as much as the much-criticised Corini’s Palermo, something the club continues to emphatically confirm despite just one win (over Brescia) compared to three defeats and a draw in the same period. were taken into account for Cremonese and Lecco in our technical-tactical analysis. Until two days ago, the Rosaneros were also first in expected points, while leading Parma (only fifth in expected goals) should have had 7 points less based on the above figure.
What’s the difference then? Well, the presence of strikers like Coda (top scorer of the championship with 9 goals) and Benedichak (7) is a great help for Cremonese and Parma (among the Emilians, the total count also includes 6 from Mana). Around the former Genoa player, Stroppa has built a playing system where match dominance is the mantra, making Coda the ideal attacking player. Instead, Corini and Palermo are suffering as Brunori (17 goals last season) is stuck at 4 goals. The beauty of the B series is its length and ability to become unpredictable from one moment to the next. There are still seven games left before the next break, the Christmas break (eight for Lecco, Como, Sudtirol and Brescia): an eternity that could dig furrows or cause trouble. Various coaches are challenged to continue on the right path or find corrective measures. However, the toughest job seems to await Feralpisalo and therefore Marco Zaffaroni: last place in expected goals, which also coincides with last place in the standings.
Source: Tutto Mercato Web
I am Ben Stock and I work in Athletistic as an author. My specialty is covering football news and other related topics. I have been writing for this website since the past 2 years, crafting compelling stories with the latest updates in the sports world. My articles have gained widespread appreciation amongst readers due to their accuracy and depth of research.
