@Izulde, @ntndeacon, @Chas in Cinti: Thanks for the support! It's good to have you along for the ride.
31 August 2014
When I took over at Santa Lucia, there were eight actual players in the team; the rest were Grey Ghosts. That gave me ample opportunity to shape the team the way I want it.
The rules for Eccellenza Toscana B require me to name at least two Under 19 players in my first eleven, at least one of which must qualify as Under 18. I suppose that rule keeps teams from stockpiling veteran amateurs and steamrolling the league. I may name 9 substitutes, and use up to three of them.
While I was building the squad, we played six friendlies during our rather lengthy preseason. I was fairly pleased with the results: three wins, two draws, one loss. We beat the lower level teams we played, drew with teams at our level, and lost a close match to Pro Piacenza, a Serie C side. That game was, honestly, our best to date.
Today we'll play our first meaningful match: the first leg of a home-and-away tie in the First Round of the Eccellenza Toscana Cup. The board want me to lead the team to the Semi Final, but I'm looking to put a trophy in the case.
Here are the players who begin the season in Sangimignano green shirts. My assistant manager,
Stefano Ripa, provides the star ratings.
Goalkeepers
I'm very happy with these two.
Chiarugi is excellent for this level; his positioning and decision-making are very good. He's also our free kick taker. He scored our goal against Pro Piacenza.
Governi is far more comfortable with the ball at his feet, and since I usually use a sweeper keeper, that skill comes in handy.
I give Chiarugi a slight edge, but I feel like I have a number 1 and a number 1A here.
Full Backs
Left back
Qehajaj, our vice captain, has been capped 6 times at Under 21 level for Albania. He works hard and has lots of pace. Right back
Mare is a similar player, less of a threat moving forward, but just as fast.
Benedetti and
Romualdi are very serviceable backups. Benedetti has a particularly well-rounded set of skills that could enable him to play effectively almost anywhere on the pitch.
Center Backs
I like having center backs who are comfortable playing the ball out of defense, and both our starters possess that skill.
Lorenzini, a Livorno trainee, is an especially classy player.
Cavallaro is small for a center back, but he's otherwise a very good fit. He scored twice, including the game-winner, against Audax Rufino.
Big, bruising
Borri can do the things a center back absolutely has to do, albeit without any finesse at all. He and
Romualdi are our only depth here, so I'm looking out for a young player to add to the mix.
Central Midfielders
Lots of names here, but some of them would only feature here in an emergency.
I like to play with a DM shielding my back four. I brought in the well-traveled veteran
Mocarelli to play this role. He's a sure tackler and a creative, capable passer.
Gianmarco Cicali's professional personality makes him an ideal captain. He's the only other central midfielder with the wide range of skills needed to play the box-to-box role well.
Talented young
Salerno will feature in the playmaking role, where his impressive passing range and flair will be on display.
Costa, a similar player who is even younger, can do a job here, too.
Then there's
Fantacci, whom I brought in on loan from our senior affiliate, Empoli. He will almost always start, because he is (1) very talented and (2) under 18. He can play both in the middle or out wide, and I will probably rotate him through three different spots in the formation.
For a big guy,
Francesco Cicali is surprisingly hesitant to mix it up; he's totally a finesse player and, as such, will have to scrap for minutes behind the more talented men in our midfield.
Monti, on the other hand, will get stuck in, so I envision him as the primary backup for Mocarelli and G. Cicali.
Wide Midfielders
We have several attractive options here, and the physical demands of running up and down the wing all day will require us to use several players here.
I was overjoyed to bring in
Ballerini, who drifted from club to club after his release from Atalanta. He didn't score during the preseason, but he did everything else. He can play as a traditional winger, flighting crosses into the box, or as an inverted forward, making dangerous runs.
Federici is our usual first choice on the left. He's not as pacy or as skilled as Ballerini, but he's strong and determined, and he can find the net.
Fantacci can play on either wing, and will do so at times.
Corbucci is barely hanging on to his roster spot, and will only play in emergencies; I'd employ one of the spare CMs, such as
Costa, out wide instead.
Center Forwards
For the first few weeks of the preseason,
Paparelli was the only true striker in the team. He's a very good player, able to play in teammates or score himself, but I knew I needed another man here.
I tended to sign only younger players, but when scout
Manuele Cappelletti tipped me off to
De Brasi, I was tempted. His scoring record in the lower divisions--21 goals in 26 games; 13 in 16; 26 in 30 in the division below us last season--has been outrageous. And, since his arrival, he's come off the bench to score three times. De Brasi has forced himself into the picture at the top of our formation.
We also have
Cantone, whom I brought in to give us another Under 18 player. He looks to do one thing, and one thing only: score goals. He's left-footed, unlike Paparelli and De Brasi (none of the three are any good with their weaker foot).
Closing Thoughts
The board insist on a league title this season, and the touts are predicting a two-team battle between us and Castelnuovese.
I'd like to find a boss for the middle of our formation, the kind of player whose presence forces other teams to adjust their tactics.
Mocarelli isn't too far from that standard, but I'd prefer to use him as an outstanding supporting actor. I'm also looking for another powerful defender, hopefully young and left-footed.