Como-Empoli is a relegation clash. Both teams are super in the first half

by Simone CioniEMPOLIComo-Empoli it is in all respects one salvation clash given that even the Larians, in the event of a defeat, would see their advantage over the relegation zone reduced to just four points with eight days left to play. However, if we only consider the first halves of the matches played so far, both the Lombards and the Azzurri would even have a race pace to Europe. Taking into consideration the results of these first 29 days at half time, the team of Fabregas would be eleventh with 38 points, one position and one length behind Empoli. And the last place to qualify for a European cup would be only five and six points away respectively. However, the games last ninety minutes and in the second half Como has lost eleven points, the Azzurri as many as seventeen. As for Empoli, then, most of it in the last quarter of an hour of play when captain Grassi and his teammates have conceded 13 of the 46 goals they have conceded so far. No one in Serie A has done worse.

A fact that highlights how both have evidently encountered difficulties overall, but that the objective qualities of the squad are probably superior to what the current ranking expresses. In short, as often happens, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Especially if we analyze what the motivations may be, especially with regards to the team of D'Aversa. Due to the many injuries, in fact, in several matches the coach from Abruzzo has had very few changes of a certain importance to keep the team's intensity high or to perhaps try to reverse the inertia of the match. It is no coincidence, for example, that in two of the last three matches played against Genoa and Turin the Italian coach has made only three substitutions instead of the five allowed. As for Como, however, the numbers highlight a certain fragility in the first half hour of the second half where Fabregas' team has conceded 17 of the 46 goals conceded so far, but also in the final part of the match. In fact, eight goals conceded came after the 90th minute, that is, in injury time. Even in this case, no one has done worse in Serie A. The last time it happened was at home against Venezia, with the penalty for the 1-1 draw in the 95th minute. So what kind of match should we expect? It is difficult to predict, especially considering the increasingly high stakes as we approach the end of the season. Como has certainly demonstrated that it never deviates from its credo: that of playing the game even if it risks something. For its part, Empoli will have to play with great intensity and aggression, trying to let as few easy balls as possible reach the Larian attackers, and then having the courage to attack the spaces that Como tends to concede.