Spal: Baldini's defence finds solidity in view of the playouts

Mister Baldini was a rock-solid central defender, and he just couldn't come to terms with the fragility of the Spal defence. A problem - mainly linked to set pieces, but more generally to the defensive phase - that the Massa coach had confessed to having tried to resolve for a long time through specific work, but the goals conceded showed no signs of decreasing. Suddenly, however, the Spal has found the squaring of the circle, and now the solidity of the rearguard can represent the main added value in view of the playout.

Let's take a look at the numbers. For a long time Spal was the most perforated team in the championship, but thanks to the change of direction in the last few days it has managed to do better (or rather, less worse) than Lucchese and Legnago Salus, who with 64 and 63 goals conceded have surpassed the white and blues in extremis in this special ranking. You certainly can't smile about the 61 goals conceded in 38 days, but considering the average of the first 33 rounds, you can't deny that Spal has made giant steps.

As mentioned, Baldini he was perfectly aware of having to intervene in that sector, but in the first eight games of the Tuscan coach's management the results were disastrous. There were as many as 16 goals conceded by Spal in the eight games following the change on the bench: two with Virtus Entella, three with Rimini, two with Campobasso, one with Pescara, two with Arezzo, zero with Pianese, three with Ternana and three with Pineto. A horror average of two goals conceded per game with which saving the category would have been unthinkable.

Luckily, in the last month things have changed and the dangers in Galeotti's area have been reduced to a minimum. And this is the best news ever for Baldini, who with a three-man defense protected by midfielders like Nador, Awua and Paghera has found the best possible compromise. And in the last five games Spal has conceded only three goals, going from an average of two goals in the first eight games to a comforting 0,6 in the last five. Arena's return was important, but above all something has changed in the defensive attitude. Better late than never.

Stefano Manfredini