FCS and Catanzaro: Far away, yet somehow close

It's no coincidence that Giorgio Gorgone has landed in Catanzaro. The 50-year-old coach was on Matteo Lovisa's shortlist after Lovisa took over at FC Schaffhausen. Had Lovisa's preferred candidate, Davide Possanzini, not opted for the South Tyrolean club, Gorgone could very well be sitting on the FC Schaffhausen bench right now. Tomorrow at 15 p.m., however, the coach will be taking his place on the visitors' bench. Gorgone has moved to Catanzaro. The Calabrian club has relied on strong scouting, a consistent playing philosophy, and young, up-and-coming players since its Serie C days. Last year, they reached the playoff final. While it might sound surprising at first glance, Catanzaro could serve as a model for FC Schaffhausen. With Costantino Favasuli (22/to Napoli) and Mattia Liberali (20/Como), Catanzaro lost their two biggest Serie B talents this summer. In addition, center forward Filippo Pittarello went to Pisa and Simone Pontisso, a key player in midfield, joined Cremonese. Important players left, including Marco Pompetti. He wanted to go to Padua and incurred the wrath of the Catanzaro fans with his behavior before the transfer. The midfielder had once been signed by FCS, but he didn't fit their system and was therefore labeled a transfer flop. In Catanzaro, he quickly became important – because the club thoroughly analyzed him and determined that Pompetti was a perfect fit for their playing style. A clear game concept This type of scouting only works if the club's playing philosophy is implemented consistently, regardless of the coach's name. And this is precisely where the similarities with the "new" FC Südtirol begin. Matteo Lovisa and Hannes Fink have exactly this task at FCS. The club is to become more modern, develop young players (ideally to generate significant revenue from them), and play a style of football on the pitch that goes beyond simply parking the bus and counter-attacking. Catanzaro has been one of the strongest Serie B teams for years. Two of their last three coaches are currently working in Serie A. With Simone Pafundi, Gabriele Alesi, and Federico Cassa, they once again have talented youngsters in their squad. In recent weeks, they've had some friction with FC Südtirol in the transfer market. Lovisa would have liked to see defenders Marco Ruggero and Antonio Candela join FC Südtirol. However, FC Südtirol's sporting director managed to convince top talent Fabio Rispoli, one of Catanzaro's best players last year, to join them. The South Italians would have loved to extend Rispoli's loan from Como. But the truth is, Catanzaro has zero points when they arrive in Südtirol today. They suffered defeats against Pisa (1-2) and Vicenza (2-3) after taking the lead in both matches. FC Südtirol, on the other hand, already has four points. Their season start has been successful, even if the last-minute equalizer in Benevento was painful. However, the 1-1 draw in Campania was quickly overshadowed by the furious transfer activity on Tuesday. This was also due to the departure of two key players from recent seasons: Silvio Merkaj and Daniele Casiraghi. Now it's up to the new signings. Lorenzo Anghelè, Kevin Zeroli, and Mattia Pellini all arrived in South Tyrol on deadline day. None of them are likely to start tomorrow, although U21 international Zeroli will eventually be a tough competitor for Simone Tronchin. Both will be looking to capitalize on Niklas Pyythiä's misfortune, as he's sidelined for an extended period with Achilles tendon problems. Up front, Alvin Okoro will replace Merkaj, who moved to Vicenza. The 21-year-old is in top form after a strong preseason with Venezia. However, he hasn't seen much playing time recently. Otherwise, Possanzini isn't expected to make many changes. Giacomo Stabile is serving the second matchday of his suspension.

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FCS and Catanzaro: Far away, yet somehow close

One club is located in the far north, the other in the far south. And yet, FC Südtirol and Catanzaro are very similar in one respect: their club philosophy. But while the Calabrians have been following the same path for years, the red-and-whites only embarked on it this summer.

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