Under review: Fabian Tait speaks now

Tait and his form - this has been the subject of much discussion and speculation recently. The captain himself makes no secret of his fitness level. "I know that I'm not in top form. And I know why that is," said the midfielder, who came off the bench as a substitute in the first two league games against Modena and Salernitana and then started against Carrarese and Brescia. "It was agreed that I would play 45 minutes against Carrarese and a little longer against Brescia," said Tait, who was unable to perform to his usual standard in both games. "I know that I didn't play well, that I didn't perform to my usual standard."

But why is the FCS captain not in form? "My thigh is aching, the pain comes and goes. And it's all connected to the knee injury from last season," said Tait. What happened? On May 1st, FC Südtirol celebrated their early survival in the league with a 4:3 home victory over Ternana, but captain Tait had to leave the pitch injured. They feared the worst. "My first thought was: my knee is completely broken now," recalled the Salurn native. After the first examinations, however, the all-clear was given. "A huge hematoma had formed in my knee, but the ligaments were intact."

Problems in preparation Tait missed the last two games of last season, but the knee injury didn't bother him any further. "I was able to train well all summer. But when training became more intensive during the pre-season, the problems suddenly appeared," Tait said. "I felt pain in the back of my thigh muscles. In the friendly against Bologna, I had to leave after 30 minutes. But the tests didn't reveal anything unusual."

After Tait was rested in the cup match against Monza, coach Federico Valente brought him on after just 65 minutes in the league opening match against Modena. "Not even 10 minutes after I came on, my muscle started to ache again. I was almost desperate and thought to myself that I couldn't go out again." Tait gritted his teeth and became one of the match winners with his assist in the 90th minute to make it 2-1 for Matteo Rover.

"The plan was to make it through until the international break and then start therapy," said Tait, who can also be a factor for the team when training is behind. It was not for nothing that FCS coach Valente said before the Brescia match: "I always want the captain on the pitch."

Masiello’s advice A specialist in Mantua, recommended by defense chief Andrea Masiello and who also treated Jasmin Kurtic last season, has now been able to determine the cause of the pain. And with it the treatment. "My knee injury had severely affected the flexors, everything was overstretched," said Tait, who has now received a special, tailor-made therapy plan. This should make the pain disappear. After a week of individual training, Tait will return to full team training today and will be available for the re-start in Reggio Emilia against Reggiana on Sunday (15 p.m.).

After two defeats in a row, FCS is under a bit of pressure at the Mapei Stadium. "If we play like we did against Brescia, we won't lose many more games," stressed Tait. "We definitely need to improve our defense. We concede too many goals, that's a fact. But I think the team is on the right track," said the FCS captain. With the exception of the match against Carrarese, FC Südtirol has always been convincing. "The match against Carrarese was not good. There are these messed up games in which nothing works. A team experiences that about three times a year," said Tait.

“Mallamo is not a competitor for me” The FCS has found its basic formation. Tait feels comfortable in one of the number 3 positions in the 4-2-1-4. "I have more freedom and am closer to the penalty area. Basically, it's not much different than in the number 4 position," said the Salurn native, who can certainly score and set up goals. Last year he scored XNUMX goals and assisted on another XNUMX goals. "There will always be criticism from outside, I've learned to deal with it," said Tait, who doesn't see himself as a competitor to Alessandro Mallamo.

"We are different players, and that also applies to Daniele Casiraghi. I have my strengths, they have their strengths. They are technical players, I bring more physicality. It's good that we have such a deep squad," emphasised Tait, for whom the only goal can be to avoid relegation. "Of course we would all like to play in the play-offs, but such thoughts have no place in our heads," the FCS captain clarified. "If we save ourselves, we will have played another great season. We have to internalise that. Serie B is difficult enough."

Serie B Italy	SP	TV	P
1. Step on	7	14:8	16
2. Juventus Stabia	8	9:8	14
3. Specia	7	11:7	13
4. Brescia	7	11:8	12
5. Sassuolo	7	8:7	12
6. Cesena	7	12:9	11
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Under review: Fabian Tait speaks now

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