FCS coach Fabrizio Castori faced critical questions after the Salernitana match. © T. Debelyak

FCS coach Castori raises eyebrows

After the 1-2 defeat in Salerno, FC Südtirol is once again in the relegation battle. Following the match, coach Fabrizio Castori faced a number of critical questions. His personnel decisions are increasingly causing consternation.

14 April 2025

From: cst

After surprisingly leaving Daniele Casiraghi on the bench a week ago, there was another unexpected change on Saturday against Salernitana. Jacopo Martini was in the starting lineup – to the surprise of many.

Castori defended his decision afterwards ("He played an exceptionally good game"), but the 70-year-old's reasoning is not always understandable to outsiders. The personnel issue of Andrea Masiello has already been discussed. a week ago in detail illuminated. The veteran also remained in Salerno On the bench for 90 minutes. He's not an option in the upcoming home game against Bari anyway, because the former betting fraudster never plays against his former club.

Good grip with Adamonis

Nevertheless, the credit of winter signing Frederic Veseli seems to have run out. The Albanian is often solid, but rarely truly good. Nevertheless, Castori considers him untouchable. Raphael Kofler sometimes plays, sometimes doesn't – and the Rablan native constantly switches between midfield and defense. Castori also considers him one of the few FCS defenders who is consistently solid in one-on-one situations and also strong in the air.

Mateusz Praszelik and Andrea Giorgini (back) against Salernitana striker Cerri. © Felice Calabro' / Felice Calabro'

It's a similar story with Andrea Giorgini. While he has his strengths, especially in the build-up play (which Castori doesn't want), the role of a pass-and-run player is unlikely to boost the defender's confidence. The same thing is happening on the left flank, where Simone Davi and Antonio Barreca alternate almost every week. The fact is that Castori still hasn't found his starting eleven this spring. With only five games remaining, there would be seven in the event of a play-off. Stability in the relegation battle would be extremely important.

The FCS coach had a good hand with the goalkeeper swap. Marius Adamonis is getting stronger week by week. In Salerno, he kept FCS in the game for a long time with strong saves. The Lithuanian international is a valuable asset compared to Giacomo Poluzzi, who has been struggling this year.