What makes FC Südtirol so strong

Luca D'Angelo summed it up at the weekend. “This is a team that is brutally difficult to play against. Everyone has problems against FC Südtirol.” Shortly before, the Pisa coach had suffered a 0-1 defeat. Despite 41 crosses into the penalty area, despite 27 shots (but only 5 of them on goal) and despite an expected goal value (expected goals in relation to all offensive actions) of 2,90 goals, the Tuscans did not manage to score. These statistics are not unique.

In all 4 wins of the second half of the season, the FCS opponents had a higher xG value. There is hardly any other value from the white-red league leaders. Now some may question modern data analysis in professional football. But it's not that simple, because over an entire season, data often correlates with the table region. But FC Südtirol is currently taking the statistics to absurdity. Why is that? And how should the newcomer's success be assessed?

The Union Berlin of Italy 37,5 percent. This value makes many football experts sit up and take notice. It is the average amount of ball possession that FC Südtirol has during a game. No other team in Serie B has anywhere near as little of the ball in their own ranks. Only bottom team Cosenza shoots towards goal less often than the South Tyroleans (251, including 84 on goal). When it comes to exploiting opportunities, Raphael Odogwu & Co. are in the middle of the league. Only at Parma do the substitutes collect more minutes of play than those of the white-reds. Coach Pierpaolo Bisoli knows about the intense style and gives his jokers around 25 minutes per game. This ensures that there are always fresh, strong players on the pitch. <a data-caption="Union-Trainer Urs Fischer und Bisoli scheinen Brüder im Geiste zu sein. Der Schweizer pflegt in Berlin einen sehr ähnlichen Stil und ist damit erfolgreich. © APA/afp / JOHN MACDOUGALL" data-fancybox="inline-146315" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2023/02/union-trainer-urs-fischer-und-bisoli-scheinen-brueder-im-geiste-zu-sein-der-schweizer-pflegt-in-berlin-einen-sehr-aehnlichen-stil-und-ist-damit-erfolgr.jpg"> Union coach Urs Fischer and Bisoli seem to be brothers in spirit. The Swiss uses a very similar style in Berlin and is successful with it. © APA/afp / JOHN MACDOUGALL

And the FCS is strong in one other area: 244 times a white-red professional gained possession of the ball through an intercepted pass (only SPAL is better). This is what the Bisoli principle is based on. Stand low, intercept balls and counterattack. This doesn't require possession of the ball or sophisticated offensive running routes. Instead, the South Tyroleans switch quickly and surprise the opponent at the moment when they are least thinking about defending.

The opponent is allowed to come up to 40 meters in front of their own goal, then they move compactly and create man-oriented access to the opponent. This creates narrow spaces that force the opponent to lose the ball. The South Tyroleans snap and counterattack as quickly as possible. Counter-pressing doesn't work against the FCS, because the vertical pass follows immediately after winning the ball (often a long shot towards Odogwu). There is a comparable club in Germany, Union Berlin, where the capital city team has around 45 percent ball possession (third weakest value in the league). Union is in second place behind FC Bayern.

The strengths of the South Tyroleans, the weaknesses of the league The strengths of FC Südtirol are the strong defense of their own penalty area, perfect counter-attack moves and the heading game. The White-Reds scored 10 goals, which is a league record. Bisoli's team has a clear plan, the team is extremely tactically disciplined. Added to this is the euphoria in and around the club. A factor that should not be underestimated. Pierpaolo Bisoli knows Serie B like the back of his hand and reaps numerous benefits from it.

Football games, even at the highest level, are often decided by chance – often referred to as episodes on sports TV. And here everything is going well for the FCS at the moment. In Pisa they took the lead with the first attack and the resulting corner. Once the white-reds are ahead, it becomes even more difficult for their opponents. The spaces are minimized - and because there are hardly any teams in Serie B that play good positional play and can therefore play deep opponents, D'Angelo is right: everyone has a hard time against the FCS.

Bisoli knows this. He has prepared his team perfectly for the league and the championship. Serie B is a counter-attack league, a competition where individual qualities (e.g. dribbling) play little role and there are hardly any coaches who instill clear ideas with the ball into their teams. Which in turn is also because they don't get any time. In the current season there have already been coaching changes at 14 (!) clubs (see own report). Only 4 clubs (Frosinone, Bari, Cittadella, Modena) have had their coach for more than a year - and things are going well to very well for all of them. Continuity is still a foreign word to most club bosses.

That's why Pierpaolo Bisoli is perfect for the FCS That's why the Bisoli style is so well suited to Series B. He exploits the opponents' weaknesses with seemingly simple means and thereby makes his team strong. Bisoli knows what it takes to achieve success in Serie B. His charisma, ability to create an “underdog mentality” and irrepressible work spirit tickle a few more percentage points out of the team. All of this makes him the perfect coach for the FCS at the moment.

A break-in for the White-Reds is nowhere in sight. But the results will not continue like this either. The FCS is currently scoring more points than the statistics give it credit for. A classic overperformance. Bisoli knows that the momentum can change quickly and that's why he continues to stack deep. Fans and those responsible can still dream. Why shouldn't this record season end with participation in the play-offs?

Serie B Italy	SP	TV	P
1. Parma	33	59:32	69
2. As	33	49:35	64
3. Venice	33	60:38	61
4. Cremonese	33	43:28	59
5. Catanzaro	33	53:42	55
6. Palermo	33	58:48	51
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What makes FC Südtirol so strong

FC Südtirol started 12 with 4 points from 2023 games. It doesn't get any better. Why are the white and reds so strong at the moment? And what does the soaring have to do with the coaching confusion of the opponents in the league?

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