Three Points after Cittadella win Steel Cup

Cittadella were victorious in their triangular tournament with Virtus Entella and hosts FeralpiSalò. The granata won their match against Entella and drew 0-0 with the hosts.

At the Stadio Lino Turina, Cittadella came up against Virtus Entella first. A 45 minute half saw Citta win 2-0, with two goals from Orji Okwonkwo. Enrico Baldini and Alessio Vita got the assists in this one.

After a short break and a nearly full team rotation, Cittadella were back on the pitch, this time against FeralpiSalò. A 0-0 draw might have seemed harsh on the home team, for which they dominated a lot of the match. It was enough for Cittadella to be crowned champions of the 2021 Steel Cup.

There were many takeaways from these matches, both good and bad. Here were some of my opinions and notes I can share.

Baldini the playmaker

After coming off great performances last season, Enrico Baldini is looking more and more likely to become Cittadella’s playmaker for this season.

Playing in the first match against Virtus Entella, the Inter youth product played as a 10 role in this game. Assisting the first goal to Okwonkwo, Baldini received the ball on the left side of the 18 yard box. A delicate chip to the far post was capped by a solid header from Okwonkwo.

Baldini had a free kick taken earlier, but missed the goal. He was excellent on the field while playing the 10. Very mobile and creative in the attack, Baldini was able to move freely in the midfield. From dropping to receiving the ball, to coming out wide to take players 1 v 1, Baldini seems to be the perfect fit for the attacking midfielder position.

Improvement needed for defense

In both games, the back line of Cittadella were almost punished by a goal. While not conceding in these matches, there were moments that will surely be turned into goals by Serie B teams.

The one area where improvement is needed the most, however, is set pieces. The football was our friend today, as it seemed it did not want to go into the net for Entella nor FeralpiSalò. The near post was a big threat throughout the tournament, as a few times Kastrati and Maniero could only watch as the ball narrowly missed the frame of the goal.

Better tracking of runners on corners and free kicks are definitely something that needs to be fixed. Despite the near misses, the granata did not give up lots of chances in open play.

So far so good for new signings

We all know Okwonkwo had a brace in the first match as he scored two nice goals. Andrea Danzi, who played as a 6, was a boss in the midfield. Andrea looked very comfortable playing in-front of Frare and Perticone.

Today we also got to see Cuppone, Tounkara, Mattioli, and Antonucci. The four of them played in the second match against the hosts. Although not scoring or creating a lot from this game, they didn’t play bad either. Antonucci played as a 10, and although it’s not his natural position, he had a nice flick on to Christian D’Urso to send him into space.

A lot of time and lots of football is still to be played in this season. The more they play together, they will adapt their playing styles and will link. Right now it’s a matter of figuring out who plays where, their strengths and weaknesses, and how they are looking going into the first match against Vicenza. From Lavarone to now, I think it’s a fantastic start for the newcomers.

After this tournament win, preseason is all but over for Cittadella. Next Saturday they will start their Coppa Italia journey as they host Monza at the Tombolato. The following Saturday is the first league match against Veneto rivals Vicenza.