Where to go now for Cittadella and Gorini?

Three defeats in a row for Cittadella puts them in unfamiliar territory since earning promotion to Serie B in 2016.

The Granata have dropped to 18th place on 19 points, their lowest point total in over seven years. Frustration is growing within the club, players, coaches, and fans. After missing the promotion playoffs last season for the first time six seasons, it looks to be a dire season for Cittadella and head coach Edoardo Gorini this year.

Since taking over as head coach in the summer of 2021, Gorini has managed 60 matches on the sidelines with a record of 19-20-21. During his first season as head coach, Gorini faced many learning hurdles, but got Cittadella to 11th in Serie B despite a number of key injuries.

But now things look much different than just a few months ago. While usually aspiring for promotion, the relegation battle might be what the Granata have to face in the next upcoming months. Cittadella have only managed to score 13 goals in 18 games – the lowest in the league. A lot of the blame has been put on Gorini and especially his tactics.

Gorini’s playing style has put a lot of concentration on long balls down the wing, mostly coming from fullbacks Daniele Donnarumma, Tommaso Cassandro, Alessandro Mattioli, and Gian Filippo Felicioli. This style relies heavily on the influence and holdup play from the forwards or playmaker Mirko Antonucci. As the season has gone on, this style has been increasingly more visible that it’s not working effectively, and the attacking play for Cittadella has been limited.

Another big criticism of Gorini’s game is the overaggressiveness throughout the game. Cittadella lead the league in fouls per match at 17.2, and have the second most yellow cards given out with 59 already being handed to them. A overwhelmingly amount of fouling has caused frustration to the viewers, mainly Cittadella fans. Together with the long balls and fouling, this leads to a team that doesn’t hold the ball a lot – much different to what previous manager Roberto Venturato had implemented during his time in Veneto.

It’s unfair for all the blame to land on Gorini. The new signings from last summer haven’t worked out the way sporting director Stefano Marchetti had hoped for. Attacking purchases like Carlos Embalo and Raul Asencio have been dealing with injuries for most of the season. Andrea Magrassi has provided a goal and assist in his 11 games played, but has also not been super effective on the pitch as many hoped for.

The struggles in the attacking department haven’t seemed to have gone away despite new signings and reinforcements. Attacking players like Mamadou Tounkara, Ignacio Lores Varela, and Giacomo Beretta have all combined for a total of only two goals this season. This leads to limited goals, and when you can’t score, the best result you can hope for is a 0-0 draw.

Cittadella have one more match remaining in 2022: an away trip to Como who are right above them in the table. The Granata will look to end the year on a positive note going into the January transfer window, which will be crucial for improvements.

Gorini is now walking on very thin ice. With a struggling team, will Cittadella make the decision to fire their manager midseason – something that has never been done in club history? It’s going to be a very interesting next few months for Cittadella as the fight to survive in Serie B will continue.

Top Photo: FC Südtirol, AS Cittadella