Early ‘Christmas time’ for Toro

"di Andrea Rosselli

"Finally, after three attempts, Alberto Zaccheroni seems to have found the most appropriate tactical formation for Torino: the 4-3-2-1 fielded in Reggio Calabria, the so-called "Christmas tree", clearly improved both the defensive and the offensive phase, and the key to this improvement was undoubtedly the adding of Fabio Gallo.

"The veteran playmaker finally provided the balance Toro hugely missed so far: in the previous outings the team was too offensive-minded but still without the vital spark in the middle, as both Barone and De Ascentis were forced to spend their energies almost exclusively in a defensive work. With Gallo alongside them and replacing an offensive midfielder, the team looked more balanced and this benefited both the defence (as Franceschini clearly stated after the match) and the attack: actually, despite playing most of the game with just one striker, in Reggio Calabria the Granata were way more effective offensively than against Siena and Udinese, creating a lot of scoring opportunities both with Stellone and with the midfielders' insertions.

"The other side of the coin is represented by Fabio's age: Gallo has just turned 36, and moreover he doesn't really have a proper substitute in Toro's huge roster (Andrea Ardito has different skills): therefore, Zaccheroni must hope to have him perfectly fit and healthy at least until January's market session, otherwise he could be forced to make another change even though the 4-3-2-1 will work perfectly.

"Tomorrow Toro will face local team Borgaro in the usual midweek friendly, and most likely Zaccheroni will keep on testing the above-mentioned formation in view of Saturday's match against Lazio. Today's training session started, as usual, around 3 o'clock at the Centro Sisport under an intense rain: no injury worries for the former Milan and Lazio coach, who can work with the entire roster. After an extended analysis of the Reggio Calabria match inside the locker room, the players worked hard on the pitch until 5 o'clock.