Serie A Women Athora, The mixed zone of Como 1907-Como Women

Paolo Tramezzani’s Analysis

On the match: “I’m disappointed with the result, which was harsh given how the game unfolded. We were well organised, kept our shape and pressed aggressively without giving them many chances. We had a few opportunities to break forward, but we needed to be a little sharper and more composed in the final third, in those situations where we could have posed more of a threat.

After their goal, however, we struggled, and in the final ten minutes of the first half they managed to double their lead. We started the second half well and showed a good reaction. We stayed in the game, created chances, pushed further up the pitch and did a better job of winning duels and second balls. Unfortunately, they scored a third on the counter-attack towards the end. We knew that pushing forward would leave us exposed to that risk, but at 2-0 down we also had little to lose. Ultimately, the scoreline was harsher than our performance and what the girls showed on the pitch would suggest.”

On the areas to analyse and improve: “As always, we’ll analyse everything, paying close attention to the details and the small things that can often make a difference. Losing two games in a week can happen in football. I’ve played in and coached around 750 matches, so I know that every season has its different moments and phases, regardless of the results. This defeat was different from the one against Parma because today the team showed the attitude and determination we have come to expect. We certainly need to be more alert when defending corners and throw-ins, and we need to defend our penalty area better. These are things we didn’t do well enough today, whereas normally we are more solid and switched on. We’ll get back to work tomorrow.”

Looking ahead to Roma: “The truth is, this is actually a good game for us to prepare for. It won’t be an easy match, but it’s a good test and a great challenge for our team. In football, you win some and you lose some; that’s part of the game. We’ll give it everything we’ve got and, in that respect, I certainly have nothing to reproach the team for today.”

Agnete Marcussen’s Thoughts

“There’s a lot of disappointment with the result. I think we put in a really good performance against them in the Women’s Cup, and we were hoping to do the same again today. I’m really disappointed with the 3-0 scoreline and with the fact that we conceded three goals. I don’t think it was a 3-0 game. However, matches are decided in both penalty areas, and today we weren’t clinical enough at either end of the pitch. I think we played better in the second half, but it wasn’t enough today. We need to be more clinical in attack and more solid defensively. We’re usually very disciplined in our own penalty area and don’t concede many goals, so today was a difficult day for us. Our opponents showed that they have real individual quality, and we need to learn to be more clinical in front of goal.”