Martino: "We must draw strength from our mistakes. I want Ischia to be more concrete and consistent."

Ahead of Sunday morning's 11:00 a.m. match at the "Mazzella" stadium against Budoni, coach Alessio Martino's Ischia team is fully aware of the need to immediately transform their stadium into a fortress. After trials against Paganese and Cassino, the coach highlighted signs of improvement, but also the need for greater consistency in front of goal and a more defined identity.

The match against the Sardinians, coming off a brilliant preseason and considered one of the tournament's potential surprises, will be an important test not only for the standings but also to gauge the maturity of a team still struggling to find its feet. Martino is calling on the fans to rally: their support in the stands could be the twelfth man on the pitch for a young team looking to turn things around immediately and begin building their league career.

We spoke with coach Alessio Martino about Ischia's performance in Cassino. We heard from you in the immediate aftermath of the match, and a few days have now passed. I imagine you've had a chance to assess the first 90 minutes of the season with greater clarity. What are your thoughts? It's a defeat, and as such, no one likes it, least of all me. But we have to learn from it, especially from our mistakes, because mistakes are part of growth. I believe that a team, like any person or professional—be it a player, a coach, or a manager—improve precisely when they learn to iron out their mistakes and draw positive lessons from them. We must do exactly this, also because we've always said that the growth process must be accompanied with patience, but it must also be accelerated by us. Why? Because we haven't had the chance to test this squad before, and besides being a young team, we didn't know where to start or what certainties we had. We can only build certainties in matches. Training gives you a lot, but if you don't compare yourself, you can never fully understand. Cassino is already over, so let's look forward with confidence. That's what I always say: work with confidence and, above all, learn from your mistakes.

We'd also like to put the Cassino match behind us. However, we must focus on one aspect: after two matches, the Gialloblù have conceded four goals, three of which were from dead-ball situations and often due to inattention. Furthermore, the team seemed unable to contain their opponents' attacks. I believe this is a symptom that needs to be addressed immediately. "Yes, but we're not hiding it. The first two goals we conceded in Pagani, even though they were in the Coppa Italia and therefore in a debut match with plenty of challenges, came from set pieces. Like it or not, in one case there was a direct deflection; therefore, the opponent shared responsibility; in the other, it was clearly a missed goal. On Sunday, however, the second-nil goal came at a time when, in my opinion, the team, despite not having a shot on goal, had territorial dominance and produced numerous crosses, something Cassino failed to do. In all fairness, we must admit that we tried everything we could to level the game.

I was ready to bring on another striker, Parigi or De Filippis, who were about to come on, but with eight minutes to go we conceded. The delay due to a fan who entered the pitch, who fortunately is fine, also contributed to the delay, but that interruption had an impact. There were still eight minutes left in which, in my opinion, we could have even turned the game around. This is a confidence boost, because when you manage to create and push forward, you understand that something is changing. The skill lies in not getting overjoyed when you win and not getting depressed when you lose, always remaining aware that we are in the midst of a growth process that we have been aware of from the beginning."

After Paganese and Cassino, have you seen a growth trend? "First of all, we're talking about two different opponents, two very different games. If we do a technical analysis, also based on the numbers, which I like to look at, against Paganese we struggled in the first ten or fifteen minutes, partly because we still lacked the game-ready form. On Sunday, however, we didn't struggle, but we were still studying ourselves, lacking courage. You don't know yourself, you don't know your qualities, and even Cassino, in my opinion, feared us precisely because we didn't know each other.

"We have important values, we just need to turn them into certainties. The fans' support will be crucial; they can truly be our twelfth man on the pitch."

In fact, the first half was headed towards a 0-0 draw, so a small step forward compared to Pagani's approach, even though unfortunately that goal came in the 44th minute. In the locker room, we didn't need to overturn things, but rather address certain situations to stay in the game and try to win. Instead, it went the other way: precisely because we were a goal down, I was convinced they couldn't cause us any problems. We tried to push forward, knowing they wouldn't score because we hadn't conceded anything up until that point. And indeed, the second half went in that direction: we often played in their half, even with players out of position, and in a certain sense, we took risks. In the final seven or eight minutes, we then faced two counterattacks after that push, and there it was also a question of distance. In fact, in my opinion, Cassino could have exploited them earlier, but instead they struggled and were crushed. Perhaps in the final 15 or 20 meters, we were still lacking in confidence to score. But this, in the end, is part of the growth process.

However, Ischia's two second halves offered some reactions. You fielded players out of position and a very disorganized lineup, pushed forward to try to get back into the game. Despite numerous potential chances, however, the winning blow didn't come. Many are talking about a lack of shots and poor finishing: why is that? Do I think it's also a psychological factor, linked to a lack of full knowledge and awareness of our own resources? Training the attacking phase in the final meters is the most difficult thing. All teams, when faced with a wall, a "bus" deployed in the penalty area, try to get around it. Inevitably, aside from a few sporadic shots that go high, the shot becomes more of a nervous gesture than a real opportunity. You have to be good at moving the ball and finding space. We were extraordinary in this, both thanks to our own merit and, paradoxically, also due to the demerit of Cassino, who closed down so much. With our quality midfielders in the build-up phase, we were able to get the ball on the ground immediately and move the play from one side to the other. I'm thinking, for example, of Gille, who in the second half took centre stage even from a deeper position, allowing Trofa, Castagna, Romano, and Habachi to push forward. And I would have liked to include De Filippis and Parigi in the final eight minutes plus injury time, but physiologically you risk conceding something.

There was also some inexperience, as in the incident with the lost ball in midfield that led to the corner kick that led to the goal. Conviction was lacking. We could have opted for a long-range shot, which remains a classic way to try to score, but we didn't get there because we preferred to try to get around the opponent and close them down differently. Perhaps we should have been more incisive and decisive in the final meters there."

There's a similarity between Paganese and Cassino. It's unusual to see a double or triple substitution as early as the 46th minute. Are these still decisions to be made, or was it a desire to adopt a more attacking approach in Cassino? "I'd say both. Against Paganese, while we weren't shying away from the Cup, we considered it our first real test, because up until that point we hadn't had the chance to test the team. So it was normal to give playing time to those who hadn't played and look for initial responses. The substitutions in that match were primarily relays to distribute energy.

In Cassino, however, the situation was different. We went down by a goal in the 44th minute, exactly as had happened in Pagani, and that had an impact: conceding a goal close to halftime doesn't allow you to go to the locker room and reset. There, we decided to intervene immediately to give the team a more offensive push and change the momentum of the game. I'm trying to convey all my strength of character, because I believe I'm a very solid person in this sense, but it's clear that the team needs to get to a point where they can go on autopilot, interpreting situations on the pitch naturally. Growth means precisely this: learning to read the moments of the game and react on your own."

We've highlighted Bertumeu's role several times, partly because Ischia hasn't had a key striker in recent years, as was the case last season. My question may be a bit naive, but could involving him more directly, almost as a team order, be a solution? "I followed Ischia last year, and there was a player who acted more as a center forward. Viktor, on the other hand, is a different kind of striker: he needs to be served and is strong in holding the line, but he's also technically sound. We, however, haven't been very good at serving him. This means we need to learn to work harder for our striker, overcoming certain initial difficulties, sometimes in communication, sometimes out of fear. As you also said, direct attacking can be a solution.

Cassino, for example, almost always played like this, with a long ball to Sorrentino. But Bertumeu is a center forward who loves to play, and we have to be able to get him to play with the team, staying close to him. In Pagani, in fact, he created the two half-chances practically alone, while in Cassino he was more isolated because Romano drove the flank more, and when we reached the penalty area, we were less present. In those situations, all it takes is for the defender to mark him tightly with the help of a teammate and it becomes difficult for him to score. For this reason, in my opinion, when we attack down the wings we also have to fill the penalty area with more men, occupying the various spaces, because ultimately that's where the goals are scored. Scoring takes place in the penalty area, and our job is to create the conditions for him and the others to finish.

Focus on the attack: we've seen a lot of work from the wingers, who, in a certain sense, play a key role in the team's attitude. Often, the solution has been to target their man, look for dribbles, get to the byline, and cross into a crowded box, especially in the second half. There was a penalty on Romano in the first half: we reviewed it on video analysis and there was contact, even though from the pitch it looked like it wasn't a foul, so much so that I thought he'd dived. These incidents can change a match, but the referee decided differently and we have to accept that. In the first half, there were two or three other foul situations on Romano that weren't called. In the second half, however, I remember at least two important runs from Castagna, plus a few good crosses, including those from Trofa and Pizzato. In those moments, the team was dangerous, even if we lacked the decisive shot. I think Ischia was close to scoring: when you arrive in those conditions, in my opinion you shouldn't worry too much if you don't get the shot, because it means you're there. There was a lack of conviction, of course, but I remain convinced—perhaps as a romantic or a visionary—that if we'd found the net, we could have even won it, driven by enthusiasm. "Ifs" ​​don't get you very far, but that's the feeling I have. had. But now Cassino is archived: we just need to understand what went wrong, without reducing everything to the question of the formation."

My question, also looking at the championship perspective, arises precisely from the second half in Cassino and the offensive department: having seen Romano, the various options tested and the opportunities that were created, have you formed an idea of ​​what the starting attack could be, also considering the characteristics of the pitches and the dimensions, as well as the general structure of the tournament? Yes, but there are aspects of the development process that need to be managed carefully. The run-offs, for example, can also create some discontent, because we still don't have a defined hierarchy, except for six or seven players. This, in my opinion, is a burden, even though it's always better to have a large squad than a small one. The problem is that, having not played any friendlies or tests beforehand, the only opportunity to really push your game is the official match. And there you have 50 or 80 minutes to prove your worth, but with the risk that, if you don't convince, the coach will fail you. This can generate anxiety, an excessive tension of wanting to prove too much in a short time. It's a pressure the players shouldn't feel. Decisions will inevitably have to be made and carefully considered, but we need to establish a hierarchy, because inevitably, you always need a starting point, a stable reference point. Only in this way can we provide some continuity.

We haven't seen the new arrival Airo yet, but speaking generally about defense and midfield, what indications did the Cassino match provide regarding Budoni? "Budoni is a team that has had an extraordinary pre-season, winning every game, including the most prestigious one against Torres, which they beat 3-2. They have some very valuable individuals and significant quality. In their first league match, they faced Monastir, who, along with Budoni, I believe could be one of the tournament's surprises: they start out quietly, but they've made a significant move, also signing several players I already knew from their Albalonga days, as well as some good foreign players. That's why Budoni should be approached with caution, even though we're playing at home. On Sunday in Cassino, we weren't treated very well, so we need to transform the Mazzella into what it has always been: a fortress. Sending this message is crucial, and we also need our fans to do this."

In conclusion, do you have everyone at your disposal? There aren't any particular problems with the unavailable players, except for a small dent: practically all of them are available. We have 27 players and we'll have to make some decisions in advance. The fans, as I told the boys, can be our twelfth man. They've come to support us in the last few days, but on Sunday they'll be crucial for us. I don't want to be rhetorical or flattering, but in this moment of growth, the fans can represent that extra something, the push that helps us in difficult moments. I reminded the team that in Pagani and Cassino we left to applause, a sign that perhaps our fans have glimpsed our spirit and commitment, but now we must do even more to deserve that support. This group starts with few certainties and a bit of mistrust because we still don't fully know ourselves, but the path is clear. We know what we want to do, we're not feeling sorry for ourselves and we believe that the best is yet to come. In difficult times there's always the opportunity to grow, and I'm convinced that We will emerge from this championship with many difficulties, but also with many joys, because this team has important values ​​and, when it starts to get results, it will be able to demonstrate them."