Sixth in the table and boasting the league’s third-best attack, Massimiliano Alvini’s Frosinone are the surprise package at the start of the Serie A season. But following top scorer Antonio Raimondo’s injury, which will keep him out for more than a month, a stern test has been provided for them.
The motorway connecting the cities of Rome and Napoli, one of Italy’s most famous and heavily travelled routes, passes through Frosinone, a place largely unknown to most foreigners. A provincial stopover, it is now one of the biggest names in Italian football thanks to the performances of its team.
The club from Lazio are genuine interlopers near the top of a league where they are currently in sixth place, three points clear of Juventus and Napoli, two contenders for a Champions League spot.
After a 2-0 win over Torino in the latest round of league fixtures, Alvini’s side made another emphatic statement. Before that triumph came a 5-1 victory over Lecce, a thrilling 4-4 draw away to Atalanta and a 4-2 win over Sassuolo.
All of those results have highlighted the attacking strength of the Leoni, who now have the league’s third-best attack with 24 goals, the same total as leaders Lazio. Let’s take a look at how Italy’s surprise package of the season so far has come about.
Open play and verticality
Frosinone have one of the lowest average possession figures in the league (42.6%), but control the tempo through their work without the ball. Alvini favours immediate, vertical pressing: winning the ball high up the pitch and covering the ground between the team and the opposition goal as quickly as possible.
It all starts from an open setup designed to encourage individual duels, built around a highly flexible and aggressive 4-2-3-1. In midfield, the work of Giacomo Calo, a playmaker who has scored in each of his last four appearances, is enhanced by the constant movement of his teammates.
The character of the yellow-and-blue side is undoubtedly unusual for a team that was hoping to avoid relegation. Yet it has brought not only an impressive league position – already raising hopes of securing survival early – but also plenty of entertainment.
That is especially true in attack. As soon as they win the ball back, their first thought is to find a vertical pass to the striker or release the wide bursts of Giorgi Kvernadze and Fares Ghedjemis, the two attacking wide players supported by attacking midfielder Romano Schmid.
Low-cost goalscoring collective
Frosinone’s strength undoubtedly lies in the collective, although Raimondo is clearly the standout player at present. The 22-year-old striker is the league’s second-highest scorer with eight goals, scored in 10 matches. That means he has been responsible for one-third of the Leoni’s goals so far.
His ankle injury, which will keep him out for more than a month, has disrupted Alvini’s plans, but it will not change the way his team play. He will be replaced by 26-year-old Romanian Daniel Birligea, who has scored twice in five appearances.
Their approach will remain the same in the next match against Cagliari on Saturday afternoon. Frosinone, after all, are the team with the most players to have contributed to at least five goals this season among Europe’s top five leagues.
They are not just an entertaining group, but also an outstanding goalscoring collective. And a low-cost one at that. Ghedjemis, Schmid, Kvernadze and Raimondo cost the club less than €2.4 million gross in total wages.
Free from any particular pressure, the yellow-and-blue side are enjoying the finest spell in their history. They are also keeping pace with the capital’s teams, which have taken so many fans away from them in recent years.
It is impossible to predict what the future holds, but what we are witnessing in the present is undeniably hypnotic. At the Benito Stirpe Stadium, the supporters are living a fairytale. Whether it lasts a long time or a short one, this is unquestionably a sparkling footballing reality.
It is built on harmonious, daring football, in total contrast to Italian stereotypes. And that is precisely why it deserves even greater acclaim.