Serie A

The promoted Ciociaria side are still carried by their 3-0 demolition at the Franchi, and elimination from the Coppa Italia has not dented morale: beaten only on penalties by Sassuolo after a 1-1, Frosinone were credited by the local press with a “clear tactical identity” despite wholesale rotation. Massimiliano Alvini used the evening to test his signings and his youngsters, and several of them, Hasa and Amey chief among them, convinced. The team is also one of the few in Serie A to declare no injuries or suspensions before matchday 3. Hosting Venezia on Sunday at 15:00 therefore comes in favourable conditions.

August's friction between president Stirpe and Alvini, born of a remark judged clumsy about not knowing the new signings, is in the past: the head coach owned the selection he made in the cup, fielding the new arrivals en masse to check how well they had absorbed his principles. The Clara Vista ownership, for its part, has delivered the biggest-spending summer in the club's history, more than €37m invested and twenty-nine deals, which gives Alvini the large squad he asked for. Consistency between executive message and technical choices appears restored.

The 3-0 win in Florence, achieved on the day of Fiorentina's centenary, remains the summer's high point for the Ciociaria public and has created unexpected goodwill. The Coppa Italia trip to Reggio Emilia, by contrast, showed the limits of away mobilisation, with only 1,391 spectators across all stands at the Mapei Stadium. The fixture of 6 September at 15:00 against Venezia will be the first real test of home attendance since promotion. The general mood remains positive, carried by young signings the public is discovering.

Massimiliano Alvini is in a comfortable position: three points on the board after a prestige win, no declared absentees and a board that has given him the biggest budget in the club's history. Elimination from the cup, suffered with a heavily rotated team, is not held against him locally, the Ciociaria press seeing it instead as a successful dress rehearsal. His room for manoeuvre is therefore wide, provided he turns those trials into points against Venezia. The most sensitive subject remains the attacking hierarchy, with Bîrligea, Bobček and Raimondo competing.

Survival remains the sole stated objective, but it now rests on unprecedented investment, more than €40m including bonuses in the first window under the Clara Vista ownership. Elimination from the Coppa Italia frees the schedule and allows them to concentrate on the league. In the short term, hosting Venezia on 6 September is identified as a six-pointer between sides targeting the same part of the table. The club is also banking on developing young players such as Hasa and Amey, given their chance in the cup.

No new tension is reported: the Stirpe-Alvini episode of mid-August closed with a public easing on both sides. The main internal issue is now the competition created by twenty-nine summer moves, which leaves several players with no guarantee of playing time, as the heavily rotated line-up in the Coppa Italia showed. Amey's and Hasa's misses in the shoot-out are an individual disappointment, with no reported consequence for the squad's mood. The low attendance at the Mapei Stadium has provoked no public controversy.