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The Ticino say hello in the National League after 10 rounds from second place. Sports director Paola Duca steps on the euphoria brakes.
When an Ambri fan looks for their team in the table, they usually start at the bottom of the rankings based on the experience of the last few years. In the current championship he would not get very far with this tactic. With 20 points from 10 games, only the leader Geneva-Servette is currently better than the Ticino.
It’s actually not unusual for the team south of the Gotthard to get off the starting blocks well in the fall. Last season, Ambri started the championship with three wins. As is so often the case, however, the Leventine ran out of breath as the season progressed and direct playoff qualification was a long way off.
The necessary competitive luck
Unsurprisingly, sports director Paola Duca steps on the euphoria brakes. “Only 10 games have been played. A lot has happened for us so far.” In fact, Ambri had the necessary competitive luck on his side. So far, the “Biancoblu” have won four games in overtime or in a penalty shoot-out.
The Ambri soaring solely due to luck would be presumptuous. Much more the foreigners have hit the ground running. Janne Juvonen, who joined the Leventina last season, has retained the form he gained in qualifying and is a safe bet.
Good shopping in summer
Compatriot Jesse Virtanen has established himself as the defender and Michael Spacek is causing a stir up front. The Czech striker has already collected 14 points and is the top scorer in the league. But the burden on the shoulders of the Ticino is widely distributed. 15 different players have already been able to be entered in the top scorer list – that too is the best in the league.
Nevertheless, Duca assumes that the two defeats of the season will not be the end of the matter. “I expect difficult times to come. But so far things have gone well for us.”
The ZSC Lions take the next attempt to stop the Ambri high flight. The playoff finalist is a guest in the Gottardo Arena on Saturday.