Inside Pisa: Inzaghi’s Tactics, Transfer Window and Best Players

A team managed by a member of the Inzaghi family and playing in black and blue are top of the league in Italy. So far, so normal you may say.

Except that the Inzaghi in question is Pisa’s manager Filippo and not his brother, Inter Milan’s boss Simone, who led the Nerazzurri to the Scudetto last season.

Less than six months after finishing last season in 13th place with a -3 goal difference, Pisa are top of the table with 24 points in 11 matches and boast the division’s second-best attack with 19 goals and the second-best defence.

Sacked by Salernitana in February after just five months in charge, Inzaghi has made an immediate impact in Tuscany.

Pisa have hitherto tied their colours firmly to the mast of counter-attacking football and average almost two goals per game, despite losing last season’s top scorer Mattia Valoti, who returned to Monza after his loan spell ended.

Nicholas Bonfanti and Matteo Tramone have combined for nine goals so far this season, while summer signing Alexander Lind found the net in his first two starts.

Pisa have already dispatched promotion favourites Reggiana and Palermo this season, while the defeat away against Juve Stabia at the end of September increasingly looks like a minor blip.

Exuding the kind of poise his players have replicated on the pitch, Inzaghi vowed to stick to his guns after the loss – Pisa’s only defeat this season.

“Let’s get back to our strengths as soon as possible,” he said.

“This loss can be a valuable lesson if we take it to heart.”

The former AC Milan striker has stayed true to his word and Pisa have since picked up seven points in the next three matches. With a trip to Cremona and a home match against Sampdoria to come over the next two weeks, the Nerazzurri could stretch their lead even further before the next international break.

The future looks similarly bright for Pisa off the pitch, where Alexander Knaster’s investment is paying off.

Four years after the American purchased a 75 percent stake in the Nerazzurri, the city council is working to sell the Arena Garibaldi stadium to the club, a move that would significantly boost the team’s growth. Plans for a new training centre have also been approved, signalling a bright future for Pisa.

Transfers: Pisa spent over €12m (£10m) on players this summer, a significant outlay for a Serie B club. A third of that sum was invested on signing Alexander Lind from Danish club Silkeborg, while Stoke City winger Mehdi Leris joined for €3m and Como goalkeeper Adrian Semper arrived for €2.5m.

Lorenzo Lucca left for Udinese for €8m, while Adam Nagy and Giuseppe Sibilli moved to Spezia and Bari respectively for a combined €2m.

Best performers: Semper has been a regular starter in goal ever since joining from Como in the summer and a major factor behind Pisa conceding just 10 goals so far in Serie B. At the other end of the pitch, Bonfanti and Tramoni have scored five and four goals respectively, while centre-back Simone Canestrelli has chipped in with two of his own.

Tactics: While some of his Serie B rivals have chopped and changed with their formations, Inzaghi has remained committed to a 3-4-2-1 from the start of the season.

Malthe Højholt and Marius Marin anchor the midfield, with Alessandro Arena, Emanuel Vignato, Stefano Moreo and Tramoni rotating as the duo supporting the lone striker – either Bonfanti or Lind.

At the back, Canestrelli, Antonio Caracciolo and Giovanni Bonfanti have been the back three of choice.