Hellas Verona vs Como: Tactical Insights from Serie A Clash

Under a grey Verona sky at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, a season’s worth of structural truths were laid bare. In a Serie A campaign defined by their struggle to rise above the relegation current, Hellas Verona – 19th with 20 points and a goal difference of -34 heading into this game – fell 0–1 at home to a Como side chasing Europe from 6th place with 65 points and a goal difference of 32. The scoreline was narrow; the gap between the two projects felt anything but.

The tactical shapes told their own story even before kickoff. Paolo Sammarco doubled down on Verona’s season-long back-three identity, rolling out a 3-5-1-1 that mirrored their most-used structures. L. Montipo sat behind a trio of V. Nelsson, A. Edmundsson and N. Valentini, with M. Frese and R. Belghali as the wide engines. Inside, J. Akpa Akpro and R. Gagliardini formed a combative axis, flanked by A. Bernede, while T. Suslov floated behind lone forward K. Bowie.

Opposite them, Cesc Fabregas stayed faithful to Como’s 4-2-3-1, the formation they had used in 32 league outings heading into this game. J. Butez anchored a back four of M. Vojvoda, Diego Carlos, M. O. Kempf and A. Valle. In front, the double pivot of M. Perrone and L. Da Cunha provided both circulation and bite, freeing an attacking trio of A. Diao, N. Paz and Jesús Rodriguez to orbit around the line-leading T. Douvikas.

This was a meeting between a side that rarely scores and concedes too often against one that has learned to manage games with ruthless efficiency. Heading into this fixture, Verona had managed only 24 goals in total across 36 matches, averaging 0.7 in total and 0.7 at home, while conceding 58 in total at 1.4 at home and 1.8 on their travels. Como, by contrast, had 60 goals in total at 1.7 on average, split into 1.9 at home and 1.4 on their travels, while conceding only 28 in total at 0.8 on average, including 0.7 on their travels.

The absences sharpened the contrast. Verona were without a whole layer of potential structural depth: A. Bella-Kotchap (shoulder), D. Mosquera (knee), C. Niasse, D. Oyegoke and S. Serdar (knee) all missing, alongside the suspended or inactive G. Orban. That stripped Sammarco of both defensive rotation and a key direct outlet in Orban’s vertical running. Como’s list was shorter but significant: J. Addai’s Achilles tendon injury removed a wide option, while Jacobo Ramón Naveros – one of Serie A’s most carded defenders with 10 yellows and 1 red – was suspended for yellow card accumulation. His absence forced Fabregas to lean fully on Diego Carlos and M. O. Kempf to marshal the back line.

Without Orban, Verona’s 3-5-1-1 became more about attrition than incision. The back three were tasked with holding a high line against Douvikas’ clever movement, but their main job was to keep the game in front of them and protect Montipo. In midfield, Gagliardini and Akpa Akpro, both among the league’s most-booked players (9 yellows each heading into this game), formed a double anchor. Their season numbers tell you what Sammarco wanted: Gagliardini with 71 tackles, 13 blocked shots and 54 interceptions; Akpa Akpro with 39 tackles and 7 blocked shots. This was designed to be a low-risk, high-contact central block.

The problem, as it has been all season, was the other direction. Verona had failed to score in 19 of their 36 league games heading into this match, including 10 times at home. The 3-5-1-1 offered Suslov pockets between the lines and Bowie channels to run into, but with wing-backs starting deep and Bernede more connector than creator, there was little to consistently unsettle Como’s structure.

Fabregas, by contrast, built his plan around controlled dominance. Como’s defensive record – 28 goals conceded in total at 0.7 on their travels – allowed them to hold a relatively high line, trusting Diego Carlos and Kempf to manage duels while Perrone and Da Cunha screened. Perrone’s season – 2060 passes at 91% accuracy, 55 tackles and 8 yellow cards – underlined his role as the metronomic enforcer. He is the pivot that allows the rest to play.

Ahead of him, the “engine room” duel was defined by N. Paz. With 12 goals and 6 assists, 51 key passes, 125 dribble attempts and 91 tackles heading into this game, he is both playmaker and first presser. Matching him against Gagliardini and Akpa Akpro was the central tactical collision: Paz looking to receive between Verona’s lines, turn and drive; Verona’s midfield pair trying to compress his space and, if needed, stop him with fouls.

On the flanks, Jesús Rodriguez’s profile added another dimension. With 7 assists and 33 key passes, plus 96 dribble attempts, he thrives in isolation. Against Verona’s wide setup, he could drag Frese or Belghali out of the back five, creating the very gaps Douvikas lives off. The Greek forward, with 13 goals from 44 shots (27 on target), is efficient if given service; his movement across the front line was always likely to test the communication of Nelsson, Edmundsson and Valentini.

Discipline loomed over everything. Verona’s card profile this season showed yellow peaks between 31-60 minutes, with 21.43% of their yellows coming between 31-45 minutes and 22.62% between 46-60. Como, meanwhile, have a late-game edge of their own: 19.48% of their yellows between 61-75 and another 19.48% between 76-90, plus a remarkable 100.00% of their reds arriving in the 76-90 window. This is a team that pushes the line in closing stages, and a Verona side that tends to get stretched and booked as halves wear on.

Within that frame, the “Hunter vs Shield” matchup tilted towards Como. Their attacking trio of Paz, Douvikas and Rodríguez, supported by Diao’s running, faced a Verona defense conceding 1.4 at home with only 3 home clean sheets heading into this game. Conversely, Verona’s attack, averaging 0.7 goals at home, ran into a Como back line that had kept 9 clean sheets on their travels and conceded just 13 away.

Even without explicit xG numbers, the underlying indicators pointed one way. Como create more, concede less, and manage game states better. Their penalty record – 4 scored from 4, 0 missed – contrasts starkly with Paz’s personal tally of 0 scored and 2 missed, a reminder that even within a well-oiled system, there are individual fault lines. But Verona’s margins are so thin that they rarely get close enough to punish such weaknesses.

Following this result, the 0–1 feels like the logical extension of both squads’ seasonal DNA. Verona’s structure can contain for long stretches, but without vertical threat and with key absentees, they struggle to turn resistance into pressure. Como, even missing Jacobo Ramón, had enough control, craft and defensive solidity to wait for their moment and then protect it.

Tactically, the night at Bentegodi read like a preview of what lies ahead. Verona, unless they can add punch to their well-drilled but blunt 3-5-1-1, remain locked in a relegation narrative. Como, with Fabregas’ 4-2-3-1 and a spine built on Perrone’s control, Paz’s dual-threat brilliance and Douvikas’ finishing, look every inch a side ready to step into European nights – and into bigger games where their balance between hunter and shield will be tested at an even higher level.