Last season, Yverdon were a force at home but a toothless tiger away from home. A lot has changed at the club since then. The starting position for the new season remains the same: Yverdon are outsiders.
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- In the past season, Yverdon won 12 of their 19 home games, but only once away from home. Coach Alessandro Mangiarratti still sees room for improvement.
- "The goal is to stay in the league," says captain William Le Pogam. The top six "would be great", and he's not even talking about the championship title.
- Yverdon has no intention of hiding in its second Super League season since being promoted again. "We'll keep on biting," says technical director Filippo Giovagnoli.
Yverdon is one of the outsiders in the Super League. The Vaud team is still baking small buns ahead of its second Super League season since being promoted again. They are not even talking about the championship title: "We're not crazy." A jump into the top six "would be great", the stated goal is to stay in the league, according to Yverdon captain William Le Pogam.
Small goals or not, Yverdon have no intention of hiding. They have already impressively demonstrated in the past season that they can keep up with the big names in the league. Above all, Alessandro Mangiarratti's team played extremely well at home.
Yverdon won twelve of their 19 home games. They shared the points with their opponents four times and only lost three times at the Stade Municipal. "The aim is to maintain the same rhythm at home," says Mangiarratti.
Mangiarratti wants to maintain the "underdog mentality"
Yverdon are aware of their underdog role and want to embrace and embody it: "We have to maintain the underdog mentality."
However, this "underdog mentality" was not very successful in away games last season. A lion at home, a feast for the opposition away from home. Just one win from 19 away games in the past season. Mangiarratti states: "We still have to improve in that respect."
Will Yverdon bite in the Super League?
The club has taken a step forward with its staff. They have hired a video analyst and brought a second assistant on board. This will allow them to work in even greater detail. Despite the new staff members, technical director Filippo Giovagnoli is adamant: "Yverdon remains the smallest club. Like a small dog, but we will continue to bite."
It remains to be seen whether Yverdon's bites will cause minor redness in their opponents or degenerate into real flesh wounds. The club starts its second Super League season at home against FC Zurich on Saturday and wants one thing first: to get the new season off to a good start.
