A late collapse ends the winning run
Torino had been one of Serie A’s form sides before facing Como. They had won their three previous matches, and [1] described them as being among the league’s in-form teams. For an hour or so the home game seemed to fit that pattern. Che Adams put the hosts ahead, and Como had to chase the match.
The closing stages went the other way. According to [2], Como scored late through Jacobo Ramón, Nico Paz and Martin Baturina to turn the game around and win 3-1. All three goals came after Torino had held the lead, which makes the result harder to take than the scoreline alone suggests.
Coach Ignazio Abate was reported to be a little angry afterwards. His message, per the same [1] report, was that the team needs better ball control against strong opponents. That is a fair diagnosis of a match that slipped away once Como found their rhythm and Torino could no longer hold on to possession.
Absences and the attacking shape
Torino went into the Como game short of players. The official line-ups preview on [3] listed Rolando Mandragora, Niccolò Fortini, Ricardo Rodriguez and Franco Israel as unavailable. Mandragora is out with a thigh injury. The sources give no reason for the other three absences, and none gives a return date for any of the four.
The post-match report in [2] carries a similar absentee list, although it names fewer Torino players. The line-ups preview, with higher confidence and more names, is the more complete record.
The attack looks more settled than the squad list. Football Italia reported that Nikola Vlašić has been used in support of two strikers, Adams and Giovanni Simeone, since Torino’s injury crisis eased. That detail carries only moderate confidence, so treat it as a reported tendency rather than a fixed system. Still, it points to a front line built around Adams’s goal threat, with Vlašić linking midfield and attack.
What the recent run shows
The Como defeat looks less alarming against the results around it. Torino beat Udinese 2-1 at home on 12 October, won 3-0 at Parma on 19 October, and edged Monza 3-2 at home on 23 October. Before that run, they drew 1-1 at Bologna on 19 September. In those five matches they scored ten goals and conceded seven.
The Monza game also shows a pattern. Torino allowed two goals in a win, then three in a loss. Parma was the one clean sheet in the stretch. Across the whole season the totals are level, with 14 goals scored and 14 conceded in nine matches. That balance fits a mid-table side that scores freely but has not been secure at the back.
The record of four wins, one draw and four defeats gives 13 points. That is enough for ninth place in Serie A. The three-game streak showed what the team can do when the match stays under control. The Como game showed how quickly that control can go once the opposition raises the tempo late on.
What it means
Torino sit ninth in Serie A with 13 points from nine matches (W4 D1 L4, goals for 14, against 14). The table position is respectable, but the Como result stopped them from building on a strong run. A fourth straight win would have strengthened their case for the upper half. Instead they are in the middle of the pack, where a couple of results can move them either way.
The form line says they are capable of beating sides that try to match them, as Udinese, Parma and Monza found. Late concessions against Como are the warning sign. Abate’s point about ball control is the clearest thing to fix, especially with Mandragora, Fortini, Rodriguez and Israel listed as unavailable. If those absences continue, the depth around the Adams, Simeone and Vlašić group will matter.
The next fixture is Frosinone against Torino on 1 November in Serie A. The site’s forecast for that match locks 24 hours before kick-off, so no pick is published here yet. The question for Torino is simple: can they keep a lead, or a level game, past the 70th minute away from home? Another late collapse would turn one bad result into a trend.
Sources
- Football Italia: Abate ‘a little angry’ at Torino 3-1 defeat to Como after leading for so long football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Serie A | Torino 1-3 Como: Nico Paz inspires comeback success football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Serie A official line-ups: Torino vs. Como football-italia.net ↩
