Well, eventful wouldn’t quite capture everything that was Palermo’s 2012/13 season now would it?
Perhaps it would for the neutral, but fans of the club can sum up the season in one dreaded statement: Serie B.
After nine seasons in Italy’s top flight, Palermo has said goodbye to the top tier as they were relegated after a hectic and ultimately, disappointing campaign according to recent Rosanero standards.
Where did things go wrong you ask? Well, firing Giuseppe Sannino after only three matches didn’t get the season off to the best of starts, especially given the optimism his hiring from Siena had created during the off-season. After gaining only one out of possible nine points to start the season, owner Maurizio Zamparini wielded his coaching axe for the first of what would of many throughout the troubling season.
Gian Piero Gasperini was brought in to reverse the fortunes of the club, but things began to spiral out of control as the Rosanero only managed to win three (one of which was against rivals Catania in the club’s best win of the season) out of 15 matches under the Turin native before the winter break. As a result Pietro Lo Monaco, who replaced sporting director Giorgio Perinetti only a month into the season, brought in a host of new faces during the January transfer window in hopes that the Sicilian sides fortunes would turn for the better.
Given everything that has happened this season, it surprised no one to see Palermo wave goodbye to the Serie A after 9 wonderful seasons in the top flight.
Instead, things got worse and thus kicked off one of the strangest coaching carousel’s you will ever see in top flight football. Between February 4th and March 10th, Zamparini made four coaching changes as Gasperini was replaced by Alberto Malesani, who was in turn replaced by Gasperini for one week, only for Sannino to return and coach the rest of the season.
While things were unpredictable off the field, things on it seemed to follow a wretched script as the club threw away points by conceding late goals on a regular basis. January’s long list of new signings had little impact on the club’s results, which brought about Lo Monaco’s sacking in favour of Perinetti’s return. Yup, the one that had been sacked only months earlier.
A victory over Roma on March 30th finally brought an end to a run of 16 matches without victory, as the star duo of Fabrizio Miccoli and Josip Ilicic both awoke from their extended slumbers to breathe new life into the season. The following week brought about the first away win of the season, and first since April 1st 2012, as Sampdoria were dispatched of and dreams of safety began to pervade the atmosphere at the Renzo Barbera.
Those results would spearhead a five match unbeaten run which saw the Rosanero climb out of the bottom three for the first time since December. However, the good work done by Sannino would end there as the club failed to win any of their remaining four matches, and were mathematically relegated after losing to Fiorentina on the penultimate matchday thanks to a goal from ex-star Luca Toni.
Thus, a turbulent season ended in the worst way possible as the club are now forced to toil in Serie B for at least one season. Whether that stay will be extended is up to Zamparini, as one would hope that the volcanic owner has learned from his mistakes. Those lessons will be needed as the Rosanero will head into an off-season of monumental change given how different and demanding the long grind of a 42 match Serie B season is compared to the Serie A.
Player of the Season
A career best 10 goals in 31 matches almost saved Palermo from the drop, but will most likely bring about an end to Ilicic’s career with the Rosanero as he has been linked with a move to numerous clubs.
There is only one real candidate for this award, which probably explains why the club finished in the league position that they did, and that player is Josip Ilicic.
The 25-year-old was head and shoulders above every other player that donned the Rosanero jersey this season despite his slow start to the campaign. With the club looking doomed for relegation, Ilicic awoke from his slumber once Giuseppe Sannino returned to the club and single handedly kept their remote hopes of safety alive.
The Slovenian ended the season as top scorer with 10 goals in 31 appearances, including a stretch where he scored in five consecutive games when Palermo actually climbed out of the bottom three in late March.
With Miccoli struggling for fitness and no other options emerging for the Rosanero, Ilicic showed why he was so highly touted after his move from Maribor in 2010. His late season performance has caught the attention of several big named clubs, making him all but certain to leave the club for greener pastures once the summer transfer window opens.
(An honourary mention should be made for Fabrizio Miccoli as after six wonderful seasons and 81 goals, his time at the Rosanero looks to have come to an end).
Goal of the Season
There was only one real candidate for goal of the season, and that came from captain Fabrizio Miccoli during their early season win over Chievo. The 33-year-old volleyed an effort from midfield which caught Stefano Sorrentino off-guard for what was one of the Serie A’s top strikes of the season.
Best and Worst Signings
There was certainly a long list to choose from given the revolving door of players that have come in and out this season. The best was undoubtedly Stefano Sorrentino, who joined the club in January from Chievo and showed exactly why he is so highly rated within the Serie A.
The 34-year-old helped stabilize a position that was hurt by inexperience and costly errors in the first half of the season. He helped the Rosanero collect points they would have thrown away earlier in the campaign thanks to his performances, which will no doubt make him a sought after target in the summer transfer window.
As for the worst signings of the season, it is a four-way tie between an Argentine quartet that most people will struggle to recognize as they had no impact on the Rosanero’s season. Mauricio Sperduti, Mauro Boselli, Mauro Formica and Alejandro Faurlin all joined under Pietro Lo Monaco’s watch in January as the club looked to reverse their sputtering fortunes. When he was sacked his signings were largely panned by Zamparini and the myriad of Rosanero coaches, as they were seldomly used and largely ineffective when they did find playing time.
Follow Adriano Boin on Twitter: @Boin44
Great review of a very poor season for Palermo.
It’s been a pleasure following your Palermo musings throughout this forsaken season Adriano. Here’s hoping you’ll be doing it agsin in 2014-15. FORZA PALERMO!!!