By its very nature, Serie B acts as a holding room for teams outside Serie A. For some, it represents the pinnacle of achievement and is the level at which a club needs to be steady before an assault on the top tier – Sassuolo represent a good example of that.
For others, it is a place in which problems are eradicated, momentum is regained, and a club can find their feet again – the likes of Torino and Bologna often visit for that reason.
It remains despite all that, one of the most competitive of competitions. This season is no exception. Former Serie A stalwarts Palermo have regrouped after their dire relegation campaign last season and look likely to return from whence they came at the first time of asking. Their star turn this season has been Abel Hernandez, and he is one of a number of players the Rosanero were able to keep after they fell down a division.
With a better organised defence, and a coach, Giuseppe Iachini, who has seen Serie A before, there’s no reason to think Palermo’s next spell in Serie A would be a brief one.
Below them, Empoli have spent a lot longer in Serie B, arriving from above in 2008. After a few seasons of mediocrity, veteran strikers Massimo Maccarone and Francesco Tavano have got the Azzurri looking a likely promotion candidate again, though they’ll be hoping to avoid the agony another playoff campaign.
The group of teams chasing down Palermo and Empoli contains a couple of teams recently dumped from Serie A, and a few for whom promotion there would represent a high watermark for their club.
Cesena, of course, were relegated in 2012, after an abject season saw them finish bottom of Serie A by a clear ten points. The Cavallucci Marini have built their team on borrowed players this season, which is not an unusual tactic to gain promotion from Serie B. Youngsters borrowed from around Serie A have been the bedrock of recent success stories Pescara and Sassuolo, but neither side impressed when they finally were eating at the top table.
Given their financial woes when they were relegated last season, it would be understandable if Siena had followed a similar path. However, although the Robur squad is large, it is not packed full of loanees. That said, the likes of Diego Fabbrini from Watford, and Bologna’s Nico Pulzetti have inspired the Robur up the table during the second half of the season.
A run of eight unbeaten games, five of which were victories, lifted Siena 6 places in the table. Although that good run ended at Cittadella, a playoff place seems almost assured for the Robur, who have shown themselves more than capable of beating anybody in Serie B on their day.
Also in the playoff mixup are a team who last tasted Serie A in 1988, Avellino. Upwardly mobile under the guidance of Massimo Rastelli, the Irpini are playing their first season in Serie B since the club was reformed in 2009. A rapid rise through the leagues has seen the Lupi twice promoted by play-offs before their Lega Pro championship last season. Momentum has brought them this far, and shows no sign of deserting them yet.
Other teams around the playoff picture with Serie A experience include Modena, who were last relegated in 2004. The Canarini have been serving Serie B with distinction since then and almost saw their stadium promoted last summer, but without them in it. Sassuolo used the Stadio Alberto Braglia last season as they earned the Serie B title, but opted to move to the Stadio Mapei in nearby Reggio Emilia for their first ever Serie A season.
They are joined by the Delfini who, after blazing a trail of spectacular football under Zdenek Zeman, crumbled in their only season in Serie A, relegated at the end of the last campaign, and setting a number of unwanted records in the process. With Zeman out of the picture, the charismatic Serse Cosmi has been charged with regaining Pescara’s Serie A status, something the vastly experienced coach will be more than familiar with.
With the table as close as it is in Serie B, and teams separated by so few points, even those teams as low as Bari might be thinking about a return to Serie A. The Galletti have fallen a long way since their Igor Protti inspired 1990s, but were most recently in the top tier in 2011, before succumbing to crippling finances and dropping into Serie B. Things haven’t improved much for Roberto Mazzaferro’s side on that front as even this season, they found themselves docked three points before a ball was even kicked.
The same dreams will be held in Brescia, where the Rondinelle, have been trying to strike out to the top end of the table as president Luigi Corioni looks to sell the club he has been with for 22 years. Another side built largely on loans, the Leonessa have been in Serie B since 2011.
With six teams making the playoffs, Serie B is coming to an undoubtedly exciting conclusion. With as many as 16 teams contemplating a position that would see them promoted, every weekend throws up important games. Amongst the hopefuls are an even spread of familiar faces, and new names. Some are looking to rekindle former glory, others simply to become the 64th team to play in Serie A, such as Trapani, Carpi or Latina.
One thing is certain; we won’t know who it is until the very end of the season.
