Last week, the Club Focus was mainly focused about the uncanny comparisons between Livorno’s Serie A campaign in 2013/14, and George Orwell’s famous novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. However, on Saturday it was further proven that George Orwell’s novel is simply a minnow compared to the Tuscan club’s battle for survival. The dystopia continues.
The 3-0 loss to Milan at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday afternoon was the perfect example of Livorno’s season. Just like the first half of the season, Livorno’s form has gradually declined towards the end, that is why it was imperative to scrape a few points before the tough run, but Livorno didn’t.
The depressing thing for the Amaranto however, is that all their rivals are beginning to gradually pick up their form. Catania’s result against Sampdoria, albeit a draw, is a good result compared with the Rossazzurri’s form this season; Chievo, Bologna, and Sassuolo are all picking up points in a very tough time for the Amaranto.
The Neroverdi, despite sitting in 20th for a while have picked up four points from their last two games and are currently out of the relegation zone on goal difference. On the other hand, Livorno who were in pole position to survive after their 2-1 win against Bologna in mid-March are gradually plummeting down the table. Morale is gone.
Even the more experienced players in the side, bar Paulinho, are looking jaded and almost accepting the fact that Livorno are destined for Serie B football next season. What they fail to realise however, is that the difference is only three points. Although it’s easier said than done, if Livorno manage to pick up points in their next four games they survive.
The intriguing thing is that all relegation-threatened sides’ next games are tough. For example, Sassuolo still have to play Juventus, Fiorentina, and Milan. It’s not only Livorno who have tough fixtures, the club can make it if they get out of the eternal dystopia they’re living in.
Shortly after the Milan game, the Livorno board ensured to us all that they’re desperate. Davide Nicola returned for his second spell this season after Domenico Di Carlo was sacked. This action definitely rings a bell from 2009/10 when Livorno endured several coaching changes and finished bottom.
Catania this season have sacked coach Rolando Maran twice, and they’re in no-man’s-land. The Rossazzurri are five points adrift and need to pick up points as soon as possible. It looks like the Sicilian dystopia, which started at Palermo and onto Catania has reached Tuscany.
Nicola was the man who assembled the side and achieved promotion, he was the man who brought last year’s success. To put that into perspective, Sassuolo were in terrible form early on in the season, yet Eusebio Di Francesco wasn’t sacked despite having much more money to spend.
If we rewind back to 2011/2012, Livorno arduously survived in Serie B, the Amaranto were one point off the relegation play-off. One season later under the guidance of Nicola, the club had achieved promotion to Serie A. Why get rid of Nicola in the first place? Why repeat what Palermo endured last season? Why repeat the mistakes of the past?
