Six games into the season, Giuseppe Iachini still sits on the bench at Palermo. As a man who was brought in with the intention of leading the Rosanero back from Serie B he has clearly bought himself a little time in the top flight.
Yet without a win in their first six games, Maurizio Zamparini has shown admirable restraint by his own standards in letting Iachini stay on.
In truth, Palermo have been poor this season at both ends. In attack, lacking both Abel Hernandez and Kyle Lafferty from last season’s side offers a 26 goal deficit. That is a deficit that Andrea Belotti and Paulo Dybala look unlikely to completely fill.
At the back, veteran Stefano Sorrentino has looked out of place behind a creaky defence that has already conceded 14 goals – second worst only to Parma.
Sitting nineteenth in the table, it would be the perfect time for Zamparini to strike. Six game into last season, and after the same number of defeats (three) Gennaro Gattuso was relieved of his duties in order to install Iachini.
Yet even through the seemingly impenetrable madness that has seen Zamparini through more than 30 changes of coach in his 12 year tenure, there are patterns. Coaches do not necessarily leave because they have revealed some flaw, rather than the idea that a change of face in the dugout might refresh the team.
As such, there are a number of men that have held the position on more than one occasion. Francesco Guidolin has enjoyed four separate spells in charge of the Rosanero, the first lasting over a year. With the success of promotion from Serie B and a 6th spot in Serie A in his initial session, Guidolin was appointed thrice more. Delio Rossi was brought back for a second term and Giuseppe Sannino returned after his initial spell.
Iachini looks unlikely to achieve the heights Guidolin scaled, but perhaps Zamparini is allowing him the chance to develop his Serie A team after lifting the Serie B title – the fifth such title to arrive at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.
At the moment, it seems that Iachini will take his side to the Juventus Stadium for their next away game. Either side of that test, however, the next two teams to visit Sicily will be beatable. One is Cesena, who finished below Palermo in Serie B last campaign. The other Chievo Verona who regularly flirt with relegation and are only a point ahead of the Rosanero currently.
It is too early in the season to talk about ‘must win’ games in terms of avoiding relegation, but in terms of Iachini’s job, to emerge from those two matches without a win would be fatal. However patient Zamparini may appear to be, nine games without a win would almost certainly ensure a relegation battle.
Those two games, then, seem to have taken on an importance far beyond their on-field repercussions. To come through them with a win, or possibly even two, would lift Palermo out of the relegation zone and into a tightly packed mid-table; five points currently separate Inter in 10th with Sassuolo, bottom.
To come through without that, nine games without a win would surely see Iachini looking for a new job and Zamparini for another coach.
By the way, Francesco Guidolin is available.
