Stubborn, tough, frustrating; time and time again opposition coaches have been found in the bowels of the Stadio Bentegodi uttering words such as these following an arduous 90 minute contest in which they have dropped points against a resolute Chievo.
Roma, Lazio, and AC Milan, have all been held back by a side with the third lowest wage budget in Serie A, who have once again obtained Serie A survival following the 2014/15 season.
However, salvation was not merely a formality for the Flying Donkeys and these adjectives were all but absent during a torrid start to season which left the threat of relegation looming large before Rolando Maran replaced Eugenio Corini as coach, bringing a new counter-attacking style.
A result that illustrates this style completely was their 2-1 victory over Sampdoria, where the Ceo simply allowed for the Blucerchiati to dominate possession whilst their two solid banks of four were impossible to break down. When possession was eventually retrieved, Chievo broke forwards with great pace and this was perfectly encapsulated by Meggiorini’s superb solo goal when he sprinted the length of the opposition half and finished calmly.
Furthermore when Chievo had to win, they did. The 14th placed side recorded home and away victories against both Cesena and Cagliari who eventually succumbed to the downward pull of relegation, whereas the Flying Donkeys continued to rise and secured salvation still with five league matches to play.
It is clear that Chievo’s form tailed off once they had achieved their objective for the season, and they will perhaps regret their failure to win a single one of their five remaining games as they finished only three points behind their close rivals Hellas Verona.
However this season can be described as nothing more than a success for Chievo. Once again a team with an average attendance of 9,000 and one of the lowest wage bills have secured their Serie A status, and this is nothing but commendable.
Player of the Season
Following the introduction of Maran, the side’s tactics changed dramatically with a rigid defence becoming the heart of the side. Two players who have been integral to this resolute structure are 37-year-old goalkeeper Albano Bizzarri as well as 35-year-old defender Dario Dainelli.
Each of these wise heads have led the Chievo defence in admirable fashion and have contributed to the fact that only Juventus, Lazio and Roma have conceded fewer goals than the 14th placed side.
Bizzarri has been outstanding in several tight games with the 1-1 draw against Lazio and also the 0-0 draw against Inter being particular highlights. As for Dainelli, he has used his experience to organise those around him in such a way that their defensive alignment is near perfect.
However, even with this defensive focus, there must be a man to get the goals and Alberto Paloschi is the one who has done that by scoring nine of their 28.
In the vast majority of their vital results this season, Paloschi has been on the scoresheet, whether that be his brace against fellow relegation candidates Cesena, or his two goals in both derbies against Hellas Verona, he has been an essential cog of the Chievo machine and has justifiably received his first call up to the Italian side.
It has been a superb season from the 25-year-old and he is Chievo’s best player of the season.
Goal of the Season
In terms of aesthetic pleasure and the thrill of seeing the ball fly into the top corner from a tight angle, Paloschi’s goal is the winner. During a passive performance away at Lazio, the Ceo were losing 1-0 and had been dominated for the vast majority of the match.
However in the 76th minute, the Stadio Olimpico stands were left silently incensed as their lesser opponents somehow managed to obtain a point making his strike all the sweeter.
This unexpected equaliser arrived when the ball fell to Paloschi on the right hand side of the penalty area who struck sumptuous half-volley that flew into the far left-hand corner and salvaged a point for the fortuitous Chievo.
However in this echelon of beauty and importance, Riccardo Meggiorini’s bicycle kick against Cagliari probably takes the prize for Chievo this season. In a victory that saw the Gialloblu escape the relegation zone for the first time [at the expense of the condemned Isolani], the 29-year-old put his side ahead with this superb acrobatic effort.
In in only the fourth minute a poor defensive header looped up into the air with Meggiorini reacting rapidly to manoeuvre his body and proceeding to smash an overhead kick into the bottom left hand corner.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPUXVSE-iUk[/youtube]
Best and Worst Signings
Once again Meggiorini gets the nod as the free summer arrival from Torino has been influential during a hard-fought season for the Flying Donkeys.
During 30 league appearances he has scored four goals and obtained four assists but he will mostly be remembered for his two superb strikes against Cagliari and also his 50-yard solo run against Sampdoria.
As for the worst signing, it is difficult to identify someone who has been a considerable disappointment, however one glaring transfer slip-up was Maxi Lopez. The Argentine arrived on a summer transfer from Catania for €1.5 million and was then allowed to leave on a free in January after only making seven appearances.
The Coach
On October 18, Chievo suffered a convincing 3-0 defeat away at Roma which left them languishing in 18th place with only four points from their first seven games.
It was this result that led to the sacking of former coach Eugenio Corini and subsequently the hiring of Rolando Maran who in seven months has transformed the once flimsy side into a rigid, courageous and determined outfit, words that Maran himself has used to describe ‘his’ Chievo.
Since the 51-year-old took the reins, he has guided the Flying Donkeys to safety and done it in the most effective catenaccio style. Defence is certainly Maran’s best form of attack, although he has managed to combine their expert ability to defend a lead with also their fine capacity to conduct a swift counterattack.
As for next season, Chievo have reason for optimism thanks to Maran’s recent three year renewal and they will aim at least to finish higher than their Veronese rivals.
