Are you really that surprised?
You shouldn’t be. When it comes to Maurizio Zamparini, nothing should surprise you. I’ve seen such comments as ‘farcical’, ’embarrassing’, ‘surreal’ to describe the situation, but words fail to fully capture what we’ve seen at this club so far in 2013.
On Februrary 7th I said:
I hate to say I called it, I really do, but I did. It was almost too predicatable, even by Zamparini’s standards. So in light of the latest managerial change I was inspired to bring to you the top 5 managers to have graced the Palermo bench under Zamparini, only for him to kick them to the curb (some more than once). There were 25 (!!!!!) options to choose from so here they are.
If things are going to be this glum, at least Cosmi would bring some welcome entertainment to the Renzo Barbera.
5. Serse Cosmi
Famous for his time with Perugia, Cosmi lead the club to a stunning victory in the Intertoto Cup thanks to a side that boasted Marco Materazzi, Hidetoshi Nakata, Fabio Grosso, Fabio Liverani and Fabrizio Miccoli. He has failed to replicate that success, coaching 7 clubs since 2004, the most recent being Siena where he was sacked in December. His time with Palermo lasted exactly 4 matches in 2011, meaning you may have missed it if you blinked. While you could say his best days are behind him, his fiery demeanour on the sidelines would at least bring some sort of entertainment to what has otherwise been as uninspiring a season as you will ever see.
4. Stefano Colantuono
Known for his exploits in the lower leagues, Colantuono first gained notoriety after leading Atalanta to a Serie B title in 05/06. After a 7th place finish in the Serie A, he departed for Palermo. Sacked and then recalled during the 07/08 campaign, Colantuono would once again be sacked after the first match of 08/09 season. A stay with Torino was followed by a return to Atalanta, where Colantuono has shown himself to be a formidable manager, who with the backing of management (a novel idea), has been able to keep the Dea afloat despite starting back-to-back seasons with point deductions. His solid if unspectacular approach would be welcome at Palermo, but it is safe to say he wouldn’t receive the same backing from Zamparini as he has with the Nerazzurri.
3. Delio Rossi
When he isn’t getting into scuffles with Adem Ljajic or giving the finger to Nicolas Burdisso, Rossi has put together quite a career for himself. It really took off in the 2005/06 season when he lead Lazio to a surprising UEFA Cup position only to see it revoked due to Calciopoli. A 3rd place finish next season was followed by a Coppa Italia victory in 08/09, showing Rossi’s deft skills despite Lazio’s limited resources. His next destination was Palermo, where he lead the Rosanero to a 5th place finish in his first season. Rossi was sacked the following season after a humiliating 7-0 home defeat to Udinese, only to be brought back after only 4 matches (sounds familiar). He went on to lead the club to the final of the Coppa Italia, only the third in club history. Now at Sampdoria, Rossi has enjoyed a great start with the Blucerchiati where he has shown that his fiery temperament has not dissipated, making it understandable why he left Palermo and Zamparini’s ego by mutual consent and unlikely to ever return.
2. Luigi Delneri
The man who lead the Chievo miracle and Sampdoria’s great 09/10 season, Delneri has seen his reputation take a hit after unsuccessful stints at Juventus at Genoa. Rigid in his approach, the Aquileia native is known for his dogmatic 4-4-2 formation and he doesn’t care who knows it. A winner of the Panchina d’Oro, he has shown that when given the proper working conditions he can produce. His Palermo stint was largely forgetful as he was only at the club for half a season, but his ability to work wonders at smaller clubs cannot go unnoticed. Especially since his resume would mesh perfectly with Palermo’s needs come the summer if things pan out as everyone expects them to…
Looking at the success Guidolin has had at Udinese, makes you wonder why that couldn’t have happened at Palermo, right?
1. Francesco Guidolin
The man with the most tenures (4) under Zamparini, Guidolin’s resume speaks for itself. His only trophy came in 1996 when he lead Vicenza to a Coppa Italia, but Guidolin’s talents are apparent to fans of the Serie A. A winner of the 2011 Panchina d’Oro, his 505 matches as a coach in Serie A puts him joint 7th on the all-time list. With his vast experience, his most impressive work has come with Udinese where he has made the club a consistent presence in Europe while moulding countless youth players in to top flight stars (Alexis Sanchez, Gokhan Inler, Mauricio Isla, Kwadwo Asamoah). His greatest achievement at Palermo was leading the Rosanero back to the Serie A for the first time in 35 years. Still held in high regard by fans, Guidolin has infinitely grown in stature since leaving Zamparini behind. While Palermo have sunk, he has risen to the top echelon of the Italian game. The toughest part of it all is that everything was in place for that type of success to come to Palermo, but instead they are looking at near certain relegation to Serie B while Guidolin and Udinese continue to defy the odds.
If Gasperini pulls of one of the greatest miracles in recent Serie A history and keeps the team up, he will no doubt be worthy of being put on this list. Unfortunately for him and the fans, at this point in time, just finishing the season as coach of the club might be considered a success…
Follow Adriano Boin on Twitter: @Boin44
