Despite a valiant effort, there will be no fantastic tale to tell about Palermo’s 2012/13 season. After a late season surge that made us hope for a happy ending, the Rosanero were officially relegated last Sunday after their 1-0 loss to Fiorentina.
While Sunday’s result mathematically relegated the side, it was almost a foregone conclusion given the midweek loss to Udinese where, despite battling for 90 minutes, Palermo could not hold off the Zebrette. Mehdi Benatia’s late winner pushed the Rosanero to the brink of devistation, and as destiny would have it, it was former star Luca Toni who finally drove the stake into the heart of Palermo’s stay in Serie A.
Gone are the days when Luca Toni’s goals were leading Palermo into Serie A. Instead, his goal last Sunday condemned the Rosanero to Serie B football next season.
Yes, that Luca Toni. The now 35-year-old striker, whose career seemed all but over before the start of the season, got a foot on to Juan Cuadrado’s low cross to slide the game-winning goal behind Stefano Sorrentino and condemn his former side to the lower tier of Italian football.
The man whose 30 goals in the 2003/04 season lead the Rosanero back to the Serie A for the first time in over 30 years. The man who scored 20 goals the following season to lead the Sicilian side into the UEFA Cup for the first time in the club’s history. Just as he delivered Palermo into paradise then, it was only fitting he condemn them to purgatory now.
This Sunday’s match against Parma will mark their final match in the Serie A after 9 seasons, and will hopefully provide the fans at the Renzo Barbera a chance to properly send off their club as they prepare for what will be a turbulent summer. While their disappointment is understandable given the roller coaster ride that has been this season, Giuseppe Sannino and his player’s should be applauded for the grinta they showed in trying to help out a helpless situation.
After Palermo’s 1-0 victory over Inter on April 28, things looked promising for the Rosanero. The club were level on points with Genoa with four matches remaining, and while it was always apparent that the Rosanero’s final matches were much more difficult than their relegation rivals, there was hope. Yes hope, that glorious state that had eluded Rosanero fans for so long given all the troubles that had afflicted them this season.
However, just as quickly as their hopes were raised, they were dashed with three straight losses to Juventus, Udinese and Fiorentina. On the other side of the coin, Genoa have managed to string together a six-match unbeaten run at the right time to ensure they came out on top for the second consecutive season in their race against relegation.
Given what has come out this week, it’s more than likely that Fabrizio Miccoli and Palermo will go their separate ways come the offseason.
With nothing to play for on Sunday, it will be interesting to see the formation Sannino puts out for what could be his last match as Palermo coach. This week brought forth the troubling news that Fabrizio Miccoli is being investigated after being linked to the son of a Mafia boss. President Maurizio Zamparini responded by saying it would be best if both sides split in the offseason, highlighting the elevated level on tension inside the Rosanero camp.
Whether Miccoli plays or not, and given his current situation I would venture that he won’t, he won’t be the only player that may be gracing the Rosanero shirt for the last time. Josip Ilicic, thanks to his stellar form recently, has been linked with moves to some of Europe’s biggest clubs and is almost certain to leave the club. Abel Hernandez, Stefano Sorrentino, Massimo Donati and countless others will probably not be with the club as they battle in the grind that is Serie B next season. It would be great if they did, but I can’t help but feel that Serie B isn’t big enough for some of these talents who, rightly so, should be displaying their talents at the top level of the game.
Thus, with only next week’s year-in-review club focus remaining, I will be watching the Rosanero this weekend and saluting them after 9 fine years in the Serie A. Hopefully the Renzo Barbera faithful will do the same as it will no doubt be a bitter sweet final day to the season, before what will certainly be an eventful offseason at the club. All we can hope is that the final image of the season isn’t Amauri pulling off his best Luca Toni impression, and rubbing further salt into the wound of his former employers.
Follow Adriano Boin on Twitter: @Boin44
