Surprise, surprise, Catania failed to win another game. They drew 0-0 against newly-promoted Hellas Verona, who have enjoyed some early success. However, the hosts had the majority of possession and outshot their opponents from the north.
It was a positive in an otherwise disappointing result. A win would’ve lifted the Rossazzurri into a tie for 18th, one point away from safety. With that draw, they remain bottom of the league, four points adrift of 17th placed Sassuolo.
The winter break begins after the December 22nd fixtures, which would be Catania’s 17th game of the season. Last year at that time, Siena were 20th place with 11 points. They ended up finishing 19th with 30 points, eight away from safety.
Two other concerning categories are goals for and against, respectively. The worst attack in Serie A going into the 2012/13 winter break was Pescara. They were 18th and had scored 13 times. Catania have just 10 entering their last match. As for the defensive side of their game, the 28 goals conceded would’ve been third worst in the previous campaign.
Obviously the club have had to deal with injuries and outgoing players in the summer, but the chances of survival are slimming every week. History isn’t on the Sicilians’ side, they would have to pull off a miracle to stay up, according to the numbers thrown out.
Catania’s final match of 2013 is against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Chances are the Etnei will be handed their 11th defeat of the season. Their first two games of 2014 are against Bologna and Atalanta. If they win both, they’re out of danger most likely, but it’s a big ask given that they’ve failed to defeat the likes of Sampdoria, Livorno, and Sassuolo.
The excuse can be injuries and a new coach. However, the southerners have most of their regular starters back into the line-up. Once the season resumes in January, everyone should be fully integrated into Luigi De Canio’s system. That means no more excuses and more grit. If Catania continue to struggle, fans will create more disturbances at training and maybe even during games.
Thankfully, the defence looks solid. Nicolas Spolli appears to have returned to game fitness, which has helped out Nicola Legrottaglie, who tends to struggle without the Argentinean beside him.
Hellas Verona weren’t able to cause a ruckus on the counter attack, which is something they’ve done countless times this season. Hellas didn’t have Jorginho, who’s the engine of the midfield and the main supplier of the counters. Still, the defence performed well enough to demonstrate that Catania will be hard to score against.
Still, the attack will continually be a question. Only Cesena in 2011/12 scored fewer goals after 16 games than the Rossazzurri’s 10 since 2010.
On the other hand, Catania were in this position in 2009/10. They finished 13th, 10 points clear of the relegation zone. They only had nine points after 16 matches, so there’s still some hope for the Sicilians to finish mid table, but they have to get moving because they don’t have many mulligans left.
It’s about time this Argentina B team goes down to Serie B