Flirting with relegation and not reaching last season’s heights, Hellas Verona were all smiles as the celebrated a Scudetto anniversary and their first Capocannoniere.
The 2014-15 Serie A season finally turned out to be a success for Hellas Verona. Safety was comfortably achieved and the side finished above Chievo for the second year running.
Luca Toni’s glorious achievement of finishing as the oldest ever Serie A top scorer was the cherry on the cake at the end of the campaign after the main objectives had been achieved.
The season was always going to be one of consolidation after the heights reached the previous year. Verona’s final position was not a surprise; in fact my season preview correctly predicted their 13th place finish.
However, there were tough spells and the club was in a serious relegation battle midway through the campaign. There were murmurings of discontent from the club’s more fickle fans, seemingly blinded by the incredible success of 2013-14.
All’s well that ends well however and the Scaligeri silenced the moaning minority by finishing with a respectable 46 points, 12 above the relegation zone.
There will be more upheaval in the summer as sporting director Sean Sogliano has confirmed he is leaving. Coach Andrea Mandorlini’s contract will expire although negotiations are underway for a renewal and he’s left the club in solid shape for the 2015-16 campaign.
Verona got off to an impressive start which left the Gialloblu with some breathing space when things got trickier later on. Hellas went unbeaten in their opening four fixtures, winning twice and drawing twice.
A dramatic away win at Torino vindicated the transfer strategy of bringing in relatively unknown players such as Artur Ionita. He became the first Moldovan to score in Serie A in a gritty 1-0 win.
By contrast, a comprehensive 3-1 home defeat to AC Milan in late October highlighted the deficiencies in the squad. The midfield and attack were competent against the Rossoneri but the centre-back partnership of Rafael Marquez and Rafael Marques had something of a nightmare. Vangelis Moras did a solid job at right-back but the fact he was clearly out of position highlighted the lack of defensive cover.
The defeat to the Diavolo triggered a horrendous run of seven games without a win and the Mastini looked to be in a serious relegation battle.
The negative spiral was finally broken on December 12 with a comeback 2-1 win away at Udinese where Toni scored one of his goals of the season.
Verona finally won at home again by beating Parma 3-1 on January 11 and that marked a turning point in the team’s fortunes. An unconvincing but crucial 2-1 win in Sardinia over Cagliari at the start of March can be pinpointed as the three points that put Hellas onto the home straight towards salvation.
The Scaligeri enjoyed two memorable and eerily similar trips to San Siro. Against both Inter and Milan Nico Lopez scored a late equaliser with the Mastini 2-1 down after Toni had earlier given Hellas the lead.
A 2-0 win over rivals Napoli in March was cherished by the supporters and proved that holes had been patched up at a key moment in the campaign.
Verona had been hammered by Juventus in the league and cup but restored some pride on the final day of the season. Toni scored his 22nd goal of the season to top the scoring chants, Rafael saved a Carlos Tevez penalty before imitating Toni’s trademark celebration and Juanito Gomez’s last minute equaliser sent the players and coaches off to celebrate under the Curva with the fans.
Player of the Season
Emil Hallfredsson deserves an honourable mention for his tireless work in midfield but this award was never heading to anyone other than Luca Toni.
At 38-years-old, Toni remained the side’s focal point, contributing to an incredible 49 per cent of the side’s goals in the league with his 22 strikes and two assists.
Toni’s performances were simply outstanding and the side relied greatly upon him. He has been a legend in an environment that has suited him.
Goal of the Season
Hallfredsson notched the Scaligeri’s most spectacular goal in a 6-2 defeat away at Napoli. The Icelandic midfielder hit a volley with excellent, composed technique from outside the area into the far corner.
The goal was also a poignant moment as the midfielder’s father had passed away just before the trip to the Stadio San Paolo, and in his emotional celebrations the former Reggina man dedicated the goal to his late father.
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Best and Worst Signings
Hellas had a very busy summer in the transfer market although few of the signings made a big impact.
An exception was Panagiotis Tachtsidis. The Greek midfielder played in all but four of Verona’s league games as Mandorlini recognised the value of his destructive physicality in midfield and ability to win back possession.
Verona also brought in players who struggled to get playing time such as Fernandinho, Javier Saviola and Antonio Luna.
However, the worst signing award goes to the striker Nene who failed to score or register an assist in eight appearances before being shipped off to Spezia on loan.
The Coach
At times Mandorlini seemed unsure of his strongest team as he rotated the back four during the more difficult mid-season spells. The strike force was tweaked as Nene, Nico Lopez and Saviola were all given chances to play alongside Toni.
However, the longest-serving coach in Serie A used his experience to stabilise things by getting back to basics and abandoning the experiments with a 3-5-2 in favour of his usual 4-3-3 which allowed Toni to shine as the main forward.
The defence remained unconvincing but became more consistent when Vangelis Moras and Rafa Marquez became the regular centre-back pairing.
Mandorlini deserved to celebrate his 200th appearance on the Hellas bench and he has won 100 points for the club over the past two seasons.
The man with the ladder tattoo remained cool when his job was reportedly under threat and kept the Scaligeri up with room to spare.
With Mandorlini at the helm, the future should be one of steady progression up the table provided a few canny signings are made by the next sporting director.
