The Biancorossi’s first ever season in Serie A was always going to be difficult for the side who had to move their home ground to the Stadio Alberto Braglia in Modena just to meet the league’s minimum capacity regulations.
Despite Carpi taking just ten points from 16 games so far, they have shown signs that they may just be getting to grips with Serie A.
In addition to their poor league form, things haven’t been settled off the pitch either. The man who oversaw their promotion from Serie B, coach Fabrizio Castori, was sacked in September following a 5-1 defeat to Roma, only to be reinstated in November following Giuseppe Sannino’s short tenure.
Although they remain in the relegation zone currently, all is not lost for the Emilia-Romagna side. They are still within touching distance of safety, have the confidence boost of a Coppa Italia run and have shown that they can pull off the odd result when it’s least expected.
Best Player
He may be entering the twilight years of his career but 33-year-old Marco Borriello has made some invaluable contributions to Carpi’s cause since joining from Genoa in the summer.
The former Milan, Roma and Juventus striker did miss three games through suspension after a red card against Frosinone but otherwise has looked revitalised.
Borriello has been vital in the games when Carpi have claimed points and found the net. He scored his side’s second goal in the 2-2 draw with Palermo as well as providing the assist for Ryder Matos’ goal in the 2-1 win over Torino.
His biggest contribution though was when he returned as a substitute from the aforementioned suspension to score and provide an assist against former club Genoa, overturning a 1-0 deficit and claiming three points for the Biancorossi.
Highlight so far
Although they picked up their first ever Serie A win with the 2-1 victory over Torino, 0-0 home draws against Napoli and AC Milan will have been equally satisfying and will have gone some way in proving that they are not entirely out of their depth.
Away from league action, the highlight was an unexpected Coppa Italia win away to in-form Fiorentina which sets up a quarter-final tie with Milan in January. The 1-0 victory marked the first game in which the Viola failed to score this season and, in another first for Carpi, saw the minnows progress further than they have ever done in the competition.
Biggest disappointment
The biggest disappointment, in general, is perhaps how long the Biancorossi took to get going in their first season in Serie A.
They did have a difficult start in terms of fixtures, facing Inter, Fiorentina and Napoli early on, but some of the results they have picked up show that they are at least capable of competing at this level and suggest that could have amassed more points than they currently have.
Transfer hit
With limited resources available Carpi relied on loans and free transfers for most of their business in the summer. Veteran defender Cristian Zaccardo arrived from Milan to provide experience to the back-line while Brazilian forward Ryder Matos was brought in on loan from Fiorentina, and both have been important on the occasions when the Biancorossi have picked up points.
However it is hard to look past Borriello as the top signing. Being a free agent, the former Italy international joined after the transfer window had closed and as such missed Carpi’s first two games of the season. Given his importance since then, the Biancorossi may have found themselves in bigger trouble had he not signed.
Transfer flop
When Polish striker Kamil Wilczek joined Carpi from Ekstraklasa side Piast Gliwice he was expected to be the man to fire the promoted side to safety having ended last season as top scorer in the Polish top flight.
However following the arrival of Boriello, the 27-year-old has managed just three appearances since the start of the season, scoring no goals.
Recent call-ups to the Poland national team show he is still highly regarded in his home country and he clearly has an eye for goal, so there is still time for him to become a success for Castori’s men.
What next?
If Carpi can make their sporadic good results occur more regularly, and additionally draw confidence from their Coppa Italia performance, then they may just be able to defy the odds and survive their maiden season in Serie A.
If players like Matos and Antonio Di Gaudio can create enough chances then Borriello can be the man to score the side to safety.
The immediate target hasn’t changed since the start of the season in that they need to remain in the division but the Biancorossi will also have one eye on their Coppa Italia quarter-final so don’t bet against another upset.
