Empoli 2018/19 Season Review

Date: 29th May 2019 at 11:59pm
Written by:

Having been crowned champions of Serie B last season and winning promotion to Serie A, Empoli’s primary aim was to try and stay in Serie A for the season. The start to the season for Empoli made this task an uphill one from the get go with only seven points from a possible 33 collected in the opening 11 matches.

A mid-season coaching change initially seemed to turn things around with Empoli going four games unbeaten, but the team slumped back into poor form and another coaching change later in March was unable to rescue The Azzurri who despite a valiant effort towards the end of the season were unable to stay in Serie A finishing 18th and thus making an immediate return to Serie B.

Player of the Season: Francesco Caputo 

Caputo has been a shining light for Empoli this season, with the 31-year-old being able to continue the impressive form shown in Serie B where he scored 26 goals, and the striker was able to score 16 goals this season in Serie A. He also has impressive achievement of having started and played 90 minutes in every match for the Azzurri, a massive 3,420 minutes and the only player in Serie A to do so.

Best Signing: Bartlomiej Dragowski

Joining in January on loan from Fiorentina, Dragowski has made a real name for himself in goal for Empoli. The Polish shot-stopper was crucial in his time at the club making many key saves and displaying brilliant Man of the Match performances. In 14 appearances for Empoli, Dragowski kept three clean sheets and with the high number of shots he faced in matches, he averaged 5.1 saves per game.

The Coach: Aurelio Andreazzoli/Giuseppe Iachini

Having guided Empoli into Serie A, Andreazzoli was sacked after 11 games where he collected one win from 11 with the team in a real desperate state. Giuseppe Iachini was hired to try and save The Azzurri and while initial results were positive, Iachini was sacked in March after four wins, four draws and eight losses in his time at the club. Andreazzoli was re-hired but it was perhaps too little too late for him to save Empoli and were relegated on the final day of the season.

Memorable Moment

On the April 15, 2019, despite facing 47 shots against Atalanta, Dragowski made a whopping 17 saves and kept a clean sheet in a match that finished 0-0. It set a new record in Serie A for the most saves in a match since 2004/05 when data for this statistic was first recorded and this match showcased the fine talents of the Polish goalkeeper.

The Bad

If there was an award for the worst defense in Serie A, Empoli would’ve been runners up behind bottom placed Chievo Verona this season. Conceding 70 goals in the season was always going to make things difficult for the Azzurri to try and stay up this season, and had it not been for Dragowski in some matches, Empoli would most likely have had the worst defense in Serie A this season, and been relegated far sooner.

 

Comments are closed.