Jockeying for Position: Serie A Relegation Race

Stephen Maio

It has been an intense season in Serie A for all 20 teams competing across the peninsula. The return of Italy’s most historic club Juventus to the top flight and the disposal of the lingering calciopoli penalties which handcuffed AC Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina and Reggina last season have made for an exciting and competitive return. Amidst the season long examination of the top side of table, an intricate relegation battle has taken place all year long for the little fish competing at the bottom. It has been an intense and hard fought seesaw battle between a handful of teams since the first whistle on opening day. With just three rounds left it is still hard to get an idea of who exactly will be suffering the drop, and with further examination of the relegation zone one can draw a surprising conclusion; it isn’t a matter of being bad, these teams are actually decent.

As of the end of round 35, the bottom 7 teams have just 5 points separating them. The lowest of the teams are Livorno, rock bottom in 20th with 30 points from 35 games, but just three points out of the safety zone. The highest is Catania, sitting in 14th, but are just 2 points above the relegation zone. You have to go back to the 2004-05 season, and that heated last day finish to find a relegation race in which all the three teams suffering the drop had at least 30+ points. Atalanta were sent down after finishing dead last but still with a respectable 35 points. Brescia, without Roberto Baggio pulling the strings, finished 19th on 41 points, and Bologna on 42 points lost a playoff with Parma when Alberto Gilardino struck the death blow. All Viola fans remember their memorable last day victory that placed them in an intricate three way tiebreaker to avoid the playoff. After that season many considered it to have been one of the most (if not the most) tightly contested relegation finishes in league history. This year’s finish is on par with that one. When the dust settles the relegated clubs may all have points in and around the mid-30’s.

As it stands right now, these are the bottom seven clubs in the Serie A table with their points total, and you can see just how close it is:

It’s tough to look down at the very bottom and think of some of the talented players at those teams that haven’t been able to help their respective clubs avoid the positions they’re in while playing in one of the most competitive leagues in quite some time. Livorno at the very bottom still harbours talents like Francesco Tavano, Fabio Galante, Marco Amelia, Jose Luis Vidigal, Antonio Filippini, Erjon Bogdani and Diego Tristan in their squad.

Why the league is so competitive this season is the real question to ask. With Caliopoli only a memory now, the stress has been on fairer refereeing for all clubs in Serie A, whether that has translated to aid for these bottom teams you would have to do some serious analysis. The referees have however, tended to be more hesitant to call penalties for the big clubs in some games this season. But common sense says if this “favoritism” no longer exists and it helps out one little club, it likely helps all the little clubs overall.

It seems that with high point totals at the top of the table there is a drop off around 6th but after that the rest of the league is really somewhat even. It is up to the play of the team, and often the coach that makes the difference between a 12th place finish and relegation to Serie B. Most club presidents know that and this is the reason why they change coaches like dirty diapers. Taking a look at each of the relegation candidates season you can get an idea of just how evenly matched they really are in terms of talent. A couple of clubs that have spent most of the season in the relegation zone now find themselves a point or two above going into these final three weeks.

Livorno are a club that struggled massively out of the gates this season and have been left to make up ground all year long. They started 0-2-7 and didn’t win their first game until a 3-1 victory over Reggina on Halloween. Coach Fernando Orsi was dismissed just 7 games into the season and replaced with Giancarlo Camolese. Camolese brought instant results, and the team surged through November with a pair of wins. Star signing Francesco Tavano had finally adjusted to his new teammates and did his best to lead the charge. However the team eventually soured and plummeted towards the drop zone with only 8 points in the second half of the season. Sunday’s 4-1 drubbing by AC Milan will do little for their confidence but they have no time to sulk over it with a trip to Atalanta, a home game against Torino and then the crucial season finale against Empoli looking very difficult for the club. Their final three games will be without Camolese, who was sacked on Monday to allow Fernando Orsi to return to the bench. Rock bottom and likely to go down, they cannot afford draws, they need wins now.

Parma have had some bad luck this season. The club suffered from some harsh refereeing decisions early on and have never quite found a groove. The absence of Giuseppe Rossi has dried up the attack and despite their many talents like Andrea Gasbarroni, Luca Cigarini, Igor Budan, Cristiano Lucarelli, Stefano Morrone, Domenico Morfeo, Bernardo Corradi, Daniele Dessena, and Reginaldo their incredibly young squad has been unable to turn out the necessary results. They recently dumped coach Domenico Di Carlo for former Inter coach Hector Cuper in an effort to jolt the side. Missing five players for Sunday’s tie against Reggina, they suffered a crucial 2-1 loss that really dampened their survival hopes. Their final three games are brutal, home to Genoa CFC, on the road to Fiorentina and a season finale at home to Inter Milan. Sitting in the relegation zone in 19th and at least 2 points from safety their chances don’t look very good, and for a team packed with budding talents it’s a shame that should they suffer the drop they would likely have to sell many of those assets.

Empoli, as always featuring a host of Juventus reserves, have had an average season overall. Captained by Ighli Vannucchi they have been inconsistent at times but have come up with some solid performances, like their 1-0 win over AC Milan in October and a three game winning streak in February. Their initial swap of Gigi Cagni for Alberto Malesani seemed to breathe new life into the squad, but since then it has faded and Cagni has made a return to the bench. Sebastien Giovinco has been phenomenal for them, the youngster showing his class in a break out season in Serie A. Their remaining schedule has them pitted against the very teams they are fighting for survival with. They close the campaign with Udinese, a trip to Reggina and finally a home tie against Livorno. How they play over these three games will decide if they will be in Serie A or B next year. They currently sit in the relegation zone but only by a tie break. Sunday’s 1-0 win over Genoa CFC will give them some confidence going in to the final straight.

Reggina are another seesaw club that have blown hot and cold all season long. Deprived of Rolando Bianchi’s attacking contribution, the increased scoring pressure on Nicola Amoruso hasn’t translated into goals. Coach Massimo Ficcadenti was dismissed for Renzo Ulivieri just two months into the season after the team went 0-5-6 under his guidance. Ulivieri lasted only five months, sacked in favour of Nevio Orlandi after the team went 4-5-7 down the stretch. The mid-season addition of Franco Brienza has helped to ignite the Calabrian side. Despite being only just above the relegation zone via a tie break right now, Reggina may have the best chance for survival based on their closing schedule. Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Parma was massive and their final three games are all against opponents with whom they are fighting for survival with, a trip to Sicily to face Catania, a home tie against Empoli and a trip to Cagliari for the season finale. A win over Empoli would probably be enough to ensure their safety.

Torino FC have been a bitter disappointment all season long. They currently sit just a single point above the relegation zone. The club looks to be UEFA Cup material on paper but now shockingly find themselves merely fighting for survival. A terrible recent run of results cost coach Walter Novellino his job, and the club will now have to perform under survival specialist Gianni De Biasi. No individual player other then goalkeeper Matteo Sereni has performed up to their caliber, with Alessandro Rosina, Alvaro Recoba and David Di Michele taking the brunt of the blame. Sunday’s 4-1 drubbing by AS Roma condemned Torino to their 4th consecutive defeat. A tough close out schedule featuring a home tie to Napoli, on the road to Livorno and finally home to dangerous Fiorentina has the clubs supporters quite nervous.

Cagliari will be breathing much easier now than they were a month ago. Their recent results have propelled them out of the relegation zone they inhabited for most of this season. A 3 point penalty handed down by the IFF seemed to doom them to life in Serie B but this remarkably young and inexperienced squad featuring future stars Michele Canini, Pasquale Foggia, Alessandro Matri and Robert Acquafresca have fought back hard. Coach Marco Gianpaolo was dismissed when things looked bad in November and replaced with Nedo Sonetti, who lasted a little over a month and was replaced with Davide Ballardini. Under Ballardini they have been better, and the Isolani have much to thank Robert Acquafresca for, the young Inter-owned prodigy finally woke up and started scoring in the second half of the season. It helps out a lot that the initial point penalty was eventually rescinded. A final three games that include a home tie to Fiorentina, a trip to Udinese and a finale at home to Reggina will likely have fans nervous until the final whistle of the final game. My pick to finish dead last this year, if Cagliari do avoid the drop it will be a surprise to most considering where they were a few months ago.

Sitting in the best position of the 7 clubs, Catania are an odd team. Despite missing the lethal scoring punch of Gionatha Spinesi who has been smothered this season, they still find themselves with a shot at safety. They have pulled out the odd surprising result this year with wins over the likes of Sampdoria, Udinese, Napoli and Palermo. Defender Juan Manuel Vargas has been excellent while attracting attention from larger clubs and has seemed to factor largely into the success of this campaign, with Catania joint seventh best in the league in goals against. Their recent string of results has cost controversial coach Silvio Baldini his job however, and now the Sicilians are entrusting Italian legend Walter Zenga with the task of steering this team to safety. Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Udinese isn’t good but still shows they are able to compete with the mid table squads. Sitting in 14th they know that they are only 2 points above the drop zone and will need results to secure safety. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where things get tough. Their final three games include a must win over Reggina, a trip to on fire Juventus, and a finale at home to AS Roma. Next Sunday is their biggest game of the season.

While it will likely be Parma, Livorno and one of either Reggina, Empoli or Torino who will suffer the drop, no team can be certain until there is no football left to be played. When the dust settles on the 2007-08 season, 3 of these 7 teams will be condemned to life in Serie B. The losers of the race will feel they battled hard and don’t deserve to be in the second division. The ones who step up now can save themselves.