2009–10 U.S. Città di Palermo season

U.S. Città di Palermo
2009–10 season
Chairman Maurizio Zamparini
Head coach Walter Zenga (until Week 13)
Delio Rossi (from Week 14 onwards)
Serie A 5th
Coppa Italia Fifth round
Top goalscorer League: Fabrizio Miccoli (19)
All: Fabrizio Miccoli (22)
Highest home attendance 35,872
(vs Sampdoria, 9 May 2010)
Lowest home attendance 18,817
(vs Atalanta, 10 January 2010)
Home colours
Away colours
Third colours
← 2008–09
2010–11 →

U.S. Città di Palermo played the 2009–10 season in Serie A, the sixth consecutive season for the Sicilian club in the Italian top flight since their return to the league in 2004.

Review and events

On May 30, 2009, hours before the final Serie A 2008–09 league game against Sampdoria, Palermo head coach Davide Ballardini announced he was taking a 10-day pause in order to decide with his future with the club. Later that day, Palermo chairman Maurizio Zamparini announced Ballardini had asked to be relieved from his position due to his unwillingness to keep on serving as Palermo head coach.[1] This led Zamparini to start searching for a new head coach: successively, on June 5, Palermo announced they had finished their search for a new boss by appointing outgoing Catania manager Walter Zenga. The choice was not appreciated by a large part of the Palermo fanbase, who rejected the idea of appointing the head coach who had just guided Sicilian rivals Catania in the previous season, also leading his side to an astonishing 4–0 win at Palermo, the biggest one for Catania against their rosanero rivals.[2] Successively, Zamparini motivated the appointment of Zenga by saying he wanted a manager he regarded as fit to fulfil his own personal ambitions of a UEFA Champions League spot for the new season.[2]

Since then, Zamparini started working on improving the current roster by a number of additions. Mirko Savini and Alberto Fontana's expiring contracts were not renewed, whereas Genoa applied an option to buy one half of Boško Janković rights, something that Sampdoria did not do on Andrea Raggi. The club was successively linked with Argentine players Nicolás Bertolo, Gabriel Paletta and Javier Pastore. Bertolo then announced on June 17 he had already agreed a permanent deal with Palermo which was set to be finalized later on July due to his ongoing involvement in the Clausura tournament.[3] On June 25, Zamparini announced he had also completed the signing of Javier Pastore, dubbed by him as "the new Kaká", stating the move will being officially announced at the end of the Clausura tournament;[4] this was however successively denied by the player's agent.[5] On July 11, Palermo announced on its official website to have completed the signing of Pastore.[6]

Several other outgoing moves involved youngsters from the Under-19 squad who had just won the Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti: Samuele Romeo was loaned to Lumezzane,[7] Gianvito Misuraca was sold to Vicenza in a co-ownership bid (as part of a deal from Palermo in order to buy Nicola Rigoni from the biancorossi starting from the 2010–11 season), midfielder Salvatore Temperino to Rimini[8] and goalkeeper Giuseppe Ingrassia loaned to Verona.[9] Also, on July 3 Hernán Dellafiore returned from relegated Torino only to be loaned out again, this time to Parma.[10] On July 7 Palermo announced to have loaned out midfielder Roberto Guana to Bologna.[11] On August 5, an exchange bid with Genoa was finalized, with first choice keeper Marco Amelia being transferred with the rossoblu club, and Rubinho joining the Sicilian side.[12] On August 7 Palermo also finalized the signing of Romanian international Dorin Goian from Steaua.[13] On August 10 young full-back Antonio Mazzotta, who had joined the first team during the pre-season phase, was then loaned out to Serie B outfit Lecce in order to gain some first team experience.[14]

Zenga made his first press conference as Palermo boss on July 8 in Udine, in the eve of the start of the pre-season phase in the training camps of Sankt Veit and Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria. In his first official appearances as new rosanero boss, Zenga surprised the press by declaring he wants to guide Palermo into winning the Serie A 2009–10 title.[15] Palermo made their debut in front of its fans for a friendly tournament called Win Win Palermo and held at Stadio Renzo Barbera, against La Liga clubs RCD Mallorca and Sevilla FC, composed by three games of 45 minutes each; Palermo defeated Sevilla 1–0 in the first game, but then lost the following to Mallorca (who eventually won the tournament) in a 2–0 result.[16] The rosanero side made their competitive debut on August 15, in a third round 2009–10 Coppa Italia single-legged home game against Lega Pro Prima Divisione club SPAL 1907, which they won 4–2.

After an unimpressive start of season, with Palermo lying in twelfth place, on November 23, 2009 Palermo chairman Maurizio Zamparini announced to have dismissed Walter Zenga from the head coaching role; this followed a 1–1 home draw in the Derby di Sicilia against Catania which was received with massive disappointment by the rosanero supporters.[17] He was replaced by former Lazio boss Delio Rossi.[18]

Under the tenure of Delio Rossi, Palermo enjoyed a considerable improvement in results, achieving 17 points in his first eight games in charge, and seven consecutive league games without a defeat.[19] These results also included a shock 2–0 win at Stadio San Siro against A.C. Milan, and a 3–0 clear home win against UEFA Champions League competitors ACF Fiorentina. On the other hand, Palermo's run in the Coppa Italia was already halted at the round of 16 by incumbent champions Lazio.

Another historic victory came on February 28, as Palermo cruised to defeat Juventus again also in the return leg in Turin, with a 2–0 result provided by goals from Fabrizio Miccoli and Igor Budan. Such victory led Palermo up to fourth place, the last remaining spot to qualify for the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League. This prestigious victory was then followed by a record seventh consecutive home win in a game against Livorno, ended 1–0. Palermo lost the fourth place to Sampdoria in the final games of the season, after losing 2–0 the Sicilian derby to Catania, and only achieving a 2–2 draw at Cagliari and a 1–1 home draw to Sampdoria itself; in the latter game, team captain Fabrizio Miccoli got seriously injured in action with broken knee ligaments after a challenge that led to a penalty scored by Miccoli himself. Palermo ended the season in fifth place, completing the season with an injury-time 2–1 win to Atalanta.

Palermo will also have a number of players featuring in the 2010 FIFA World Cup: Javier Pastore with Argentina, Simon Kjær with Denmark, Edinson Cavani with Uruguay and out-of-contract Mark Bresciano with Australia. Two other players, Salvatore Sirigu and Mattia Cassani, were originally selected by Marcello Lippi to be part of a 28-player preliminary squad for Italy, but they did not make into the 23-player definitive squad in the end.

Confirmed summer transfer market bids

In
Italy GK Giacomo Brichetto (on loan from Novara[20])
Romania DF Dorin Goian (from Steaua[13])
Argentina MF Javier Pastore (from Talleres)
Argentina MF Nicolás Bertolo (from Banfield)
Romania DF Cristian Melinte (free transfer[21])
Italy GK Salvatore Sirigu (loan return from Ancona)
Brazil GK Rubinho (from Genoa[12])
Italy MF Manuele Blasi (on loan from Napoli)
Italy DF Karim Laribi (from Fulham[22])
Italy MF Nicola Rigoni (from Vicenza, co-ownership bid)
Out
Italy GK Federico Agliardi (loan return from Rimini, to Padova[23][24])
Italy GK Marco Amelia (to Genoa[12])
Italy DF Ciro Capuano (to Catania)
Italy GK Alberto Fontana (end of contract)
Italy DF Mirko Savini (end of contract)
Serbia MF Boško Janković (to Genoa, co-ownership)
Italy FW Gianvito Misuraca (to Vicenza, co-ownership)
Italy MF Giuseppe Polito (to Südtirol, co-ownership[23][25])
Out on loan
Italy GK Giuseppe Ingrassia (to Verona[26])
Albania GK Samir Ujkani (to Novara[20])
Italy DF Alberto Cossentino (to Novara[23])
Italy DF Rosario Costantino (to Monopoli[23])
Italy DF Hernán Paolo Dellafiore (loan return from Torino, to Parma)
Italy DF Antonio Mazzotta (to Lecce[14])
Italy DF Samuele Romeo (to Lumezzane)
Italy DF Andrea Raggi (loan return from Sampdoria, to Bologna[27])
Italy DF Emanuele Terranova (loan return from Livorno, to Lecce[28])
Italy MF Roberto Guana (to Bologna)
Italy MF Nicola Rigoni (to Vicenza)
Italy MF Salvatore Temperino (to Rimini)
Italy MF Antonio Tranchina (to Monopoli)
Italy MF Luca Di Matteo (loan return from Cittadella, to Crotone[23][29])
Italy MF Maurizio Ciaramitaro (loan return from Salernitana, to AC Bellinzona[30])
Albania FW Edgar Çani (loan return from Ascoli, to Padova[31])
Italy FW Paolo Carbonaro (loan return from Monopoli, to Giulianova[23])
Italy FW Davis Curiale (loan return from Ravenna, to Cittadella[32])
Italy FW Davide Lanzafame (loan return from Bari, to Parma[23][33])
Italy FW Gianluca Palmiteri (to Celano[34])

Confirmed winter transfer market bids

In
Ghana MF Afriyie Acquah (from D.C. United[35])
Italy GK Francesco Benussi (on loan from Lecce[36])
Italy DF Marco Calderoni (on loan from Piacenza[35])
Italy GK Andrea Caroppo (on loan from Brescia[35])
Czech Republic DF Ondřej Čelůstka (on loan from Slavia Prague[35])
Italy MF Giovanni Cristofari (free transfer[35])
Romania DF Ionuţ Radu (from Chievo Verona[35])
Out
Italy MF Luca Di Matteo (loan return from Crotone, to Vicenza, co-ownership[35])
Out on loan
Albania FW Edgar Çani (loan return from Padova, to Piacenza[37])
Italy MF Daniele Conti (to Arezzo[35])
Romania DF Cristian Melinte (to Piacenza[35])
Brazil GK Rubinho (to Livorno[36])
Italy FW Davide Succi (to Bologna[38])

Player details

As of May 31, 2010[39][40]

No. Pos Nat Player TotalSerie A Coppa Italia
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Italy Giacomo Brichetto 0 0 0 0 0 0
46 GK Italy Salvatore Sirigu 33 -41 32 -39 1 -2
28 GK Italy Francesco Benussi 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 DF Romania Dorin Goian 14 0 14 0 0 0
5 DF Italy Cesare Bovo 32 2 29 2 3 0
16 DF Italy Mattia Cassani 40 0 37 0 3 0
24 DF Denmark Simon Kjær 38 2 35 2 3 0
26 DF Switzerland Michel Morganella 0 0 0 0 0 0
27 DF Italy Marco Calderoni 1 0 1 0 0 0
42 DF Italy Federico Balzaretti 36 1 34 1 2 0
89 DF Czech Republic Ondřej Čelůstka 1 0 1 0 0 0
91 DF Italy Andrea Adamo 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 MF Italy Giovanni Tedesco 5 0 4 0 1 0
6 MF Argentina Javier Pastore 37 3 34 3 3 0
8 MF Italy Giulio Migliaccio 32 1 30 1 2 0
9 MF Italy Antonio Nocerino 38 2 35 2 3 0
11 MF Italy Fabio Liverani 23 0 21 0 2 0
14 MF Argentina Nicolás Bertolo 23 0 21 0 2 0
18 MF Italy Guido Davì 0 0 0 0 0 0
23 MF Australia Mark Bresciano 20 1 18 1 2 0
30 MF Brazil Fábio Simplício 30 4 27 3 3 1
88 MF Italy Manuele Blasi 15 0 14 0 1 0
7 FW Uruguay Edinson Cavani 37 15 34 13 3 2
10 FW Italy Fabrizio Miccoli (captain) 38 22 35 19 3 3
20 FW Croatia Igor Budan 31 7 30 5 1 2
90 FW Uruguay Abel Hernández 21 7 21 7 0 0
99 FW Georgia (country) Levan Mchedlidze 2 0 2 0 0 0
Players sold or loaned out during the winter transfer market:
83 GK Brazil Rubinho 8 -11 6 -8 2 -3
21 DF Romania Cristian Melinte 3 0 2 0 1 0
77 MF Italy Daniele Conti 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 FW Italy Davide Succi 5 0 5 0 0 0

Match results

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Serie A

DateOpponentVenueResultScorersAttendancePositionReport
August 23, 2009 – 20:45 Napoli Home Won 2–1 Cavani, Miccoli 31,236 3 1, 2
August 30, 2009 – 20:45 Fiorentina Away Lost 0–1 24,576 10 1, 2
September 13, 2009 – 15:00[41] Bari Home Drew 1–1 Budan 20,004 10 1, 2
September 20, 2009 – 15:00 Parma Away Lost 0–1 ~ 15,000 13 1, 2
September 23, 2009 – 20:45 AS Roma Home Drew 3–3 Budan, Miccoli, Nocerino 21,111 13 1, 2
September 27, 2009 – 15:00 Lazio Away Drew 1–1 Cavani ~ 25,000 15 1, 2
October 4, 2009 – 20:45 Juventus Home Won 2–0 Cavani, Simplício 31,606 10 1, 2
October 18, 2009 – 15:00 Livorno Away Won 2–1 Miccoli, Balzaretti ~ 12,000 7 1, 2
October 25, 2009 – 15:00 Udinese Home Won 1–0 Bovo 21,034 4 1, 2
October 29, 2009 – 20:45 Inter Away Lost 3–5 Miccoli, Hernández, Miccoli 53,261 7 1, 2
November 1, 2009 – 20:45 Genoa Home Drew 0–0 25,624 10 1, 2
November 8, 2009 – 15:00 Bologna Away Lost 1–3 Kjær ~ 15,000 12 1, 2
November 22, 2009 – 15:00 Catania Home Drew 1–1 Migliaccio 25,082 12 1, 2
November 29, 2009 – 15:00 Chievo Away Lost 0–1 ~ 8,000 14 1, 2
December 6, 2009 – 15:00 Cagliari Home Won 2–1 Budan, Kjær 18,963 13 1, 2
December 13, 2009 – 15:00 AC Milan Away Won 2–0 Miccoli, Bresciano 39,253 13 1, 2
December 20, 2009 – 15:00 Siena Home Won 1–0 Cavani 19,221 7 1, 2
January 6, 2010 – 15:00 Sampdoria Away Drew 1–1 Cavani ~ 28,000 9 1, 2
January 10, 2010 – 15:00 Atalanta Home Won 1–0 Cavani 18,817 7 1, 2
January 17, 2010 – 20:45 Napoli Away Drew 0–0 ~ 60,000 6 1, 2
January 24, 2010 – 15:00 Fiorentina Home Won 3–0 Hernández (2), Budan 21,585 5 1, 2
January 31, 2010 – 18:00 Bari Away Lost 2–4 Cavani, Pastore ~ 25,000 5 1, 2
February 7, 2009 – 18:00 Parma Home Won 2–1 Cavani, Simplício 22,252 5 1, 2
February 14, 2010 – 18:00 AS Roma Away Lost 1–4 Miccoli ~ 35,000 7 1, 2
February 21, 2010 – 15:00 Lazio Home Won 3–1 Hernández, Miccoli, Nocerino 23,104 6 1, 2
February 28, 2010 – 20:45 Juventus Away Won 2–0 Miccoli, Budan ~ 18,000 4 1, 2
March 7, 2010 – 15:00 Livorno Home Won 1–0 Miccoli 25,108 4 1, 2
March 14, 2010 – 15:00 Udinese Away Lost 2–3 Simplício, Cavani ? 4 1, 2
March 21, 2010 – 20:45 Inter Home Drew 1–1 Cavani 35,753 4 1, 2
March 24, 2010 – 20:45 Genoa Away Drew 2–2 Hernández, Pastore ~ 22,000 4 1, 2
March 27, 2010 – 20:45 Bologna Home Won 3–1 Miccoli (3) 27,092 4 1, 2
April 3, 2010 – 19:00 Catania Away Lost 0–2 ? 4 1, 2
April 11, 2010 – 15:00 Chievo Home Won 3–1 Pastore, Miccoli (2) 25,917 4 1, 2
April 18, 2010 – 15:00 Cagliari Away Drew 2–2 Miccoli, Hernández ~ 15,000 5 1, 2
April 24, 2010 – 20:45 AC Milan Home Won 3–1 Bovo, Hernández, Miccoli 25,695 5 1, 2
May 2, 2010 – 15:00 Siena Away Won 2–1 Cavani, Miccoli ~ 11,000 5 1, 2
May 9, 2010 – 15:00 Sampdoria Home Drew 1–1 Miccoli 35,872 5 1, 2
May 16, 2010 – 15:00 Atalanta Away Won 2–1 Cavani (2) 12,147 5 1, 2

Coppa Italia

DateRoundOpponentVenueResultScorersAttendanceReport
August 15, 2009 – 20:30 Third Round SPAL Home Won 4–2 Miccoli (2), Simplício, Cavani Report
November 26, 2009 – 20:30 Fourth Round Reggina Home Won 4–1 Miccoli, Cavani, Budan (2) Report
January 14, 2010 – 21:00 Fifth Round Lazio Away Lost 0–2 ~ 10,000 1, 2

References

  1. ↑ "Zamparini-Ballardini, divorzio di fatto Il presidente: "E' lui che vuole andar via"" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 2009-05-30. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Zenga, l'uomo nuovo per un EuroPalermo" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 2009-06-05. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  3. ↑ "Bertolo: "Ecco perchè ho scelto il Palermo"" (in Italian). Mediagol.it. 2009-06-17. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  4. ↑ "ZAMPARINI: "PASTORE E´ DEL PALERMO"" (in Italian). Mediagol.it. 2009-06-25. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  5. ↑ "AG. PASTORE A MEDIAGOL SMENTISCE ACCORDO" (in Italian). Mediagol.it. 2009-06-25. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  6. ↑ "PASTORE: DEPOSITATO IL CONTRATTO" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-07-11. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
  7. ↑ "Nuovo tassello per il Lume 2009–2010" (in Italian). AC Lumezzane. 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  8. ↑ "TEMPERINO in biancorosso !" (in Italian). Rimini Calcio FC. 2009-07-07. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  9. ↑ "Palermo: Ingrassia ceduto al Verona, i dettagli" (in Italian). Mediagol.it. 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  10. ↑ "Dellafiore dal Palermo al Parma (in prestito)" (in Italian). Parma FC. 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  11. ↑ "Roberto Guana al Bologna" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-07-07. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "AMELIA AL GENOA, PRESO RUBINHO" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-08-05. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "PRESO DORIN GOIAN DALLO STEAUA BUCAREST" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-08-07. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "MAZZOTTA IN PRESTITO AL LECCE" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-08-10. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  15. ↑ "Zenga: "Voglio vincere il campionato"" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-07-08. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  16. ↑ "Il Maiorca vince il WWP, rosa sconfitti 2–0" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-08-08. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  17. ↑ "Walter Zenga sollevato dall’incarico" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-11-23. Archived from the original on 27 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  18. ↑ "Delio Rossi è l'allenatore del Palermo" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-11-23. Archived from the original on 27 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
  19. ↑ "Palermo, settimo risultato utile" (in Italian). ANSA. 2010-01-24. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "NEWS: ARRIVA SAMIR UJKANI" (in Italian). Novara Calcio. 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  21. ↑ "Ingaggiato Cristian Melinte" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-08-18. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  22. ↑ "UFFICIALE: Palermo, acquistato Laribi" (in Italian). TuttoMercatoWeb. 2009-08-19. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 "COMUNICATO UFFICIALE" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-07-18. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  24. ↑ "IL PORTIERE AGLIARDI A TITOLO DEFINITIVO DAL PALERMO" (in Italian). Calcio Padova. 2009-07-17. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  25. ↑ "Altri due nuovi acquisti in casa FC Südtirol: Giuseppe Polito e Marco Ortolan" (in Italian). FC Südtirol-Alto Adige. 2009-07-10. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  26. ↑ "Ceduti in prestito Ingrassia e Romeo" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-07-10. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
  27. ↑ "Viviano, Raggi e Tedesco in rossoblù" (in Italian). Bologna FC 1909. 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  28. ↑ "Terranova in prestito al Lecce" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-08-19. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  29. ↑ "Ecco Legati, Coresi e Di Matteo" (in Italian). FC Crotone. 2009-07-10. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
  30. ↑ "Maurizio Ciaramitaro è granata !" (in Italian). AC Bellinzona. 2009-07-10. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
  31. ↑ "Çani in prestito al Padova" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2009-08-20. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  32. ↑ "Davis Curiale al Cittadella" (in Italian). AS Cittadella. 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  33. ↑ "Lanzafame dal Palermo al Parma (in prestito) / Domani, martedì 14 luglio, la presentazione a Malles" (in Italian). Parma FC. 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  34. ↑ "Arrivato in ritiro il neo acquisto Gianluca PALMITERI" (in Italian). Celano FC Olimpia. 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 35.6 35.7 35.8 "Ultimi movimenti di mercato per i rosa" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2010-02-01. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Scambio di portieri con il Livorno Rubinho-Benussi" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2010-02-01. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  37. ↑ "Edgar Çani al Piacenza" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2010-01-27. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  38. ↑ "Davide Succi al Bologna" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  39. ↑ US Città di Palermo. "Prima Squadra 2009/2010" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 8 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
  40. ↑ La Gazzetta dello Sport. "PALERMO – ROSA" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
  41. ↑ game started 20 minutes late due to heavy rain