Wow. I expected a draw, but I never expected bringing home the bacon (or the panchetta) from the Olimpico in Torino. I haven’t seen much of the game except for a 25-minute highlight-reel and the things I heard over the radio, but I don’t think we stole those three points from Juve. If Cavani would just find his nose for goals back, we even could’ve scored three or four.

What I Liked:

Sneeze is the flavour of the week. It’s possible he never scores again, never plays another minute for Palermo or gets transfered to Genoa for demanding a starting spot next month, but I don’t care. He gave us three points, and those three points were taken off Juve’s dead, cold, almost-in-crisis hands.

Fabiolous keeps on stunning the crowd. I can’t believe we almost sold him this summer, and it’s even harder to believe that this is the same Simplicio as last year.

The Bovozzieri-partnership. Name any defensive pair in Serie A, and Cesare and Moris will most definitely kick the living shit out of them. Ballzagli who? Suckardo what?

Mighty Mouse may be forgotten by Lippi, he sure is the new King of Sicily. Six games, five goals. Some have already talked about Miccoli being past his prime. Fuck them. Micco’s never been this good, ever.

Ballardini’s subs. I cursed his Reggina-subs, but he did a mighty fine job yesterday.

What I Didn’t Like:

The Glass Man. We still rely on him too much. Please, needing a subsitution after scoring? Glad we have an international break coming up..

As I haven’t seen the entire game, I’m going for a short resume.

Pagelle (by Ricci, with some comments):

Amelia: 6. Slow afternoon, error on the equalizer.
Cassani: 8. Went up and down the flanks millions of times, secure in defending.
Carrozzieri: 7.5. Beast.
Bovo: 7.5. Beast.
Balzaretti: 7. Some trouble with Giovinco, not bad.
Liverani: 6. Did what he was brought in for. Good free kick for the 0-1.
Nocerino: 6.5. Looks like Gladiator.
Migliaccio: 6. Solid, nothing more.
Bresciano: 6.5. Full of heart.
Simplicio: 7. I would go for an 8. Was everywhere, sweet assist, should’ve made it 1-3.
Miccoli: frail
Cavani: 7. Plays well, causes panic, couldn’t score if his life depended on it.
Sneeze: 7.5. Match-winner.
Tedesco: old.

Ballardini: 7.

Facts:

Juventus 1 – 2 Palermo
Miccoli 23 (P), Del Piero 39 (J), Mchedlidze 81 (P)

Juventus: Manninger; Grygera, Mellberg (Salhamidzic 34), Knezevic, De Ceglie; Sissoko, Poulsen (Camoranesi 65), Marchisio; Giovinco (Nedved 80); Amauri, Del Piero

Palermo: Amelia; Balzaretti, Carrozzieri, Bovo, Cassani; Nocerino (Tedesco 79), Liverani, Bresciano (Mchedlildze 60); Simplicio; Miccoli (Migliaccio 29), Cavani

Ref: Tagliavento

Sent off: Sissoko 40 (J)

Giornata 6’s Androberto Guarraciolo Award:

“The home defeat hurts us deeply. Palermo scored with their only real chances.”

No shit, brainiac. It’s called ‘football’, you should try it.

Highlights:

There’s another thing called the “Olympics” going on…and normally, I wouldn’t bat an eye if it weren’t for our boys the Azzurrini going for gold. And of course, the Azzurrini are being led by none other than current Palermo player and CAPITANO for the Azzurrini: Antonio Nocerino!

As you can see, Nocerino is the number four jersey and certainly looks great with the captain’s band around his arm. He and his fellow azzurrini put in a great performance today against Honduras. I know it’s only “Honduras” but they got utterly dominated in every facet of the game. Only after Italia was up 3-0 did the Azzurrini allow Honduras some semblance of possession and attack. We can all look forward to the next opportunity to see Nocerino and the boys play again.

Now, on to the random bits of Palermo news and info…

First and foremost, we learned today that PALERMO will kick off the Serie A season as the opening game against Udinese. The game will feature as the first of two games to be played on Saturday, August 30th. Ragazzi, take note of the date. Palermo will face an immediate test at the Stadio Friuli. Let’s go out and grab a full 3 points off the bat, and have Marco Amelia avoid Jimmy Fontana’s distinction last season as the Bottle of Wine recipient – the first keeper to allow the first goal in the new season receives a bottle of wine for having that “dubious” honor.

Palermo are currently training in Levico Terme where they’ve been taking on local sides in friendlies. They won today/yesterday by a score of 1-0. Jankovic had the decisive goal 31 minutes into the second half. He had a really nice shot off of a free kick that hit the back of the net. Colantuono was satisfied with the performance by the guys and singled out Miccoli, Jankovic and Carrozzieri in particular for their good play.

Palermo will face their “biggest” friendly in 5 days when they face the only Italian side in the Bundesliga. Oh wait a minute, that’s right, Wolfsburg is still a German team that is trying to field an all-Italian side. Nonetheless, two familiar faces will be wearing different colors when the match takes place. That, of course, will be both Andrea Barzagli and Cristian Zaccardo. If you click on Zaccardo’s name, you’ll see a great pic of him in some Wolfsburg get-up. Surprisingly, to me at least, Wolfsburg finished in 5th place last year in the Bundesliga, so they aren’t as bad as I thought they were.

Here are some other tidbits that are worth a mention:

Speaking of Guana, I have been thinking about this for awhile, and I am going to propose for the upcoming season, an award in his honor dishonor. In fact, it’s going to be named after both him and our other favorite nimrod, Andrea Caracciolo. It shall be known as the “Guaracciolo Award” and it will be given to the biggest bonehead in Serie A for that week. Ha! Knowing that Guana would be the recipient week in and week out if strictly kept to Palermo players, I’ve thought that we could expand it to all of Serie A. If anything, it should provide us with some entertainment throughout the season, as well as allow us to bust the balls of other crappy players on other Serie A teams. Perhaps, we can call upon Steven’s great photoshop skills to take the current photoshop of “Guaracciolo” and turn it into some sort of trophy-like appearance. Maybe in the form of an Oscar? Thoughts?

As the news happens, I’ll try and let you all know. For now, FORZA PALERMO!

* We’re still hunting for attackers. According to TMW, we’re after Triestina-striker Granoche.

He looks goddamn ugly, but he managed 24 goals in 41 games in Serie B. To get him to Palermo, Primavera-striker Davis Curiale might be shipped off to Trieste. Curiale is also wanted by Bari and Bologna.

* Bologna also wants Federico Agliardi. Nice, get him off the island as soon as possible.

* The Liverani-transfer should come to a close today, Floccari might be a Palermitano later this week.

* Zamp and Fioremerda have an agreement over Cocksuckzagli. Now it’s time for the little fairy to discuss money.

* Later today, Cristian Abbiati may be announced as our new keeper. Atletico wants 1.5 million, Zampa wants to give it. Possible successor of Abbiati in Madrid: Marco Amelia.

* More suckers moving out: Napoli and Man Shitty both want Baldy Bresciano. Do you guys want some panelle with that?

* The ‘Foggia for Cavani’-rumours are getting louder and louder. I say we do it.

* Reggina-president Foti has decided to start being an asshole. He said he might let Salvo Aronica move to Palermo, but only if Ciccio Brienza can stay in Reggio Calabria. Hmm…

That’s all for today guys, enjoy!

Overview

This is it. The last game of the season at home. The tifosi rosanero will look to salute players who are playing at the Renzo Barbera for the last time in a Palermo jersey. Among the players who are 100% certain to leave are the legend Amauri, Zaccardo, Barzagli and even Emo’tino (at least to get more experience before coming back). It is hard to see these guys leave (well, 3 out of the 4 at least…).

There has been alot of debate concerning who will wear the captain’s armband for the final home game. Obviously, Barzagli has been the “captain” this season, but he hasn’t displayed any of the qualities. Seeing as he’s also leaving at the end of the season, the question of who should wear the armband for the final game has been a tad difficult. During the course of the week, every player who has been interviewed has been asked the question. Colantuono addressed the situation yesterday and said there’s a possibility Amauri could wear the armband. The public has been actively calling for Amauri to be captain, but as of right now it’s still up in the air. Everyone of us would agree that Amauri has been our leader and “captain” this year. He’s given his heart to this club and has not given up at any point this season. The honor of “capitano” should be bestowed upon him if not for this one and only time. In fact, on Thursday, around 100 fans showed up during Palermo’s training and unveiled a banner written in Portugese thanking Amauri for all he’s done for Palermo. He will surely be missed.

The club also still has hopes for a chance at Europe via the Intertoto Cup as we trail Genoa by 2 points with two games to go. It’s amazing to think that after how awful this season has been, there is still a chance we could qualify for Europe. It would be an amazing way to end the season and certainly prove that The Suit should have never been sacked earlier this year. Nonetheless, this game has a good deal of importance for Palermo, its players and its fans.

Squad Status

Palermo

Palermo will be without Bresciano for sure. The interesting thing here is that there are alot of doubts as to the lineup Colantuono will field. In fact, Barzagli and Zaccardo might not even start, according to The Suit. That would effectively end the debate as to who would be captain. However, I have a difficult time believing that we would sit Zacca and Barza even for a half given that Intertoto is still a possibility. Nonetheless, Biava and Cassani would fill in their places. The other questions regarding the lineup are the spots in the midfield between Miggy and the Retard and Bikerman and Cavani. It seems as Miggy and Bikerman have the advantage over the other two – good. Once again, we will be employing the 4-2-3-1.

Probable Lineup:
Agliardi; Zaccardo, Barzagli, Rinaudo, Balzaretti; Simplicio, Migliaccio; Jankovic, Miccoli, Caserta; Amauri

Bench:
Super Fontana; Emo’tino, Cassani, Biava; Di Matteo, Guana, Nonno Tedesco; Çani, Carbonaro, Cavani

Sampdoria

For more on Sampdoria and their lineup, go visit Sampdoria’s Offside page. Oh wait, that’s right…they don’t have one. I guess I’ll have to fill in then. Samp will be without Castellazzi, Volpi, Kalu and Lucchini. Now that they’ve lost out on a CL spot and have already qualified for UEFA, this game is a tad meaningless for them. Nonetheless, Mazzarri’s side will use a 3-5-2 with Palermitano Accardi making a return back to his city of birth.

Probable Lineup:
Mirante; Gastaldello, Sala, Accardi; Maggio, Sammarco, Palombo, Franceschini, Pieri; Cassano, Bellucci

Bench:
Fiorillo; Miglionico, Campagnaro; Delvecchio, Zenoni, Ziegler; Bonazzoli, Montella

Categorical Matchup

“I’m Getting Better” Agliardi vs. Mirante: Sampdoria. Agliardi has been showing improvement over the last couple of games, giving us all hope that he isn’t as bad as we thought. Although, all it takes is one stupid slip up to have him dash our hopes against the rocks. Mirante has been solid in goal all season, for the most part.

Farewell Party vs. Blucerchiato Three Party: Palermo. The same can be said about Palermo’s defense as was said about Agliardi. The back line has been showing better signs as of late. You’d have to expect the troops to be rallied at the back in front of the home fans for one last time this season. I expect a strong, motivated performance from the defense…although, half of them are leaving the team after the remaining two games. So, hopefully, they’ll want to leave a final good impression for us. Except Barzagli. He’s like the Luca Toni of our backline…without the skill. Good riddance.

Keep the Turd on the Bench! vs. 5-Headed Monster: Push. Hey, if we can keep Guana on the bench, I’m liking our midfield. But you never know…he somehow finds his way onto the pitch. I swear, he must have some blackmail on the club so that they HAVE to play him every game otherwise he’ll release this “information” to the public. How else can you explain his appearance in 30 games this season (would’ve been more if he hadn’t been injured or suspended)? Samp’s midfield has been pretty darn good this season and the results have proved it. The big question, though, is: are they up for this meaningless game? If not, expect Palermo to take advantage.

Il Vero Capitano vs. “I am a freaking maniac who should be kept away from women and children…and my own self”: Palermo. Come on. You really think that Sampdoria is going to have the edge in this category over a determined Amauri who will possibly be wearing the captain’s band?! Besides, the Psychopath otherwise known as Cassano will find something to freak out about even if this is a meaningless game for his side.

Final Analysis

Palermo still has something to play for. Sampdoria does not. Amauri wants to give Palermo and their fans one last chance to celebrate at home this year. The rest of the squad would very much like to do the same thing (well, except for Barzagli…he’s already day-dreaming about trying on that hideous purple jacket Prandelli wears every once in awhile. What he doesn’t realize, though, is that he’ll be teammates with Zaccardo again in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg!). I expect this team to play with grit and determination, and the result at the end of the game will give us another 3 points and keep our Intertoto “dreams” alive.

Form Guide

Palermo
06/04 Palermo-Juventus 3-2 W
12/04 Palermo-Catania 1-0 W
19/04 Fiorentina-Palermo 1-0 L
27/04 Palermo-Atalanta 0-0 D
04/05 Lazio-Palermo 1-2 W

Sampdoria
06/04 Sampdoria-Livorno 2-0 W
13/04 Reggina-Sampdoria 1-0 L
20/04 Sampdoria-Udinese 3-0 W
27/04 Fiorentina-Sampdoria 2-2 D
04/05 Sampdoria-Roma 0-3 L

Prediction

2-1. Amauri, Bellucci, Amauri.

MOTM

Amauri.

Co-MOTM?

Steven – hey, it’s his birthday on Sunday. The least Palermo can do is give him a win!

FORZA PALERMO!

On the Amauri to Juve thing: seems like not all is settled yet. Zampa already said that the deal is done for 98%, but don’t be too sure about that. This is what Rino Foschi had to say:

“We have asked for Claudio Marchisio, Antonio Nocerino, Giovinco, and Davide Lanzafame in return. If Juventus doesn’t agree, it will make negotiations a lot harder.”

Nocerino has already agreed to a Palermo-transfer if the deal gets sealed, but there’s more. According to the Dutch version of goal.com (yeah, I know, that’s like trusting your butcher’s sister’s cousin’s dogwalker), Amauri wants a 3.75 million euro salary. Juve wants to keep it below 3 million. Maybe Zampa can spend some Mandi-money. Milan is willing to cough up the extra money, and Juventus would let Amauri go to the rossoneri in exchange for Gilardino. Rotten deal, if you ask me.

According to Lorenzo, Man Shitty would be prepared to give 6 million euro in exchange for Bresciano. I can’t find any articles that can prove this, but if so: ship off the Ozzy! Zacc’s 7 (there’s even been talk of 9 million) + Bresciano’s 6 + Barzagli’s money…damn, we could get at least two studs for that.

And talking about those studs: how about this one? Diego Milito, former Genoa-striker, could be going to Napoli. Why not try and snatch him away from Zaragoza in front of their noses? Maybe we’re not a big enough club for those guys. At least, that’s what Espanyol-defender Zabaleta said. So, mister Big Shot Argentine, where did your club end up in the standings this year?

And then there’s this guy:

OGC Nice-keeper Hugo Lloris is being followed by a couple of Italian teams, including Palermo. The kid is young, secure, capped as a U21 for France and an unbelievable talent. Would be nice to het him on board.

Squad Status

Palermo

Palermo will be without Zaccardo due to suspension and “Bikerman” Caserta and “Cyranose” Biava who sustained some injuries during the week. Most likely, The Suit will employ the 4-2-3-1 again this week, even though he’s been thinking about the 4-4-2.

Probable Line-up:
Agliardi; Cassani, Barzagli, Rinaudo, Balzaretti; Guana, Migliaccio; Jankovic, Miccoli, Bresciano; Amauri

Bench:
Super Fontana; Emo’tino, Romeo (no joke…that’s his name); Di Matteo, Simplicio, Nonno Tedesco; Çani, Carbonaro, Cavani

Lazio

Man, looks like they’ve taken a hit for players as there are a bunch of doubts for their lineup tomorrow. Most recently, it looks like the man who makes Nonno Tedesco look like a picciriddu – Marco Ballotta, is out for tomorrow. Joining him are Rocchi, Radu, Behrami, Diakite, Dabo and Siviglia. Do they have anyone left to play this match? Apparently, they have found players to play tomorrow…so, I guess that counts for something. They will incorporate the ol’ 4-3-1-2.

Probable Line-Up:
Muslera; Zauri, Rozenhal, Cribari, Kolarov; Mutarelli, Ledesma, Manfredini; Meghni; Pandev, Tare

Bench:
Berni, De Silvestri, Mudingayi, Vignaroli, Mauri, Del Nero, Bianchi

Categorical Matchup

Aiutami! Agliardi vs. Fernando Muslim Muslera: Palermo. Let’s face it, Agliardi hasn’t exactly been a wall of confidence back there. However, he has played pretty darn well as of late. He’s made some nice saves and looks to be gaining some of that confidence he certainly has lacked. Muslera, on the other hand, is young and relatively inexperienced. He’s given up 12 goals in 7 games this year. He has some upside though, just not this year.

Leaky Pipes vs. Swiss Cheese: Palermo. The defense has been playing somewhat better and Biava is out. Add to that is the return of Rinaudo and on paper, it looks like we only have a few leaks here and there. Plus, we have Emo’tino on the bench…he’ll try not to cut himself while awaiting a sub into the game…(I kid!). Lazio’s defense hasn’t exactly been that good this year. They’ve given up 48 goals to Palermo’s 52. However, I’m giving Palermo the edge here because Lazio is employing what looks to be a second team backline as they prepare for their semi-final game against Inter.

Baldies + 2 vs. the M Squad + Ledesma: Push. Guana. That’s it. Guana. He’s most likely starting and as long as we have him on the field running around like a schizo, our midfield will hurt because of it. Plus, Lazio’s midfield is decent. They’re not using possible transfer target Behrami tomorrow (who, just might be one of the weirdest looking dudes in all of Serie A.

Amaurinho vs. the Foreign Legion: Palermo. Amaurinho is only with us for a few more games before he goes to most likely Rubentus and Champions League glory. That being said, he’s looking to give Palermo some gifts before he leaves in the form of magical goals like he scored against the aformentioned Rubentini. I will take him over the duo of Tare and Pandev any day. Pandev is solid, while Tare is old. And his hair is ridiculously blonde – so much so that you almost need to sport sunglasses to watch him play. So, yeah. Amauri is King.

Final Analysis

Neither team really has anything to play for anymore this season. Mathematically, Palermo can still make the Intertoto, but it’ll take some mighty fine luck to achieve that. Lazio has the Coppa Italia still, so they’re already looking to the midweek game. Thus, it comes down to pride and performance for next season for both teams’ players and coaches. Seeing as Lazio still has somewhat of a distraction with the midweek game and a chance at silverware, Palermo has a good chance at coming away with a win.

Form Guide

Palermo
30/03 Napoli-Palermo 1-0 L
06/04 Palermo-Juventus 3-2 W
12/04 Palermo-Catania 1-0 W
19/04 Fiorentina-Palermo 1-0 L
27/04 Palermo-Atalanta 0-0 D

Lazio
29/03 Lazio-Inter 1-1 D
06/04 Parma-Lazio 2-2 D
13/04 Lazio-Siena 1-1 D
20/04 Catania-Lazio 1-0 L
27/04 Juventus-Lazio 5-2 L

Prediction

3-1. Amauri, Amauri, Amauri, Bianchi.

MOTM

Amauri.

FORZA PALERMO!!!!!!

Ball Possession: 63,7% Palermo versus 36,3% Parma
Crosses: 45 versus 21
Passes: 529 versus 301
Fouls against: 25 versus 15

You know what that means? That means that you should’ve been the better team. What I saw was a possible Champions League-candidate showing nothing against a team that’s battling the relegation zone. Parma was the better team yesterday, and they really deserved to take the three points back to Emilia. But an undeserved penalty in the 87th minute gave Palermo one point. More than they deserved, less than expected.

When your team almost can’t compete with teams that are in the bottom five, there needs to be some action. Yesterday, there was no fuckin’ midfield. I love Jankovic and he has shown some glimpses of talent lately, but yesterday showed us why the kid isn’t getting a starting spot. I don’t think there was anyone worse than him yesterday. I’m still too pissed to be reasonable about all this, so I’ll just quote Ricci:

The midfield right now is fucking terrible. I hope Zampa goes for something big. Like Tiago Mendes big. Or Moutinho. I know that I’m thinking very, very optimistically right now but we are in dire straits. We need someone immediately.

Standings

1.Inter 24 (+15)
2.Roma 21 (+9)
3.Juventus 20 (+11)
4.Fiorentina 20 (+10)
5.Udinese 18 (+0)
6.Atalanta 15 (+1)
7.SSC Napoli 14 (+5)
8.Catania 14 (+1)
9.Palermo 14 (+0)

Summary

We need to get ourselves back on track. Sunday we’ll be meeting Genoa in Genova, and I believe this to be a key match. If we win, we can start with a clean conscience again, but if we lose again…Genoa will leap over us, Milan might as well do the same thing, Napoli’s meeting Reggina and can leave us behind and Colantuono might be out for good. Let’s hope they win, because I can even see Zamparini bring in Ficcadenti to replace Baldy…

I got one more thing before I’m off. The Barbera-crowd booed our incompetent players off the field yesterday, and good old Andrea Barzagli had this to say about it to Channel 4:

Shut

the

fuck

up,

you stupid cry-baby. If you don’t wannabe booed off, start playing to your salary instead of cashing in and sucking away. Good sides might draw against Reggina, Parma and Torino and lose against Empoli, but not against every single one of them in one season. When are you gonna grab the points you need to play in Europe again? Against Juve? Fiorentina? Don’t make me laugh…you need to beat these smaller teams, and that’s it. Sunday, Genoa, 15.00. Put you’re money where your mouth is. We’ll talk after that.

Brief Analysis
Milan thoroughly outplayed the Rosanero the first half and beginning of the second. Palermo lacked possession and couldn’t get anything going on the counter. Milan had numerous chances to score but only managed an early strike from Seedorf. The game changed in the second with the substitution of Cavani and Jankovic. The young duo gave an instant burst of energy to the home side as Palermo finally began to pressure the Milan backside. Tactically, it was a brilliant move by Colantuono especially considering the older legs of Milan. I think we have found the best way to utilize Cavani. The first Palermo goal wasn’t without a little controversy though. Before Diana finished, the ball appeared to hit Amauri’s arm. Milan’s appeals went to the wayside, however. After a closer look, it still looks to me like it hit his shoulder. (no biases, of course) Nevertheless, the momentum changed hands and Miccoli struck a brilliant free kick in injury time to seal the deal. This guy is lethal on those set pieces. It will amaze me if he doesn’t get an Azzurri call up.
If Palermo reaches the CL, it will be because they were able to win close games at home against top level teams. It also means they were able to get 3 points away from home against the lower table teams. Hence, this Sunday @ Empoli. Savor this victory, but be prepared for Sunday.

Man of the Match Andrea Barzagli- Even though Miccoli scored the winner, it was Barzagli’s brilliant stopper play that kept Palermo in the game. He won numerous 50/50’s and turned the defense into attack. Palermo fans have to rejoice because this kind of play has been expected for a long time.

Box Score
Seedorf 10
Diana 73
Miccoli 90

Palermo: Fontana, Diana, Zaccardo, Barzagli, Cassani (Rinaudo 81), Miglaccio, Simplicio, Caserta( Cavani 61), Bresciano(Jankovic 61), Miccoli, Amauri

Milan: Kalac, Oddo, Nesta, Kaladze, Jankulovski, Gattuso, Pirlo, Emerson(Brocchi 76), Kaka, Seedorf, Gilardino(Inzaghi 76)