Who is this key?

…Javier Pastore?

…Simon Kjaer?

…Abel Hernandez?

…Salvatore Sirigu?

These important players are undoubtedly important elements of the future for our club – yet, they do not represent the most vital piece to the club. That honor belongs to this man:

Numero Uno

Yes. That’s right. One of the craziest men in calcio is the man we have to live with: Maurizio Zamparini. For all the insanities and firing sprees, he has made Palermo dream. A couple days ago, I was thinking what the team would be like if we were to be sold to someone else…and to be honest, it was a little unnerving. Where would we go from here? Would the new owner be a foreigner with no attachment to the team? Would he be a local businessman who might have a strong attachment to the squad but not necessarily have a good plan to run the team? Thankfully, we don’t need to worry about those things just yet – as it seems that Zamparini will be along for the ride for the near future (see: plans for a new stadium). Perhaps, a most unlikely of sources, Luciano Moggi has stated it best in an interview with Mediterraneonline:

“Zenga is doing well, there needs to be some patience in life. When they take on young players they need to help them grow. Let me say something: I believe that Zamparini is one of those people that it is better not to lose because if Palermo loses Zamparini I don’t know who could substitute him and invest like he does, it is important to keep him chin-up, he’s one of those presidents that has money and the public would do well to love him. Zamparini is one who understands calcio. He knows how to conduct clubs. Last year he had an excellent season and he knows how to bring things forward.”

I think Moggi has summed it up quite nicely – so, let’s be thankful for Maurizio. Without him, we’d be looking at surviving relegation year in and year out.

News Roundup

Not alot to say about the match this past weekend. Sure, there were a couple of missed calls by the ref, but all in all, it was a game that was destined for a draw. We can chalk this one up to fatigue from the frenetic midweek game against Inter.

One interesting note from the Genoa game was the little sideshow from Marco Amelia. Even though he wasn’t playing, he attempted to create a story by telling the media he didn’t know why he was sent away. Well, Sabatini put that to rest by saying that, “Amelia knows very well how it went and there is no need to clear anything up.”

Our President also had some fun words to those who have been booing Pastore by saying that they are stupid and declaring them to be probably the same people who booed Cavani in his first appearances.

With the rise of Sirigu, it’s only natural that Rubinho might find his way out the door. According to Zamparini, “Rubinho has been a bit unfortunate, he’s a good goalkeeper but found Sirigu as a substitute who is doing well and earned a starting spot. He’s probably suffering as a result and we will find him another team because he and Sirigu are both starters – Sirigu for us, however, is a certainty.”

Finally, both Liverani and Balzaretti are targeting the Derby as the game in which they make their glorious returns.

Transfer Rumors

With January drawing nearer, Palermo has been linked to a ton of players lately. Here’s a brief summary:

- An Argentinian attacker named Sand is being linked with us again. He’s lighting up the Arab league with 9 goals in 5 games.

- German publication Bild claims that Palermo are interested in attacking mid Rakitic of Schalke 04.

- More news from Argentina as it’s being reported that Palermo are in talks for two different players: Dario Conca a trequartista for Brasilian side Vasco da Gama and Carlos Quintana a defender playing for Argentinian side Lanus.

Remember “First Appearances”

FORZA PALERMO!

On Sunday, Genoa’s ready to kill us off (or so they hope), so you guys are going to get a preview later this weekend. In the meantime, Lorenzo hit the nail on the head with this analysis:

“I am not disappointed about yesterday’s game. The first half was atrocious but come on. Zamparini is dead on when he says that the call Inter received on the PK 6 minutes in would’ve NEVER been awarded to us if we were in the same position. That doesn’t mean that we got completely owned in the first half, because we did. It was brutal. I think one of the most vital mistakes was Cavani’s miss right in front of goal. You have to AT LEAST put that on target. Right after that, there was a huge defensive lapse that led to 2 goals in 2 minutes. Nonetheless, the ref did miss the penalty on Samuel while he was doing his best Kobe impression on Kjaer haha.

What a second half though! Zenga did something that nobody else had been able to do – keep the squad focused despite being realistically out of the game. Miccoli was a man possessed – and as i said before, a true captain. Abel looked great as well, but before we start clamoring for him to start, you have to realize that Inter were giving the young kid space to work. Cassani was BRILLIANT – without Balzaretti he definitely played one of the best games I have seen him play. Sirigu – even though he let up 5 goals – had some very solid play, minus the miscommunication with Kjaer on the goal.

In any case, I hope to see this squad take it to Genoa this weekend. Amelia is good for 2-3 mistakes a game right? The question is, will Zenga give Rubinho the start over Sirigu b/c he’s facing his old squad? I guess it depends on if he recovers from his “shoulder injury” in time, but i think he’s ok.

And, Zenga’s only mistake was throwing Melinte out there to the wolves in his Serie A debut. yikes…how about a do-over? I can’t see him getting the start this weekend.”

Couldn’t agree more, ‘Zo.

And last but not least: how bad-ass is he?

Thursday, October 29th, 2009 20.45
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milano

I warriors, brigate rosanero, siamo forti e vinceremo!

Preview

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy…it’s Inter tonight. The only big team we can’t seem to beat easily. The undisputed campioni of Serie A of the past years have had another great start to the season, and are currently sitting comfortably in first place. Familiar sight, no? Meanwhile, we’re not doing too shabby either. We’re seven points behind Inter, but we are somewhere around where we want to be. It’s a strange season so far, with surprise packages Parma and Bari also competing for EL spots for the moment.

I’m pretty curious about how Zenga’s going to react. It’s not a secret that Zenga, as an Inter legend, wants to become Inter coach. Even Mou has stated that he sees Zenga as his successor. But tonight, I expect him to be a Palermitano, not an Interista.

Matches Played 9 9
Table Position 1 7
Points 22 15
Goal Difference 15 3
Goals for * 2.0 0.8
Goals against * 0.8 1.0
Last 5 W-W-W-L-W W-W-W-D-D
Last 5 home W-W-W-W-D W-W-D-D-W
Last 5 away W-L-W-W W-D-L-L

Are we the underdogs tonight? Hell yeah. Do we have a chance to take the Meazza? Nope. We have only recorded one win against Inter on the road, and it’s been almost 30 years since. Can we take a point? Yes, just look at our 2-2 of last year. And the fact that we are unbeaten in five games.

Squad Status

Palermo

Same as always. Liverani’s still unavailable, Balza’s out and Bovo’s suspended.

Possible line-up:

Sirigu
Gojan Kjaer Migliaccio
Bertolo Simplicio Bresciano Cassani
Pastore
Cavani Miccoli

Inter

There’s a nice write up over at the Inter Offside, so you can get all info there. Just one thing: no Sneijder!

Categorical Matchup

The Savior vs. The Brazilian: Palermo. No joke, I rate the kid higher than Cesar.

It’s a Gamble vs. Stronghold: Inter. It worked out fine last week, but could’ve gone horribly wrong. Miggy as a CB = gold, but we’re no match for Inter.

The Wild Guess Department vs. They Scare Me: Inter. And I hope Bertolo proves me wrong.

Them Two v. Semi-Injured: Push. We can take this!

Final Analysis

We should be able to put up a good fight tonight, but a win is out of reach. Right now, I’d be more than happy with a point.

Prediction

1-1.

MOTM:

Sirigu.

Remembering the Good Times

Se guardi in alto vedi
c’e’ un’aquila che vola
e’ il simbolo la fede
che sta nei nostri cuori….

Ed ecco siamo in gol
i rosa han fatto gol
la mia citta’ e’ in gol
io vivo per il gol
tifiamo tutti assieme
ed il successo viene con il gol!

Sunday, October 25th, 2009 15.00
Stadio La Favorità, Palermo

I warriors, brigate rosanero, siamo forti e vinceremo!

Preview

The german word for a team like Udinese is ‘Angstgegner’. You know you should be able te beat them, but you never do. There’s no real reason for it, your team just can’t figure them out. Udinese’s like that. But right now, they’re not living up to the expectations. Marino lead the team to a great start last season, but they still ended up in the middle of the table. And this year seems to go in the same direction. Losses to Inter and Atalanta might see Marino get the sack if he loses in Sicily, so his team is probably going to do everything they can to avoid that.

Squad Status

Palermo

No Liverani, and no Kjaer. The Boy Wonder’s suspended after collecting too many yellows. Zenga might opt for a 4-3-1-2 as a result, with Goian taking the place of Kjaer. Rubinho’s most likely to start over Sirigu.

Rubinho; Cassani, Goian, Bovo, Balzaretti; Simplicio, Migliaccio, Bresciano; Pastore; Cavani, Miccoli

Udinese

Nobody missing here.

Handanovic; Basta, Coda, Domizzi, Lukovic; Sanchez, D’Agostino, Inler, Pepe; Floro Flores, Di Natale

Stats

Matches Played 8 8
Table Position 7 12
Points 12 11
Goal Difference 2 0
Goals for * 2.0 0.7
Goals against * 1.3 1.7
Last 5 LDDWW DWWLL

Categorical Matchup

Sketchy vs Sketchy: Push. Neither of them is a really good goalie.

The Romanian Disaster vs. Weak Link: Palermo. Even with Goian in, this should go our way.

Highs & Lows vs. Want!: Push. I’d gladly take Inler and D’ Ago from their hands, but if our boys want, they can match it.

The Classic vs I Uh Oh!: Udinese. 9 goals. Nuff said.

Final Analysis

It’s not gonna be pretty. It never is against Udinese. But we can’t afford to lose, because that’s gonna put us back in the right column. We need a win, but I won’t cry if we get one point.

Prediction

2-2.

MOTM:

Pastore

Remembering the Good Times

Se guardi in alto vedi
c’e’ un’aquila che vola
e’ il simbolo la fede
che sta nei nostri cuori….

Ed ecco siamo in gol
i rosa han fatto gol
la mia citta’ e’ in gol
io vivo per il gol
tifiamo tutti assieme
ed il successo viene con il gol!

With 25% of the season gone, maybe it’s time to start talking about things that were said at the kick off. It is (and always was) clear that we were never going to be challenging for the scudetto this season. I still blame Zenga for saying that, as it was clearly a contributor to our terrible start. The ‘real’ objective (the board’s objective) is the Champions League. Right now, we’re not far away from a CL-spot, but of course there’s still an awful lot of games to be played. Starting with the hellish trio that is coming up in the following weeks. The CL would be awesome though: lots of money, lots of exposure and a better FIFA ranking.

But…if it were up to me, I’d take the Europa League over the CL this season. And here’s why: this team isn’t CL-material. Three new quality players won’t make this team CL-material. Sure, the money would come in handy, but we’re sure to end up dead last in our group. And that is IF we pass the preliminary rounds. CL doesn’t like Cinderella stories. Go figure what that will do to the confidence of guys like Pastore and Cavani.

Second, as we would be the least prolific team in the group, we’re sure to get three big ones. Think Real-Manchester City-Sporting-Palermo. No way you’re gonna advance there, not even third place. And playing Real on wednesday is really gonna fuck up your sunday match against Bologna. The Chievo Case, as it is called since three seasons ago.

No, I’ll gladly take fifth or sixth this year. Keep the biggest part of the team together, add two experienced guys and a talented youngster and give them a season to get some European experience. If that works out (and we don’t fuck up in Serie A), you can try to aim for the CL the season after that. Is the Europa League a gift? It could be. The UEFA Cup wasn’t: 70% of the teams came from places where they still fuck their daughters in the ass, and the 5-team format was a joke. Now, you get to play bigger teams, which means more money, no frozen stadiums and more experience. On the other hand, if you’re in a group with the likes of Villarreal, Red Bull Salzburg and Benfica, there’s no guarantee that you will get past the group stages. And there’s still the chance of fucking things up big time in Serie A. Example? Genoa.

So, what do you think? Should we choose the slow way and aim for the EL, or should we try three steps at a time and settle for nothing but CL?

So, visiting Livorno. I’m scared. Why? Livorno has 3 points, no wins, 1 goal for and 8 goals against. They need a win. And we all know that: a) small teams in crisis end their crisis against us and b) we don’t do ’small teams’. I can only remember two good games, last year at home against Chievo and Lecce. The rest: loss to Torino, tie Bari, tie Reggina, double loss to Catania…see, there’s a reason to be scared.

Good thing is: Zenga’s going for an all out attack, with a 3-4-1-2. So we’re not gonna sit back and let Livorno make the play.

Probable formation:

PALERMO (3-4-1-2): Sirigu; Kjaer, Bovo, Migliaccio; Cassani, Bresciano, Simplicio, Balzaretti; Pastore; Cavani, Miccoli.
A disposizione: Rubinho, Goian, Blasi, Morganella, Nocerino, Budan, Succi.
All.: Zenga
Indisponibili: Liverani, Tedesco , Mchedlidze, Melinte

I’m curious.

Small post, as I’m writing this from my smartphone while at First Look in Amsterdam. I’ll make it up with a big ass review, IF we tear Livorno a new one.

* Why Palermo?
* Since when?
* One love, or Polygamy Sally?

Have phun.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. How good was this? Not as good as Cassani’s screamer two season ago, but it was good. Like fried chicken right out of the bucket. Like an ice cold Aperol Spritz when it’s way too hot outside. I think I screamed like a little girl on the 2-0.

I think this was our best match since that 3-2 win. Maybe even better, seeing as we didn’t give up a 2-0 lead like we did back then. It’s the first match in ages that I’m not able to single out a bad player. Bovo did well, Bresciano played his heart out, Simplicio fought for every ball…me likey.

Me not likey the subs. I’ll give l’Uomo Ragno the benefit of the doubt on the tactics, but I don’t see why it was necessary to replace Cavani with Goian. We were close to scoring a third, even though we started crawling back once more. Just look at the stats and you’ll see that we almost didn’t have any possession during the second half, except for our attacks. International break is up next, he’ll have to prove his worth after that.

Five Lessons Learned:

1. Salvatore Sirigu is J-F Gillet’s Southern cousin. Love the kid.
2. Miggy is the silent force of US Città di Palermo.
3. Javier Pastore’s a genius. Give him some time and he’s gonna be huge.
4. Palermitano lead => crawl back in your own 16.
5. Zenga still won’t make it past December.

Pagelle:

SIRIGU: 7. Not all that much work, but the reflexes dude, the reflexes!
BALZARETTI: 7. Solid as a rock, like all season.
CASSANI: 6.5. Good game, but not as commanding as his counterpart on the left flank.
KJAER: 7.5. If I was gay, I’d jerk off to his poster.
BOVO: 6.5. Good game, some nice infiltrations.
NOCERINO: 6.5. Didn’t have a lot of time, but another solid game.
SIMPLICIO: 7.5. Was all over Juve’s face, including a fantastic goal.
BRESCIANO: 6.5. Worked hard, didn’t fuck up.
PASTORE: 7.5. MOTM. Was throwing around passes like Mike Tyson threw around punches (and his wife), his goal should’ve counted.
MIGLIACCIO: 7.5. You don’t see he’s there, but you’d miss him so bad if he weren’t.
MICCOLI: 6.5. Some great passes, but was looking for a goal too much.
CAVANI: 7.5. Big team, big Cavani.
GOIAN: S.V.
BUDAN: S.V.

All. Zenga: 6.5. Great starting tactics, bad subs and did nothing to stop the team from crawling back. Still has a whole lot to learn.

Giornata 8’s Androberto Guarraciolo Award:

Ciro Ferrara. Wow, worst tactics ever.

Impressions:

“Didn’t expect to see you in Ballroom 101, Gigi.”

“This is what a real schwalbe looks like.”

“I’m like Australian Customs: nothing gets passed me unnoticed.”

“Suck it, Ciro!”

Highlights:

Sunday, October 4th, 2009 20.45
Stadio La Favorità, Palermo

I warriors, brigate rosanero, siamo forti e vinceremo!

Preview

It’s Juve tonight, and the biggest team to come to La Favorità this season couldn’t be visiting at a worse time. There’s zero confidence in the locker room, nobody likes the way Zenga is running things and only 35% of the team is playing like they should be playing. The arrival of Juventus is yet another disaster waiting to happen. Just look at the season stats so far:

Matches Played 6 6
Table Position 15 2
Points 6 14
Goal Difference -1 7
Goals for * 2.0 2.3
Goals against * 1.7 1.0
Last 5 D-D-L-D-L D-D-W-W-W
Last 5 home D-D-W D-W-W
Last 5 away D-L-L D-W-W

That’s right, there isn’t any department where we beat Juve. We haven’t won a match in the last five games, and only gained 2 points out of 9 in our last three home games. I’m hoping for a miracle, but it’s not likely to happen.

Squad Status

Palermo

It’s getting old: no Liverani, no Tedesco (well, he’s certainly getting old) and no Hernandez. The team seems to be almost the same team as the one from the first games of the season, with Bovo in the back and Pastore replacing Simplicio. Cavani’s in as well, and so seems to be Supersirigu.

Juventus

Maybe there’s something on the Juve Offside, otherwise see below.

Categorical Matchup

The Savior vs. God: Juventus. Come on, nobody can compete with Gigi.

Familiar Faces vs. 50/50: Push. I think we have a shot here. The Schnoz and Grosso are quality, but Zebina and Legro not so.

The Wild Guess Department vs. Foreign Affairs: Juve. Diego > Palermo midfield.

Old School v. I still love you: Push. You know, I don’t rate Amauri as high as last season, so if our defense can contain him, I think here’s another shot.

Last Five Games

Palermo: LDLDD
Juve: WWWDD

Final Analysis

We should be able to put up a good fight tonight, but I don’t see us grabbing anything. Maybe a loss (and the relegation spot that comes with it) could see Zenga do a Colantuono: getting fired after a loss to Juve. We’ll find out tonight.

Prediction

1-2.

MOTM:

Amauri.

Remembering the Good Times

Se guardi in alto vedi
c’e’ un’aquila che vola
e’ il simbolo la fede
che sta nei nostri cuori….

Ed ecco siamo in gol
i rosa han fatto gol
la mia citta’ e’ in gol
io vivo per il gol
tifiamo tutti assieme
ed il successo viene con il gol!

Not going to do a big write-up, as most of you saw the game and things have been discussed in the previous topic. What I am gonna do, is give my pagelle:

RUBINHO 4
Fucked things up when the victory was within reach. Started off well with some good interventions, but after that things went from bad to worse. Went under the ball 3-4 times, and was lucky Kjaer was around for an off the line clearance.

CASSANI 6,5
Is getting better every match, but had problems with the condition of the pitch.

BALZARETTI 7
I love him more and more each game. Still can’t believe he’s still playing in Palermo.

KJAER 7
Commanding force of the defense. Kid has the view and grinta of a 30-year old, too bad he doesn’t get any help from his companion in central defense.

GOIAN 5
Yellow after 10 minutes, flirting with a second one for 80 minutes and almost a perfect pass for Totti. Not good. However, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. First match in Serie A against Roma on this pitch, there’s better times to make your debut.

MIGLIACCIO 7
Class act. Rapidly becoming the new Corini.

NOCERINO 8
Gladiator did it again. What a game, what a fantastic goal, what a fighting spirit. I told you guys he was gonna do it this season. MOTM.

BRESCIANO 4
Oh my God. Did he put in one good pass? Was slow, inaccurate and let Burdisso run free on the 1-2. I can’t understand why Zenga still plays him.

SIMPLICIO 6,5
Did well without really excelling.

MICCOLI 7,5
The true leader of this team. I wouldn’t dare to think of the shit we would be in without Micco…

BUDAN 7
Lucky goal, but another goal scored thanks to not giving up, just like his first. Pairing him with Micco seems to work out great.

BLASI 6
Nothing special.

MCHEDLIDZE S.V.
Didn’t even notice him on the field.

All.Zenga 5,5
Almost kept three points home, but it wouldn’t have been his victory. The team fought for every ball and showed spirit, but his substitutions didn’t help at all. With a semi-mentally challenged baldhead on the left, Zenga decides to take off a playmaker to sub in Blasi. And instead of playing Cavani, he plays Mchedlidze. Also, should’ve taken off Goian at half time. Dude was a huge risk.

For Lazio: I hope to see Sirigu between the posts, but I wouldn’t count on it.