A miracle. It takes a miracle, but of those that Massimo Troisi indicated by spreading his hands to understand their greatness. Logic, numbers, even common sense tell us that there is no chance of getting through tonight. The probability of succeeding is even lower than that of your chroniclers of winning a beauty contest. It didn’t even happen to us at Monopoly.
So why are we sitting here, in front of the TV, with a row of cold beers, the tank top and the onion omelette? We don’t know and we don’t want to know, but deep down we still like living like this. In the press conference, Mignani dusted off concepts that were also dear to Oronzo Canà: you have to score goals to get through, but not immediately, calmly, otherwise the opponents could get pissed off because of the cold goal.
The Rosanero coach deploys the offensive formation he should have used in the first leg. Better late than never. Di Mariano plays on the wing in place of Lund while Insigne comes in for Gomes. Pigliacelli in goal in place of the injured Desplanches, in defense there is Marconi and in midfield Segre and Ranocchia. Brunori and Soleri forward.
We already didn’t believe it but the start of Venezia takes away all hope from us. After 3 minutes, on the usual absolutely saveable outside shot on which no one goes up to press, we fall behind. And we drink to forget.
Venezia is stronger, more concentrated, they believe in it much more. And it can end badly. Finally Palermo attempts a reaction and the Venezia goalkeeper saves from Segre, confirming that there are goalkeepers in Serie B who occasionally catch the ball. But they don’t play for Palermo. Venezia equalizes the opportunities and Pigliacelli justifies his presence.
The first half ends with the lagoon players doubling their lead (end of season cliché!) that they are in full control and deserve all the advantage. A humiliation for Palermo who understood nothing about us, neither on the first leg nor on the return leg. For us only the desire to finish as soon as possible and find ourselves already at the beginning of next season.
Let’s even hope that Palermo doesn’t even return to the pitch and decides to withdraw but unfortunately the Rosanero players show up again and we also have the additional 45 minutes to write down in a sad and crumpled notebook.
Mignani pulls Aurelio and Nedelcearu out of the hat confirming, as we had already sensed, that no one explained the playoff rules to him. But then again we don’t even get paid to write this bullshit (legitimate union demand at the end of the season for us!) and so we adapt anyway, waiting for the match and the football season to end.
The second half doesn’t interest us and we get lost in a thousand conjectures about the next season and the evaluation of this one that has passed. It is of no use to us but we must also hold on to something so as not to go crazy. It’s just torture and we can’t wait for it to end. Time passes but we don’t care that much and we don’t even follow the changes because they are of no use anyway.
We glimpse Traoré on the pitch and understand that there is no hope anyway not even seeing a goal. And instead Chaka proves us wrong because he causes an own goal. One of the most useless things in the history of football. Finally the referee blows his whistle and puts an end to a season for which our expectations were certainly higher.
There will be time to understand how to fix the mistakes and next year the goal will be direct Serie A, no ifs or buts. There will be a lot to change, starting with the coach. Anyone who thought that Palermo was a Ferrari in the hands of the wrong driver (Corini) and that anyone would have done better had clear proof that he was clearly wrong.
We were definitely not a Ferrari but we ran the playoffs like a beat-up Cinquecento with a drunk and half-blind driver. We are starting to get older and we know that we have fewer and fewer seasons left. Let’s hope the next one is the right one and, as they say in these cases, if we don’t cross paths we’ll see each other again in September! Go Palermo!
Pigliacelli 4.5 – The last match of his season, and probably in the rosanero shirt, ends exactly with the leitmotif of his performances. Conceding a long-range goal is often avoidable due to placement errors, reactivity or any other reason. Coherent.
Graves 4 – He had deceived us in the last few games and instead he understands practically nothing about us, so much so that on his side the opponents are raging as if it were Christmas. Overwhelmed.
(from 1st st Aurelio) 4.5 – He does practically nothing but it’s not even clear why he was sent onto the field. Useless.
Lucioni 4.5 – Commitment and determination cannot be discussed but, unfortunately, age and ailments leave no escape for anyone. Time goes by.
Marconi 5 – The atmosphere of the play-offs seemed to have revitalized him but that of the lagoon definitively sunk him. Apnea.
(from 1st st Nedelcearu) 4.5 – See Aurelio report card above. Lagnusi (us).
Diakité 6 – One of the few to save himself in a disastrous evening if only because he never stops pushing having to do the job for two given the absolute absence of his wing partner. Obviously he leaves spaces in coverage but he certainly couldn’t be asked to do the job for three. Exploited.
Secrets 6 – Despite the incomprehensible form put in place by the Rosanero coach, who abandons him into the claws of the Venetian midfielders, he is one of the few who puts his heart, soul and lungs into it and it is no coincidence that Palermo’s only goal is a his header on which the goalkeeper must perform a real miracle. Pillar.
Frog 5 – He is deployed 50 meters from the opponent’s area, penalizing their initiatives and potential. Out of place.
Di Mariano 6.5 – He doesn’t give up until the end and the shot of his sincere tears at the end of the race needs no further comment. Moving.
Insigne 2 – He arrived in Palermo with a lot of enthusiasm among the fans. If he leaves, as everyone believes, the enthusiasm will be much greater. Failure.
(from the 11th minute Di Francesco) 6 – When he entered the pitch the match had already ended some time ago, nevertheless he committed himself until the last minute and demonstrated the abyss that exists with those who inexplicably played in his place for the two most important matches of the championship. Ousted.
Brunori 5 – The rating for his performance would be much lower but considering that he is deployed in an absolutely incomprehensible position and role it seems right not to exaggerate. Outcast.
(from 16′ st Mancuso) sv
Soleri 4.5 – A lot of running but little, very little substance and on the only decent ball he gets to kick into the net he shoots with the same power as a kid on his first day of football school. Checked.
(from 31′ st Traoré) 6 – One of his plays causes the Venetian own goal which makes the “bill” of your beloved Cronitifosi a winner, with the over 2.5, which, obviously, had been played with very different intentions. He thus earns a passing grade but is not saved from a negative evaluation of his militancy in the rosanero. Snai point.
Mignani 2 – We rarely remember a change of coach that had such a negative impact. His roadmap, already negative in itself, becomes simply opprobrious with the football lesson that his alter ego on the Venetian bench gives him in two matches. Also thanks to some of his incomprehensible choices regarding the formation, the tactical and mental approach to the match and the players deployed. Bankruptcy.
READ ALSO
THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MATCH
THE MATCH CHRONICLE
GUIDO MONASTRA’S REPORT CARD
MIGNANI’S STATEMENTS
