It could have been a great revolution but instead after just twelve months the adventure in Pisa of the coach Alberto ended Aquilani.
With a consensual resolution that marks the end of the contract, and of the journey, one year in advance. Twelve months ago, Pisa had opted for a coach who had done very well at the Fiorentina Primavera, even though he was recovering from the disappointment of a lost Scudetto final, and was preparing to face his first year among the greats.
High-level experience as a player wasn’t enough to avoid paying the price of a novitiate on the bench.
Pisa and Aquilani were pursuing an ambitious project. Doing well without too many worries about the standings, no one was asking for Serie A, and returning to entertain a public that had not yet fully recovered from the final lost at home to Monza in 2022 and the less than honorable ending of the D’Angelo BIS. Even if the coach from Pescara had been called after Maran’s slow start and at least he had secured the team in a short time.
With Aquilani, Pisa wanted to play a different game.
A game based on building from the bottom and ball possession. Like it or not, football is going in that direction and it was also right to make a courageous choice. In contrast with the recent past. Not a leading coach but a young and ambitious coach who graduated from the University of Coverciano. He doesn’t lack preparation but in the Serie B exam he found several obstacles that were difficult to overcome.
The plan was for two years but if after one year everything failed it was not only due to a disappointing 13th place. Because it is true that no one was asking for Serie A but this squad was not inferior to that of teams that entered the playoffs. One above all Brescia who however had the merit, precisely with Maran, of being more solid and redeeming relegation on the field of the previous season. Before readmission.
This is also why there is disappointment. The team was only in the playoff zone for a week, after the 1-0 against Ternana with nine days to go, and even if it was never in the playouts it lived the whole season on the edge of thrills. You take a step forward you can dream, you take a step back you risk big.
Be careful, Aquilani has some extenuating circumstances. When the team left for training camp it still didn’t have a sporting director as Kolarov had given up the position and Stefanelli arrived in the second half of July. Not all the players chosen were functional to the project. To use a word dear to the now former Nerazzurri coach.
Matteo’s injury Tramoni it’s not the justification for the failure of a season but certainly losing the player you’ve been focusing on all summer in the debut match wasn’t the best. Even more so since the famous evening of the cruciate injury, Tramoni senior had scored a goal and an assist for Arena. Pisa tried to make up for his absence with Emanuel Vignato, with Sibilli who had already ended up in Bari, who was already sent on loan to Salerno in January. The non-arrival of White, who moved to Reggiana, and the absence of a fast playmaker made the difference in the construction of the game. Some players didn’t always play in their role.
Especially in the first leg, in addition to not seeing great results, the crowd had little fun. Few shots, with rare exceptions such as the 2-1 match against Cittadella, and ball possession that was almost always horizontal and sterile. In the second round we saw something better. Especially thanks to the arrival of Bonfanti forward, although progress was evident from the waist up. Enough to score in every match. But unfortunately something was always missing to make the definitive leap. Only two victories in a row (Cittadella and Ternana), a maximum of four useful results in a row.
The defensive phase when you make such an ambitious game proposal requires different precautions. Aquilani had the merit of also taking responsibility for him. Especially after the defeat in Como. Compromised by two errors at the start.
Precisely in the first match in which Pisa appeared on the pitch as eighth in the standings. The last five games have seen Pisa bring home zero wins and just three points. Often squandering the opportunity to bring home a positive result in the second half. Especially in the away matches in Bari, Cremona and Ascoli.
We could have continued but the conditions probably weren’t there. The feeling is that the toy had broken before it was completely built. If now Inzaghi , close to saying yes to Pisa, will have to rebuild the defense and start again after a disappointing season, there are also some positives. For example a Esteves more mature and can also play as a midfielder. Aquilani now hopes to demonstrate elsewhere what he was unable to do fully in the shadow of the Tower. Not just his fault.
