2013–14 US Città di Palermo season

U.S. Città di Palermo played the 2013–14 football season in Serie B, the first appearance in the second tier after relegation in the 2012–13 Serie A season following nine consecutive seasons in the top flight. The season ended with the club ensuring direct promotion back to Serie A at its first attempt.

U.S. Città di Palermo
2013–14 season
ChairmanMaurizio Zamparini
Head coachGennaro Gattuso (September 2013)
Giuseppe Iachini
StadiumStadio Renzo Barbera
Serie B1st (champions, promoted to Serie A)
Coppa ItaliaThird round

Review and events edit

 
Gennaro Gattuso was appointed as Palermo head coach for the season, in his first full managerial role in career.

After completing the 2012–13 Serie A season in 18th place and being thus relegated into Serie B, club chairman Maurizio Zamparini announced the confirmation of Giorgio Perinetti as director of football and also stated his intention to keep Giuseppe Sannino as head coach in order to set an immediate attempt to return to the top flight. However, an agreement was not found between Sannino (who ultimately left Palermo to accept a head coaching role at Serie A's Chievo) and the rosanero club, and a search for a new head coach was started. Such search ended with the appointment of Gennaro Gattuso as new head coach; a former international midfielder, 2006 FIFA World Cup winner with Italy and UEFA Champions League winner with Milan among all things, Gattuso had only a short player-coach stint at FC Sion in the previous season in terms of managerial experience and his choice was hailed with surprise.[1]

This was followed by Palermo's first summer signing, Northern Ireland international striker Kyle Lafferty from Gattuso's former team FC Sion.[2] Another signing, deep-lying forward Davide Di Gennaro from Spezia, was announced on 1 July.[3] The following day, the club announced to have sold half of Jasmin Kurtić's transfer rights to Sassuolo, with winger Gennaro Troianello coming to Sicily as part of the same deal.[4]

Palermo also acquired the full ownerships of players Anselmo – who was then released after being deemed surplus to requirements – and Eros Pisano, who were both co-owned with Genoa. On the other hand, club captain Fabrizio Miccoli left the club at the expiration of his contract. Another star player, Josip Iličić, also left to join Fiorentina in July.[5]

The club's pre-season camp was held at Sankt Lambrecht and Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria from 12 July to 4 August.

On 6 August, the club formalized the appointment of former rosanero striker Igor Budan as team manager.[6] The same day, Nicola Amoruso tended his resignation from his position as Palermo's director of football citing personal reasons.[7]

Palermo made its season debut in the Coppa Italia with a 2–1 home win against Lega Pro Prima Divisione club Cremonese, but were eliminated in the following round by newly promoted top-flight club Hellas Verona, who won at Stadio Renzo Barbera thanks to a goal from former rosanero Luca Toni. Serie B debut match, away at Modena, ended in a 1–1 draw, and was followed by a shocking 1–2 home loss at the hands of Empoli, immediately raising doubts about the team's ability to adapt at new life in the second division. This was however immediately followed by the team's first win of the league, a 3–0 away success against Padova thanks to a brace from Abel Hernández. Two consecutive away defeats to Bari and Spezia however damaged Gattuso's position, and led to his ultimate sacking on 25 September and his immediate replacement with the more experienced Giuseppe Iachini. In his debut, Iachini easily defeated S.S. Juve Stabia by a clear 3–0 result. Under Iachini's tenure, results improved dramatically and Palermo ended the first half of the season topping the league. During the January 2014 window, the club was further strengthened by the signings of promising youngster Achraf Lazaar and veteran playmaker Enzo Maresca, as well as the addition of Franco Vázquez, who was previously left out of the squad under Gattuso. Also thanks to these additions, Palermo established as the main force in the league and spent the whole 2014 on top of the league, reaching up to a 13-point advantage to second-placed Latina in April.

On 3 May 2014, after a 1–0 win at Novara, Palermo were mathematically crowned Serie B champions in advance of five league weeks, a Serie B record, and promptly finalized their top flight return after only one season.

Confirmed summer transfer market bids edit

In
FW   NIR Kyle Lafferty (from FC Sion[2])
MF   GNB Carlos Embalo (from Chaves[8])
FW   ITA Davide Di Gennaro (from Spezia[3])
MF   ITA Gennaro Troianello (from Sassuolo[4])
DF   ITA Eros Pisano (from Genoa, co-ownership resolution)
GK   ITA Nicola Braccalenti (on loan from Foligno)
MF   SRB Alen Stevanović (on loan from Torino[9])
DF   ITA Claudio Terzi (from Siena[10])
MF   ITA Houssem Ferchichi (on loan from Montebelluna)
DF   SUI Fabio Daprelà (from Brescia[11])
MF   ITA Francesco Bolzoni (from Siena[12])
MF   FRA Granddi Ngoyi (from Troyes[13])
DF   SRB Boris Grozdić (on loan from Hajduk Kula[14])
MF   ITA Valerio Verre (on loan from Udinese[15])
FW   ITA Andrea Belotti (on loan from Albinoleffe[15])
MF   POR José Domingos Neves Lourenço (from Rio Ave)
MF   POR João Manuel Pinto Do Amaral (from Benfica)
Out
MF   SVN Jasmin Kurtić (to Sassuolo, co-ownership[4])
DF   SUI Steve von Bergen (to BSC Young Boys)
MF   ITA Massimo Donati (to Verona)
GK   ITA Giacomo Brichetto (end of contract)
FW   ITA Fabrizio Miccoli (end of contract, to Lecce)
FW   CRO Igor Budan (retired)
DF   ROU Cristian Melinte (end of contract, to Concordia Chiajna)
FW   ITA Giuseppe Prestia (end of contract, to Parma)
FW   PAR Cesar Verdun Servín (to Verona)
MF   PAR Oscar Arzamendia (to Verona)
FW   ITA Dario Maltese (on loan to Latina, co-ownership[16])
GK   ITA Alessandro Micai (on loan to Südtirol, co-ownership[17])
MF   ITA Giulio Migliaccio (to Atalanta[18])
MF   SVN Josip Iličić (to Fiorentina[5])
FW   PAR Daniel Jara Martínez (to Genoa)
MF   BRA Anselmo (released, to São Caetano[19])
MF   ITA Francesco Benussi (released, to Udinese[20])
MF   ITA Nicolas Viola (to Ternana, co-ownership[21])
MF   ITA Francesco Mirko Velardi (released, to Parma)
FW   ARG Mauricio Sperduti (released, to Arsenal de Sarandí)
Out on loan
FW   ITA Gianluca Di Chiara (to Latina[16])
FW   ITA Gabriele Zerbo (to Pergolettese[17])
MF   ITA Stefano Cerniglia (to Pergolettese[17])
DF   SRB Jevrem Kosnić (to Pisa[17])
FW   ITA Mauro Bollino (to Pisa[17])
MF   ITA Francesco Vassallo (to Südtirol[17])
DF   ITA Daniel Cappelletti (to Südtirol[17])
FW   ITA Umberto Nappello (to Forlì[17])
MF   ITA Vito Migliore (to Torino)
DF   POR Nélson (to Almería[22])
FW   SWE Agon Mehmeti (to Olhanense[13])
DF   ITA Edoardo Goldaniga (to Pisa[14])
MF   PAR Roger Miller Rojas (to Chiasso[14])
DF   ARG Santiago García (to Werder Bremen[23])
GK   ITA Emiliano Viviano (to Arsenal[24])
DF   ITA Andrea Mantovani (to Bologna[25])

Confirmed winter transfer market bids edit

In
DF   ITA Roberto Vitiello (unattached)
DF   ITA Achraf Lazaar (from Varese)
MF   ITA Enzo Maresca (from Sampdoria)
MF   ITA Alberto Acquadro (on loan from Borgosesia)
MF   ITA Gianluca Di Chiara (loan return from Latina)
FW   ITA Eric Lanini (from Juventus, co-ownership)
Out
DF   ITA Edoardo Goldaniga (to Juventus, co-ownership; remains on loan at Pisa)
Out on loan
DF   URU Ignacio Lores (to Bari)
MF   ITA Gianluca Di Chiara (to Catanzaro)
FW   ITA Eric Lanini (to Prato)
MF   ITA Giulio Sanseverino (to Perugia)

Staff edit

Managerial staff edit

Position Staff
Chairman   Maurizio Zamparini
Vice-Chairman   Guglielmo Miccichè
General Manager Sport   Giorgio Perinetti
Team Manager   Igor Budan

Last updated: 9 July 2013
Source: U.S Città di Palermo official website

Coaching staff edit

Position Staff
Head Coach   Giuseppe Iachini
Assistant Coach   Giuseppe Carillo
Fitness Coach   Andrea Corrain
Fitness Coach   Marcello Iaia
Fitness Coach   Fabrizio Tafani
Injured Players Recovery   Alberto Andorlini
Goalkeeping Coach   Franco Paleari

Last updated: 25 September 2013
Source: U.S Città di Palermo official website

Squad information edit

Full season statistics

No. Pos Nat Player Total Serie B Coppa Italia
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK   ITA Stefano Sorrentino 34 -22 32 -20 2 -2
12 GK   ITA Andrea Fulignati 0 0 0 0 0 0
26 GK   KOS Samir Ujkani 11 -8 11 -8 0 0
2 DF   SVN Aljaž Struna 1 0 1 0 0 0
3 DF   ITA Eros Pisano 36 3 34 2 2 1
4 DF   SVN Siniša Anđelković 38 1 36 1 2 0
5 DF   SRB Milan Milanović 18 1 18 1 0 0
6 DF   ARG Ezequiel Muñoz 33 3 33 3 0 0
7 DF   MAR Achraf Lazaar 14 0 14 0 0 0
17 DF   SUI Michel Morganella 16 1 16 1 0 0
19 DF   ITA Claudio Terzi 33 0 31 0 2 0
28 DF   SUI Fabio Daprelà 27 0 25 0 2 0
29 DF   ITA Roberto Vitiello 9 0 9 0 0 0
8 MF   PAR Édgar Barreto (captain) 34 4 34 4 0 0
10 MF   ITA Davide Di Gennaro 15 2 14 2 1 0
14 MF   SRB Alen Stevanović 22 0 21 0 1 0
15 MF   ITA Francesco Bolzoni 39 4 37 4 2 0
19 MF   ITA Gennaro Troianello 16 0 15 0 1 0
20 MF   ARG Franco Vázquez 19 4 18 4 1 0
21 MF   SVN Armin Bačinović 9 0 8 0 1 0
23 MF   ITA Valerio Verre 20 0 20 0 0 0
25 MF   ITA Enzo Maresca 13 0 13 0 0 0
27 MF   FRA Granddi Ngoyi 22 0 20 0 2 0
9 FW   ARG Paulo Dybala 30 5 28 5 2 0
11 FW   URU Abel Hernández 30 14 28 14 2 0
18 FW   NIR Kyle Lafferty 36 12 34 11 2 1
24 FW   SUI Cephas Malele 3 0 3 0 0 0
30 FW   ITA Andrea Belotti 24 10 24 10 0 0
Players sold or loaned out during the winter transfer market:
7 MF   ITA Giulio Sanseverino 2 0 1 0 1 0
16 MF   URU Ignacio Lores 6 0 4 0 2 0

References edit

  1. ^ "È GATTUSO IL NUOVO ALLENATORE VENERDÌ LA PRESENTAZIONE" [GATTUSO IS NEW HEAD COACH, INTRODUCTORY PRESS CONFERENCE SET FOR FRIDAY] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  2. ^ a b "ACQUISTATO LAFFERTY DAL SION" [LAFFERTY SIGNED FROM SION] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  3. ^ a b "ACQUISTATO DI GENNARO DALLO SPEZIA" [DI GENNARO SIGNED FROM SPEZIA] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  4. ^ a b c "UFFICIALE L'ARRIVO DI TROIANIELLO KURTIC CEDUTO AL SASSUOLO" [TROIANELLO'S ARRIVAL OFFICIAL; KURTIC SOLD TO SASSUOLO] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  5. ^ a b "ILICIC CEDUTO ALLA FIORENTINA" [ILICIC SOLD TO FIORENTINA] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 23 July 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  6. ^ "BUDAN NUOVO TEAM MANAGER" [BUDAN NEW TEAM MANAGER] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  7. ^ "RESCISSIONE CONSENSUALE PER AMORUSO" [MUTUAL RELEASE FOR AMORUSO] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  8. ^ "ACQUISTATO EMBALO DAL CHAVES "NON DELUDERÒ I TIFOSI ROSANERO"" [EMBALO SIGNED FROM CHAVES "I WILL NOT DISAPPOINT THE ROSANERO FANS"] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  9. ^ "ACQUISTATO STEVANOVIC DAL TORINO" [SIGNED STEVANOVIC FROM TORINO] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 11 July 2013. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  10. ^ "Arriva anche Terzi". US Città di Palermo. 20 July 2013. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  11. ^ "DAPRELA' E' ROSANERO". US Città di Palermo. 30 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  12. ^ "Preso anche Bolzoni". US Città di Palermo. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  13. ^ a b "FORMALIZZATO L'INGAGGIO DI NGOYI, MEHMETI ALL'OLHANENSE". US Città di Palermo. 7 August 2013. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  14. ^ a b c "ACQUISTATO GROZDIC DALL'HAJDUK KULA, CEDUTI IN PRESTITO GOLDANIGA E ROJAS". US Città di Palermo. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  15. ^ a b "PRESI BELOTTI E VERRE, VIVIANO IN PRESTITO ALL'ARSENAL". US Città di Palermo. 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  16. ^ a b "MALTESE E DI CHIARA AL LATINA" [MALTESE AND DI CHIARA TO LATINA] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h "MOVIMENTI DI MERCATO" [TRANSFER MARKET MOVEMENTS] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  18. ^ "MIGLIACCIO CEDUTO ALL'ATALANTA" [MIGLIACCIO SOLD TO ATALANTA] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  19. ^ "RISOLUZIONE PER ANSELMO" [ANSELMO RELEASED] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 16 July 2013. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  20. ^ "RISOLUZIONE CONSENSUALE PER BENUSSI" [MUTUAL RELEASE FOR BENUSSI] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  21. ^ "VIOLA CEDUTO ALLA TERNANA" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  22. ^ "NELSON CEDUTO ALL'ALMERIA" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  23. ^ "GARCIA CEDUTO AL WERDER BREMA" [GARCIA SOLD TO WERDER BREMEN] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 1 September 2013. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  24. ^ "Arsenal sign Emiliano Viviano on loan". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  25. ^ "CEDUTO MANTOVANI AL BOLOGNA". US Città di Palermo. Retrieved 2 September 2013.