In mid-July, I posted a story on this site proposing that Bari, if they played their cards right, could be poised for a top six finish.  In the intervening four weeks, they lost a top-flight defender and whiffed on a major signing, leaving the club in worse position than they were just a month ago.  Bari rode its superb defending to a top-ten finish last season, but with the loss of its two star defenders, Bari fans have to wonder if this club could be in danger of playing next year in Serie B.

The organization: At the end of the 2009-2010 season, sports director Giorgio Perinetti, who had guided the club to Serie A the prior season, left to take a similar position with Siena.  In his place is Guido Angelozzi, a veteran front-office man with experience mostly in Serie B clubs including most recently Lecce.  It’s too early to judge the impact of this change, but Bari’s ill-fated courting of Sebastian Giovinco must concern Galletti fans that he is unable to be an effective Serie A director.

Bari brought back Giampiero Ventura as manager after a very successful first season at the helm of the club.  Ventura replaced the popular Antonio Conte after the latter’s acrimonious departure from the club in June 2009.  Ventura proved his tactical skills by guiding the club to excellent results against Inter, Milan, and Juventus.

Defenders: As I mentioned above, the defense was the strength of this club last year, conceding 49 goals all season.  The Galletti captain, Jean-Francois Gillet, is a major reason for this.  The Belgian national keeper is one of the best at his position in Serie A, and certainly one of the least talked about.  As long as he remains healthy, the club has no concerns between the posts.

The concern for this year however is in front of Gillet.  Last year, breakout stars Andrea Ranocchia and Leonard Bonucci became two of the rising stars in Italian soccer with their play for Bari.  Both are now gone – Bonucci is now with Juventus and Ranocchia is co-owned by Genoa and Inter.  Returning are Cristian Stellini and Salvatore Masiello, both quality defenders.  Filling out the backline could be former Sampdorian Marco Rossi and Alessandro Parisi, or a newcomer like Felice Pepe.

Midfield: A major reason for i Galletti‘s success last season was the emergence of some quality midfielders.  Edgar Alvarez scored three goals and was a mainstay in the center of the pitch.  Other returning starters include Sergio Almiron (5 goals) and Massimo Donati, an early-season pick-up from Celtic.  One of Bari’s biggest additions was midfielder Nico Pulzetti from Livorno, a starter last year for a poor team looking to live up to his potential.

Forwards: Bari’s biggest move this offseason may have been a player it kept.  Management negotiated a co-ownership deal with Udinese to keep Vito Barreto, Bari’s leading scorer last season.  The move will help the club’s sometimes suspect attack at the very least remain potentially potent.  Joining Barreto up front could be new acquisition and Algerian World Cup player Abdelkader Ghezzal, acquired from Siena after scoring six goals last season.  Other potential starters include Vitaly Kutuzov and perennial underachiever Ferdinando Sforzini.

Predicted Lineup:Gillet (GK), Stellini, Masiello, Rossi, Parisi (D), Almiron, Alvarez, Pulzetti, Gazzi (M), Barreto, Ghezzal (F)

Outlook: Last season, Bari took Serie A by storm and finished a strong tenth just a year after being promoted.  Their season included two draws with Inter and a win over Juventus.  Losing Ranocchia and Bonucci will be a major impediment for this club, and leaves Bari with some concerns on the backline.  If they can find a consistent goal scorer to go with Barreto and play some solid defense, they are a mid-table type of club.  If they cannot, they will be on relegation watch every week.

In this aggravating time between the end of the Serie A season and the beginning of the World Cup, we can bide our time by looking back at the past Serie A season.  As expected by many, Inter Milan won the title.  In my series of posts reviewing the season, however, I want to begin by looking at those teams that surprised the experts.  These are the clubs that exceeded expectations the most.  At the end of the post, vote for which club you think was the most surprising club of the past season and post any comments or additions.  Also feel free to share your thoughts via Twitter @roberthayjr.  Clubs listed in alphabetical order -

Bari - The recently promoted club began the campaign by losing the manager (Antonio Conte) that lead them to win Serie B in 2008-2009.  The club was also put up for sale and seemingly sold to U.S. businessman Tim Burton in September, only to have the team pull back and the sale fall through.

Despite this, Bari flirted with a European bid for most of the season, sitting in the top 8 until injuries and a late swoon landed the club a respectable tenth.  Their defensive prowess also made stars of Andrea Ranocchia and Leonardo Bonucci plus introduced the league to Jean-Francois Gillet, one of the world’s most underrated keepers.  The club goes into next season again unsettled, but can build off a successful return to Serie A.

Season highpoint- Bari 3, Juventus 1 (12/12/09).  The match put Bari one point within a Champions League spot and gave them their first win over Juve since 1990.

Palermo – Success is nothing new at Palermo, and this season’s fifth place finish should be considered another success.  Their new coach at the beginning of the season, Walter Zenga, was an inspired hire away from rival Catania.  However, Zenga struggled to lead the club and was fired after thirteen Serie A matches despite a three year contract.  The new manger, Delio Rossi, was much more successful, leading the club at one point to seven straight victories. The club was also undefeated at home, with a 13-6-0 record.

The star of the team was Fabrizio Miccoli, who notched 19 goals for the team lead.  He became Palermo’s all-time leading goal scorer against Sampdoria on May 9th but hurt his knee in the match.  The squad also had two players make the provisional Italian national team: keeper Salvatore Sirigu and defender Mattia Cassani.

Season highpoint – Palermo 2, AC Milan 0 (12/13/09).  Delio Rossi earned his first high-profile victory with Palermo’s away win.  It was only second win of the campaign, and the first of many more.

Parma – Two seasons ago, Parma went through three managers and still fell into Serie B.  After promotion last season, the club shot up the Serie A rankings, sitting in fourth place in December.  Although it struggled to win consistently after, Parma finished eighth in the standings, higher than Bari who finished ahead of them in Serie B last season.

One of the up and coming players on the club is Davide Lanzafame, a former Juventus striker who spent some time on the Italian U-21 squad.  He notched seven goals and six assists, both good for second on the team.

Season highpoint – Parma 2, Bologna 1 (12/13/09).  Just like Palermo, Parma climbed the highest they would reach in the table (fourth place) with a win on December 13.  Nicola Amoruso scored the game-winner in the 86th minute after missing a penalty shot earlier in the match.

Sampdoria - Sampdoria earned a spot in next year’s Champions League qualifier by means of a fourth place finish in Serie A.  And it was a close call – they won their final match of the year 1-0 to secure the final spot.  That ending is probably fitting for this club.

Early in the season Sampdoria looked to threaten for not just qualifying but for top spot in Serie A, holding off Inter in the fall for first.  They then fell down the standings and at one point went seven matches without a win before finishing the season by gaining points in all eight of their final matches. They achieved this despite the distractions of the talented Antonio Cassano, who at one pointed looked to be traded/released/dispatched via loan due to his fights with management.  But his suspensions helped Sampdoria fellow striker Giampaolo Pazzini shine and earn his way onto the Italian National team provisional squad.  His manager Gigi Del Neri also gained widespread fame, enough for Juventus to hire him last week.

Season highpoint – Sampdoria 1, Napoli 0 (04/16/10).  Sampdoria finishes fourth and secures an unbeaten home record.  The only goal, appropriately enough, is scored by Giampaolo Pazzini.

(polls)

Like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, Italian soccer has returned to our airwaves, and this week’s matches saw the return of David Beckham, the goal of the year, and some good calcio as well.  As reports roll in of players leaving Italy in transfers, the question is what moves will the contenders make in the next few weeks to boost their run at the scudetto or a European competition.

Marco Borriello Scored the Goal of the Season

Please debate in the comments section below, but you cannot argue that the Italian national’s goal was not a thing of beauty.  Luca Antonini’s pass across the goal to an open Borriello who bicycle kicks it into the net was fabulous.  Even more fabulous for Milan fans was the 5-2 thrashing given to Genoa and the successful return of David Beckham.

Napoli is the New Surprise Team in the Fourth Slot

A 2-0 win over a pathetic Atalanta squad moved Napoli into sole possession of fourth in the standings, and extended their unbeaten streak to 11 matches.  Their next three matches are against top 10 clubs, however, and they will be a good test of if they are legit.  The loss sent Atalanta manager Antonio Conte into retirement again and the only drama related to their season right now is if they will finish last, or in the 19th spot.

Cassano Now the Key to Sampdoria Success

Sampdoria’s slide from top of the table to out of a European spot was aided Wednesday with a 1-1 draw at Palermo.  With the news that Marius Stankevicius is being loaned to Seville, it is up to super-scorer Antonio Cassano to help right the club and spark them to victory.  Four of their next five matches are against bottom half clubs, so a good time to rally their season would be the next few weeks.

Bari Faces Critical Ten Days

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Bari supporter.  However, everyone should be impressed with their recent form.  After ending the 2009 calendar year with a 3-1 victory over Juventus and not playing for almost a month (their final game of the year was “snowed out”) the club quickly took care of a slumping Udinese squad that was missing its leading scorer.  From Serie B last year to 3 points off a Champions League spot this year, the Galletti are flying high.  But the next two weeks should be telling – they play at Fiorentina and host Inter, plus could lose Leonardo Bonucci and/or Andrea Ranocchia to transfer.

Racism Stories Continue to Haunt Serie A

Super Mario Balotelli is immensely talented and a benefit to any club.  Normally, Inter would be crazy to loan or sell him elsewhere.  But controversy continues to follow the young man; this week after the Chievo victory he was fined for provoking the opposition fans because of what he perceived to be racial insults.  The same day Inter was fined for the racial taunts of its own fans.  I suspect this will not be the last time we hear of fines for racism, but this soccer fan is sick of continually reading about it.

It’s crunch time in Serie A, as clubs must play three games in the span of 8 days this week, and even more over the next eleven days if they are playing in international competitions.

It’s a Bad Month to Be a Milan Fan: Not only is rival Inter atop the Serie A standings, Milan lost yesterday to Udinese for its second defeat on the year.  The Rossoneri have 4 points out of a possible 9 this month so far, and as Gareth reports their big off-season signing has been more of a frustration than an asset so far this year.  On top of all this are the continuous rumors of a possible sale.  The match versus Bari on Sunday looms large for the psyche of this club.  (Update: this news can’t help).

Getting Sent to the Stands is the Cool Thing to Do: On Sunday it was Inter’s Jose Morinho being sent off during his team’s victory over Cagliari.  On Wednesday it was new Atalanata manager Antonio Conte being sent off before the final whistle (although his team did not achieve the same result as Morinho’s).  I hope this does not become a trend with managers; in the U.S. basketball coaches tend to push for technical fouls to inspire a team but so many coaches do it that it has lost its impact on most players.  Managers should save their tirades for rare opportunities to inspire their team at the right time.

Sampdoria Comes Down From Its Pedestal: Fiorentina won convincingly in their match against the “top” team in Serie A and kicked off Sampdoria’s toughest stretch of their schedule by beating the visitors.  Fiorentina dominated in pretty much every statistical category, but the season is still young, Blucerchaiti fans.  I am as much of a fan of underdogs as the next person, but I doubt Sampdoria can keep up its quest for a top four finish and a scudetto.

Russo Replaces Papadopulo on the Hot Seat: The 2-0 Bologna victory over Livorno helped take some of the pressure off Bologna manager Giuseppe Papadopulo, whose side now has five points on the year and who personally had received a deadly “vote of confidence” from Bologna’s management earlier in the week.  This victory was at the expense of Vittorio Russo’s Livorno club, who now sits in relegation territory with only two points on the year.  When will Russo receive the same “vote of confidence”?  His club needs some good results in the upcoming weeks against Palermo and Siena.

English Soccer is Infinitely More Popular in the US than Italian calcio: As an American resident looking at the front pages of the ESPN and Fox Soccer websites on Wednesday evening, I was struck by the dominance of analysis of the Carling Cup results and lack of focus on the Italian matches.  Maybe I am naïve (or biased) to expect equal coverage, but I would certainly rank a Serie A match above a Carling Cup result in terms of importance.  I plan on a future column about the battle for the American soccer fans’ hearts but for now the “mainstream” media’s treatment of the league is disappointing (I recommend Rami’s post on a similar subject).

Bari Manager, Antonio Conte, was attacked by several Lecce fans while seated on a bench watching a game of five against five football. Italian police are currently investigating the incident and hope to make arrests soon.

Conte had been punched in the face several times, after which a number of bystanders came to his aid causing the assailants to flee.

What is your opinion, do fanatical fans especially Ultras have to be reined in by Italian police?