Palermo: Established, what next?

Palermo have been in Serie A now for five years now as they returned to the league from Serie B in 2004. They have done well in recent years, briefly challenging at the top for the first ten weeks or so in the 2006/2007 season and indeed were top for a while, eventually finishing 5th. Last season was a slight anti climax when they finished 11th and had to sell top player Amauri to Juve but this in effect lead to the discovery of the perhaps already superior Edison Cavani. Indeed, it has been a much improved season for Palermo. The forward line of Cavani and Miccoli is leathal and lead to a fantastic home record of 14 wins, 1 draw and just 4 defeats. Nobody in Serie A won more than them at home, with Inter, Fiorentina and Milan, three sides playing in the Champions League next season, only managing to equal that impressive feat. Unfortunately for Palermo though, they could not carry this form onto the road with just three away wins registered during the season. Indeed, if they could have just won three more games on the road they would have achieved European football in the form of the Europa League instead of just missing out in 8th place.

Still, the season for them cannot be considered a disappointment. There is no getting away from the fact that Serie A is getting far more competitive each year with now a number of teams targeting Europa League places. Genoa, Lazio, Napoli, Sampdoria, Udinese and Palermo themselves all fall into this category and it does not include the five teams looking for Champions League football. All in all then 8th place is a credit to them, and its an position that included a fantastic win at home to Milan, 3-1, and a breathtaking fightback against Inter at the San Siro when they were 2-0 down to draw eventually 2-2. This season has also seen the discovery of Simon Kjaer and the development of Edison Cavani. Both players are fantastic prospects, and the latter has been playing brilliantly without the plaudits that Pato, Zarate and Balotelli have received on a weekly basis.


The Future for Palermo

I personally think the future is bright. Maurizio Zamparini has ambitious plans for the club, with Stadium plans in the offing. Factor into that the steady progress of the team then their fans, providing they hold onto their key assets and add players, can look forward to challenging for the Europa League places. Again they will likely depend on a strong home record as new manager Walter Zenga made this a priority with previous club Catania. However, make no mistake it will be tought for them with several high profile sides, Napoli Lazio and Sampdoria in particular, looking to bounce back after disappointing league campaigns. Still, good luck to them.

Next on all things Calcio: Lazio, Genoa and Cagliari season review and mercato updates