September 25, 2011: Lazio - Palermo 0-0
"The Wall" by Pink Palermo
Lazio blocked by visitors' defensive set up but also risk to capitulate on the break
The season so far
Lazio had narrowly missed out on Champions League the previous season with 5th place, behind Udinese.
This year Edy Reja had been confirmed but there had been a few changes to the squad.
The main novelty was in goal, as Lazio had bought Federico Marchetti from Cagliari while Fernando Muslera went to Galatasaray, in Turkey. The other main new arrivals were defenders Abdoulay Konko (Genoa) and Lorik Cana (Galatasaray), midfielder Senad Lulic (Young Boys, a name to watch out for… Lulic that is), orwards Djibril Cissé (Panathinaikos) and above all Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich). In January midfielder Antonio Candreva (Cesena) would arrive.
The other main player leaving was defender Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus) plus defender Javier Garrido, midfielders Pasquale Foggia (Sampdoria), Mark Bresciano (Al-Nasr) and Christian Manfredini (Sambonifacese) and forward Sergio Floccari (Parma - on loan with clause to buy) and Mauro Zarate (Inter - on loan with clause to buy).. In January forward Beppe Sculli (Genoa-on loan) would also leave.
In Serie A Lazio had so far played 3 games with a 2-2 away draw with Milan on their debut, a 1-2 home defeat to Genoa and then a 2-1 away win at Cesena. An up and down start to their league.
Their Europa League campaign had started in August with a playoff in which they defeated Rabotnički (Macedonia) 9-1 on aggregate. Lazio were now in the group stage and had so far drawn 2-2 at home with Romanians Vaslui. The group included Zurich and Sporting Lisbon. Next up were the Portuguese away on September 29.
Palermo had finished 8th the previous year. The Rosanero had started and finished with Delio Rossi with an interlude with Serse Cosmi. Their best results were beating Juventus and Roma twice, Milan 1-0, and Catania 3-1. They however lost against Lazio twice. They had reached the Coppa Italia final but lost 1-3 to Inter and so qualified for the Europa League. They had also played the 2010-11 Europa League but did not make it out of the group stage with 2 wins (Lausanne twice), a draw (Sparta Prague at home) and 3 defeats (Sparta Prague away and CSKA Moscow twice).
This season the manager was initially Stefano Pioli but he had already been sacked on August 31 and David Mangia had been called up. The main new signings this season were; goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathīnaïkos), defender Andrea Mantovani (Chievo), Eros Pisano (Varese) and Matias Silvestre (Catania), midfielders Matias Aguirregaray (Montevideo Wanderers-on loan but would go back in January), Edgar Álvarez (Bari), Edgar Barreto (Atalanta) plus forward Igor Budan (Cesena-back from loan). In January they would also sign goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano (Inter), midfielders Franco Vazquez (Belgrano) and Massimo Donati (Bari).
Leaving Palermo were; goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu (PSG), defender Sinisa Andelkovic (Ascoli-on loan), Cesare Bovo (Genoa), Mattia Cassani (Fiorentina), Moris Carrozzieri (Lecce), Matteo Darmian (Torino) and Dorin Goian (Rangers Glasgow), midfielders Pajtim Kasami (Fulham), Fabio Liverani (Lugano) and Javier Pastore (PSG) Forward Mauricio Pinilla would leave in January (Cagliari).
So far in Serie A Palermo had beaten Inter 4-3 at home on debut, lost 0-1 at Atalanta and beaten Cagliari 3-2 at home.
In the Europa League they had crashed out in the 3rd preliminary round to Swiss side Thun on away goals.
A difficult match to call today between two unpredictable sides.
The match: Sunday, September 25,. 2011, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A hot day and a 3 pm kick off in Rome attracted about 30,000 to the Olimpico.
Lazio were without defenders Stefan Radu and Giuseppe Biava plus injured midfielders Stefano Mauri and Alvaro Gonzalez. Cristian Ledesma and Hernanes were playing but not completely match fit.
Palermo were missing defender Andrea Mantovani while forward Fabrizio Miccoli was surprisingly only on the bench.
The game started at a bland pace with both sides cautious. The game was played mainly in midfield although the Palermo keeper had to be on his toes first on a long range Djibril Cissè strike and then on Hernanes.
Lazio attacked more but Palermo seemed pleased to sit back and wait for their chance. One came with Mauricio Pinilla who scored but the linesman's flag was up for offside.
Palermo were extremely organised and Lazio had huge difficulty in finding spaces up front.
The visitors defended but were quick to counter attack. In the 15th minute Federico Marchetti dived superbly to deny Pinilla from scoring.
Lazio constantly hit a pink wall not helped by Senad Lulic and Abdoulay Konko not pushing on the flanks.
Palermo absorbed Lazio's pressure and had Hernandez constantly ready to use his speed on the break.
Before half time the Sicilians twice went close to taking the lead. Marchetti had to be reactive twice in three minutes, first on Abel Hernandez and then on Pinilla. At the interval: Lazio 0 Palermo 0.
The Rosanero had tactically outmanoeuvred Lazio so far.
Something had to change so Reja took off Lorik Cana and threw on a far more dynamic Cristian Brocchi. Mangia was more than satisfied and left his team unchanged.
Things improved immediately for Lazio who were more aggressive and energetic. The Biancocelesti had chances with Cissė and Hernanes but were off target.
At this point the visitors saw the game changing and put on fresh legs by replacing Nicolaa Bertolo with Afriyie Acquah.
The pattern did not change with Palermo solid and efficient but Lazio now managed to create more chances. They devoured two opportunities, first Miro Klose was only two metres from goal but hesitated and was anticipated by Federico Balzaretti and some minutes later Cissè missed an open goal after the keeper had blocked Klose.
This was Lazio's best moment and in the 64th minute Mangia took off Pinilla and brought on Josip Ilicic. The Slovenian was immediately dangerous, he freed himself at the edge of the box with a clever backheel and then let loose a precise left foot which Marchetti did extremely well to block.
Lazio then went close with a Hernanes free kick and soon after Eros Pisano risked an own goal but Alexandros Tzorvas produced a superb save. The game stagnated in midfield for a while.
Lazio replaced a tired Hernanes with Beppe Sculli for a final onslaught but Palermo regrouped and closed all the gaps well. They made one more change to interrupt Lazio's pressure, substituting Eran Zahavi with Armin Bacinovic in the 89th minute.
Cissè then had a good volley but Tzorvas was ready again.
Lazio had one more chance to steal the three points. The Palermo defence finally blundered but Klose was not able to finish off a loose ball bouncing in the area. Final score: Lazio 0 Palermo 0.
A typical, very tactical Serie A game. Palermo were set up well and very disciplined, sticking meticulously to their game plan. Lazio were too slow and predictable in the first half with the forwards too far from goal. Things improved in the second half but Palermo stood firm, helped by a safe performance by their Greek keeper and always ready to punish Lazio on the break.
Lazio remained in mid-table on 5 points while Palermo were joint 3rd on 7 points. Next up was a trip to Florence for Lazio and a home game against Siena for Palermo.
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti, Konko, Diakité, Dias, Lulic, Ledesma, Cana (46' Brocchi), Matuzalem, Hernanes (76' Sculli), Cissè, Klose
Substitutes: Bizzarri, Scaloni, Stankevicius, Rocchi, Kozak
Manager: Reja
Who played for Palermo
Tzorvas, Pisano, Silvestre, Migliaccio, Balzaretti, Bertolo (59' Acquah), Barreto, Della Rocca, Zahavi (89' Bacinovic), Hernandez, Pinilla (64' Ilicic)
Substitutes: Benussi, Aguirregaray, Munoz, Miccoli
Manager: Mangia
Referee: Gervasoni
What happened next
Lazio won the next three games and eventually finished 4th in Serie A but missed out on Champions League, again to Udinese. In the next 34 games Lazio won 17 (including Milan 2-0 and Inter 3-1 at home), drew 6 and lost 11 and qualified for the Europa League. The highlight was winning both derbies 2-1. The top scorer was Miro Klose with 15 goals (12 in A).
In Coppa Italia the Biancocelesti defeated Verona 3-2 at home in the last 16 but then lost 1-3 away to Milan in the quarter finals. The eventual winners were Napoli who defeated Juventus 2-0 in the final.
In the Europa League Lazio reached the round of 32 but lost 1-4 on aggregate to Atlético Madrid. In the group stage they then won 2 (Zurich 1-0 and Sporting Lisbon 2-0 at home), drew 2 (Vaslui 0-0 away and Zurich 1-1 away) and lost 1 (Sporting Lisbon 1-2 away) but then in the next round the Colchoneros proved too good. The cup was then actually won by Atlético Madrid who defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in Bucharest.
Palermo finished 16th (+ 7 on B). In mid-December, after a 0-2 defeat to Catania in the Sicilian derby, Mangia was sacked and replaced by Bortolo Mutti. After today the Aquile won 9 (including Siena 2-0 and Lazio 5-1), drew 9 (including Inter 4-4 away and Catania 1-1 at home) and lost 16. The top scorer was Fabrizio Miccoli with 17 goals (16 in A).
In the Coppa Italia they went out immediately to Siena on penalties after a 4-4 home draw.
A negative season for the Rosanero.
Serie A was won by Juventus for their 28th title while Lecce, Novara and Cesena were relegated.
A brief history of Palermo Football Club
Football in Palermo dates back to 1897 when Englishman Joseph Isaac Spadafora Whitaker and other compatriots founded the Sport Club. In 1900 the Anglo-Palermitan Athletic and Foot-Ball Club was founded. The colours were British red and blue. The first president was the English vice-consul Edward De Garston and the first player-manager was George Edward Samuel Blake who also worked at the consulate. In 1907 the name was changed to Palermo Foot-Ball Club. The colours were changed to pink and black.
In the early years they played in Southern Italian tournaments. After the First World War, in 1920 they returned as Unione Sportiva Palermo (merging with another local club Racing FBC). In 1923 they merged with Unione Sportiva Leoni and in 1924 with Sport Club Libertas Palermo and became Palermo Football Club. At this point they were still playing at Sicilian regional level.
In 1929 with the unification of the Italian football leagues Palermo started from the 3rd tier (Prima Divisione) but in three seasons reached the top flight and stayed three seasons (13th, 12th, 7th and 15th). Up to the war they were in Serie B (7th three times and 14th).
In 1935 the fascist regime imposed the Italian name Associazione Calcio Palermo and from 1936 prohibited the pink shirts and Palermo had to use the Sicilian flag's red and yellow.
In 1940 due to financial problems the club went bust. In 1941, they merged with Juventina Palermo and refounded as Unione Sportiva Palermo-Juventina and played in blue and white. In the same year they were promoted to Serie B.
In 1942 they went back to pink and black.
In 1944-45 they won the Sicilian War Championship.
After World War II they restarted in the mixed A-B Centro-Sud league and finished 8th. After two years in Serie B they were promoted to Serie A in 1947-48 and stayed for six years (11th, 13th, 10th, 11th, 16th and 17th).
The mid 1950s to early 1970s saw them yo-yo between B and A. They were in A on and off for seven seasons (best positions 8th in 1962 and 11th in 1969). One of the managers in this period was Čestmír Vycpálek (Zdeněk Zeman's uncle). In 1968 they changed name to Società Sportiva Calcio Palermo.
In 1972-73 Palermo were relegated from A and did not return until 2004-05. They also spent some years in Serie C (1984-85, 1988-89, 1992-93, 1997-2001) and even one in C2 (1987-88). In 1992-93 they won the Serie C Coppa Italia. They changed their name twice more; in 1986 to Unione Sportiva Palermo (following bankruptcy) and in 1994 to Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo.
In Serie A permanently from 2004 to 2013 they had some good years under volcanic president Maurizio Zamparini and managers such as Francesco Guidolin, Luigi Del Neri, Delio Rossi and Gian Piero Gasperini. Their highest finishes were 5th (three times) and 6th with UEFA qualifications. In 2011 they reached the Coppa Italia final but lost 1-3 to Inter. They had top quality players such as Fabio Grosso, Andrea Barzagli, Josip Iličic, Franco Vazquez, Luca Toni, Edinson Cavani, Amauri, David Di Michele, Fabrizio Miccoli, Abel Hernández, Javier Pastore and Paulo Dybala.
They came straight back up to A in 2014 for three more years but struggled (11th, 16th and 19th) and in 2019 went bust again.
They refounded as Palermo Società Sportiva Dilettantistica and restarted from Serie D. In 2020 they took back the name Palermo Football Club and by 2022 were back in Serie B.
They are currently in Serie B but have an ambitious owner Dario Mirri and Filippo Inzaghi as manager. The Rosanero are one of the favourites for promotion.
A turbulent history but possibly a brighter future.
The club colours as mentioned are pink and black. A unique combination chosen apparently as a metaphor of bitter and sweet (defeats and victories). Another version is that the colours represented the rose liqueur (cordial) and amaro drinks the Whittaker family produced. Whatever the origin they certainly stand out.
The club symbol is the Eagle which is also that of the town of Palermo itself.
Palermo have played in various grounds. They started on fields called Varvaro and nicknamed 'u pantanu' (quagmire). From 1914 to 1932 they played at the Stadio Ranchibile. In 1932 a new stadium was built and was called Stadio del Littorio which in 1937 became "Stadio Michele Marrone" (local former player and war hero) and after WW2 "La Favorita" (the lands of Ferdinand I of the Kingdom of Two Sicily's, where it was located)
The stadium is in a lovely position at the foot of Monte Pellegrino. It has been through various modernisations, the most recent for the Italia 1990 World Cup, in 2005-06 and 2022 (for Italy World Cup playoff). In 2002 it was renamed "Stadio Renzo Barbera" (Palermo owner from 1970 to 1980). It now has a capacity of 36,000.
Palermo' fans come mainly from the Palermo area but they have a good following also in the USA and Germany (which have large Sicilian communities). The organised fan groups have friendships with those of Padova and Lecce while their biggest rivals are Catania but Messina, Frosinone and Napoli are also considered enemies.
Palermo's top 10 players for appearances are: Roberto Biffi 337 (1988-99), Enzo Benedetti 286 (1955-1965), Antonio De Bellis 280 (1957-61, 1964-71), Mauro Di Cicco 269 (1976-1984), Alberto Malavasi 268 (1957-1965), Gennaro Santillo 243 (1932-1940), Valerio Majo 241 (1974-78, 1983-86), Pietro De Sensi 237 (1987-94), Franco Landri 234 (1966-73) and Erminio Favalli 228 (1971-78).
The top 10 goalscorers are: Fabrizio Miccoli 81, Matteo Brunori 76, Ghito 53, Luca Toni 51, Gaetano Troja 48, Dante Di Maso 43, Silvino Bercellino 42, Ilija Nestorovski 39, Edinson Cavani and Massimo De Stefanis 37
In 2020 the fans were asked to choose their top XI in history and the votes were for: Stefano Sorrentino, Federico Balzaretti, Andrea Barzagli, Fabio Grosso, Eugenio Corino, Josip Iličic, Javier Pastore, Lamberto Zauli, Paulo Dybala, Fabrizio Miccoli, Luca Toni. The manager: Francesco Guidolin.
Palermo are currently ranked 17th in overall Serie A history. They have taken part in UEFA club competitions five times and their best result was the last 16 in the 2005-06 UEFA Cup.
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