A.S. Livorno Calcio : a season of chaos

26^th June 2020 – a date that will not be remembered in the history of Italian football, but this date is significant for Livorno fans ; it  marks the last time Livorno were victorious in the recent Serie B campaign. The match ended 3-2 to the Amaranto, & it was enjoyable to watch attacking football from a team that fighting  for its survival.  However it was not enough to avoid relegation as it was only the 5^th win of the season. Bottom of the league with a measly 21 points ; the win against Juve Stabia seems like a long-time ago now.

So, what went wrong & who is to blame for this mess of a season ? 

To fully analyse the current situation, you need to look at Livorno’s past & one central character in the recent history of Livorno is current club president ; Aldo Spinelli. For 21 years Spinelli (with his trademark yellow raincoat) has owned the club & it is fair to suggest that his presidency has seen highs & lows. It was under Spinelli that Livorno were promoted to Serie A in 2004 after 55 years away from the league. Livorno also made their debut in the UEFA cup back in 2006 (although the Calciopoli scandal helped Livorno gain a place in the UEFA cup first round). The excursion in the UEFA cup is now a distant memory as since 2006 Livorno have been relegated & promoted in equal measure since. 

One characteristic of the Spinelli presidency is the tendency to loan players from other clubs. This was evident during last season, when around 7 players who were on loan to Livorno were returned to their parent clubs after their loan contacts expired in July. This had a devastating impact on the squad as coach Antonio Filippini had to rely on inexperienced squad members in order to fill the gap left by the departing loanees. This factor accelerated Livorno’s departure from Serie B. Spinelli has announced that he is selling the club, this is a relief to the majority of fans, as many accuse Spinelli of not investing in the club. There was a brief glimmer of hope when Spinelli entered negotiations with Dutch based businessman ; Majid Yousif. Negotiations took place in February & it did appear that this sale was going to take place. Fans (including myself) were looking forward to the sale. Unfortunately  the sale was postponed as Yousif was arrested in Holland on the suspicion of money laundering. The club is still for sale & there are other interested parties, with one consortium from the Veneto region being the frontrunner. We could be witnessing the last days of the Spinelli era. 

LIVORNO, ITALY – OCTOBER 26 : Aldo Spinelli president of AS Livorno Calcio gestures during the Serie B match between AS Livorno and Pisa SC at Stadio Armando Picchi . (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Things could & should have been different. The 2017-2018  season saw Livorno promoted from Serie C after topping Group A. The season is also remembered for the 2-0 home victory against local rivals Pisa. There was so much optimism for the upcoming season & this optimism increased when the club announced the return of an icon ; Cristiano Lucarelli. As many calcio followers know, Lucarelli is famous for his left-wing political beliefs & taking a pay cut in order to play for Livorno, his hometown club back in 2003. Lucarelli was appointed coach which was a master stroke in terms of public relations for the club. He was unveiled in front of fans inside the Stadio Armando Picchi. The club also managed to sign Alessandro Diamanti (who previusly played for Livorno from 2007-2009), as with Lucarelli’s appointment, the news of Diamanti joining was seen as another positive move among the Livorno tifosi. 

This optimism was short lived as Lucarelli struggled & was eventually sacked in November 2018 & was replaced by Roberto Breda. By the time Breda took over Livorno were 19^th, bottom of the league. To his credit Breda improved the fortunes of the squad & the team ended the season in 13^th place with 39 points, one point above the relegation playout zone. It was a miracle that Livorno survived the battle to avoid relegation.

Alarm bells should have rang for Spinelli, however the old tactic of relying on loan players continued into the next season (as I have discussed previously). Before the season commenced, news broke that Diamanti would be leaving. This was a disaster, as Diamanti played an integral part in Livorno’s relegation survival; his 10 goals were a significant contribution. Without Diamanti & his goals, Livorno were going to find it difficult to avoid relegation. Breda himself was relieved of his duties in December & was replaced by Paolo Tramezzani. Tramezzani faied to improve the fortunes as the club were still bottom of the league when his was sacked & replaced by Breda in February. This main strange to reappoint a sacked coach, but Breda was still had a contract with the club. Breda’s second spell sis not last long as the continued losses resulting Filippini replacing him in March. At this point it was clear that Livorno were going to be relegated. 

LIVORNO, ITALY – JULY 10 : The terrible disappointment of the Livorno players, relegated to Serie C
after an umpteenth defeat against Cremonese (1-2).
(Photo by Simone Panizzi/QuiLivorno.it-sport)

And so it came to pass, Livorno will start the new season back in Serie C. With the clubs future uncertain & countless news regarding different parties looking to buy the club. It will be difficult to to bounce back into Serie B. The chaos has also effected the backroom staff with veteran goalkeeper coach Pietro Spinosa leaving in July (before the  conclusion of the season), Spinosa has recently joined Ternana who are now managed by a familiar face ; Lucarelli.

Having followed Livorno since 2006 (I’ve been going to games for 6 years now) after seeing them on TV in the UK when they faced Rangers in the UEFA cup, it is sad to see the fortunes of the club fall this dramatically. Spinelli missed an opportunity to build on the European adventure to ensure that the cub could establish a long lasted presence in Serie A. But as it currently stands, the club are facing a battle in Serie C. However, one thing is certain, no matter what league the club are in, I’ll be cheering them on from the Curva Nord. 

By Philip Crawford.

@Philip_C1915 on Twitter.

The club behind the wall : A.S. Cittadella’s Promotion Dream

For those outside the medieval walls that house the Comune di Cittadella, Claudio Foscarini’s name may mean little. A Treviso-born, Venetian native with sunken dark eyes, Foscarini spent ten fruitful years as Head Coach of Associazione Sportiva Cittadella S.r.l. before parting ways at the conclusion of the 2014/15 season.

Upon departing, Foscarini could proudly look back at several seasons spent overachieving amongst sides with deeper pockets, greater fanbases, and wealthier histories. Yet, there remained a tinge of regret with the circumstance preceding departure. Across 42 fixtures, Foscarini’s Cittadella side won only nine matches and drew 17 times, therefore losing 38% of their Serie B matches. The difference that a solitary home goal against the likes of Crotone, Ternana or Livorno (all draws) could have made was ultimately the difference between survival and relegation.

In the absence of Foscarini, both fans and commentariat grew dismissive of Citta’s future prospects. Where Foscarini had brought longevity, stability and a specific know-how recognisable to Cittadella, his departure would surely herald an age of uncertainty as a new coach would set about negotiating the tricky terrain of imposing his own ideas on the club while remaining respectful to the mechanisms of recent successes.

In came the 52 year old Roberto Venturato. Although born in Australia, Venturato had spent most of his life around Veneto and was very aware of the geographic limitations of a club like Citta. That Stadio Pier Cesare Tombolato could house fewer than 8,000 fans was understood. That the Comune di Cittadella had a general populace of just over 20,000 was understood. That A.S. Cittadella must return to Serie B was understood.

On the 5th of December 2015, Venturato’s Cittadella travelled east to the Ottavio Bottecchia stadium in Pordenone. Although their opponents that day would offer the greatest competition to Cittadella’s promotion bid, Venturato’s men convincingly won thanks to goals from Gianluca Litteri, Giulio Bizzotto, and Lucas Chiaretti. Those that had previously been dismissive of Citta’s chances of a relative rebirth following the departure of Foscarini took note, and as the Ventian side cruised to the Lega Pro championship, few could argue that Venturato’s side were not worthy winners.

Of the 2015/16 Lega Pro victors, one player in particular continues to play for Cittadella to this day. Having already played for the club between 2006 and 2009, Manuel Iori returned to Cittadella in 2015 and provided much needed experience from the centre of midfield. With 470 competitive matches and counting under his belt, the immaculately groomed Iori – now 37- continues to upset the odds with Cittadella from the base of midfield. In a 4-3-2-1 not too dissimilar to that which Marco Giampaolo found great success with at Empoli, and Maurizio Sarri continues to tinker with when playing Aaron Ramsey and Paolo Dybala, Iori is tasked with disrupting the spaces where opportunity lurks; breaking up moves by simply knowing where to stand before feeding his more creative teammates.

Whereas Foscarini’s last season saw Cittadella amass draws in Serie B, Venturato’s first in Serie B with Cittadella became a study in the extreme. Across the 42 matches played, Cittadella won 19, drew 6, and lost 17 to place 6th and guarantee themselves a shot at promotion through the play-offs thanks in part to the goals of former Internazionale youth Gianluca Litteri.

Although a preliminary round defeat to Carpi halted aspirations of top flight grandeur, the early reign of Venturato had breathed fresh life into the previously mouldering body of Padua’s provincial club and, as such, simmering expectations were at an all new high ahead of the 2017/18 campaign. 

Having featured somewhat casually from the bench in the previous campaign, current Genoa star Christian Kouame became the breakout performer of a season where Venturato’s charges again finished 6th in the 4-3-1-2 that had guided them to the playoffs in the year before. After turning several of the 17 defeats of 2016/17 into draws for 2017/18, Citta progressed to the playoff semi finals, only to miss out on promotion to eventual playoff winners Frosinone. Pocketing just shy of £5 million with the sale of 11-goal Kouame, questions were raised of Cittadella’s ability to overcome a second successive playoff defeat to mount another challenge at the right end of the table.

Once more the doubting murmurs muted over a 36 game season as Citta finished in the playoff positions (7th). Where once stood Kouame and Marco Varnier, a new cohort of future stars began to ply their trade at Stadio Pier Cesare Tombolato to reaffirm Cittadella’s credentials as a hotbed for blooding young talent. As January came around, Venturato used his reputation for developing young players to bring SPAL forward and former Italy U21 star Gabriele Moncini to Veneto. 12 goals in 17 matches later, a Citta side in the ascendency thanks to Moncini, hidden talent Giuseppe Panico, and the rapidly maturing Domenico Frare overcame Spezia and Benevento to set up a mouth watering playoff final double header with Hellas Verona.

Last time Cittadella and Hellas had met in the league, Citta had romped to an impressive 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Iori, Moncini, and the often overlooked Davide Diaw but Venturato remained unmoved. Quick to suggest that previous meetings had little impact on the final, Venturato focused solely on a Hellas side that had beaten Perugia and Pescara in a bid to reach Serie A.

In the first leg at Pier Cesare, a well-drilled Cittadella side played out their master’s plan to perfection as they opted to control spaces rather than possession following a 6th minute Diaw goal. As Diaw doubled his tally and that of his team’s in the 80th minute, Cittadella had created 14 chances (matched by Hellas) from a mere 37% possession. For the first time since the club’s founding in 1973, Cittadella were in touching distance of top flight football but it was not to be.

Upon arrival at Verona’s Bentegodi, an unease permeated through Cittadella as an inability to handle the great expanse of 90 minutes football began to tug at their ambitions. Where once an airiness accompanied the disciplined framework of Venturato’s side, a painful traction between fight and flight developed in Citta’s central areas.

Mistakes between transitions proved costly as Mattia Zaccagni broke the offside trap to give I Gialloblu an early shot of adrenaline. Moments after Luca Parodi was dismissed for Cittadella, Samuel Di Carmine offered a picturesque flick at the near post to level the scores on aggregate. The Benetgodi rocked as Verona pushed on.

On 77 minutes, Federico Proia joined Parodi in the changing rooms to leave Citta with 9 men and a loss of hope. As Karim Laribi rounded Alberto Paleari on 83 minutes, the Venitian dream was over as Venturato’s side succumbed to Alfredo Aglietti’s Verona. For the third season running, it was to be a tale of playoff heartbreak.

And so to the current campaign. A summer spent nursing the wounds of the most devastating playoff defeat yet saw several low budget transfers and loans arrive in Cittadella as the likes of Simone Pasa, Nicholas Siega, and Luca Parodi departed the club. Like many of the previous campaigns, predictions of success after adversity remain slight as Venturato looks for a reaction from the regulars and a spark of something novel from the new boys. Roma loanee Žan Celar arrives as a forward not afraid of confrontation and should offer an additional dimension to the frolicking of Panico and the more direct Diaw.

Two early and heavy defeats to Spezia (0-3) and Benevento (4-1) raised concerns that this may prove one season too far for Venturato’s overachievers but wins against Trapani (2-0), Pescara (2-1), and Juve Stabia (0-1) have gone someway to resetting the balance with Diaw scoring in each of the wins. It remains to be seen if Citta can match the likes of recently relegated Empoli in a push for automatic promotion but few at this point would bet against another season ending in the playoff positions. 

As more fancied sides catch the lens’ glare, Cittadella are happy to remain the unfancied darkhorse of Serie B in the hope that this campaign sees them continue the trend of their previous three seasons in which they have gone one step further than that of the preceding campaign. Should that continue, Venturato will find himself face to face with the likes of Antonio Conte, Carlo Ancelotti, and Maurizio Sarri at the pinnacle of Italian football, catapulting Cittadella to heights that they can only dream of at the moment.

James Mclean. @SerieAJim on Twitter.