The first official steps of the 2012-13 season got underway on Thursday when the majority of players in Rosanero appeared in Varese to sustain medical examinations and perform athletic performance tests. Soon, they will be off to Malles Venosta in the northern region of Italy, bordering on Switzerland and Austria, to begin the laborious preseason training regimen in lieu of the upcoming season. With the madness that is the transfer market, concrete news has been few and far between. Instead, let Ultra Palermo indulge in a bit of madness of our own: peering into the crystal ball to deliver four seemingly absurd and astounding revelations to be witnessed by Palermo supporters in 2012. Is there a correlation between the Doomsday Prophecies and the Mayans’ warnings of the end of the world in 2012 and the predictions found below? We’ll let you be the judge…
Prediction #1: Giuseppe Sannino will stay on the Palermo bench for the entire season.
Off the bat, a shocking claim to anyone who knows that Zamparini has an irresistible penchant for going through coaches as often as Berlusconi hosts bunga bunga parties. Yet, 2012 will be the year that Sannino reverses the trend, going the distance and leaving many betters brokenhearted, considering bookmakers have him at the greatest odds of being the first coach sacked in Serie A.
Why it could happen…
The past couple of seasons have been bereft with organizational problems. First and foremost has been the lack of a proper DS for a significant period of time. Ever since the resignation of Walter Sabatini, the team hadn’t found a solid solution to the absence. Without a DS, as was the case in the Delio Rossi and Devis Mangia situations, there was no buffer between an easily irritable Zamparini and his coach. Sabatini, time and again, helped with Rossi. Sogliano proved to be too young and inexperienced to deal with someone of Zamparini’s nature and also resigned, leaving a very vulnerable Devis Mangia at the whim of a quick-triggered Zampa. With Perinetti at the helm, the buffer has returned. Giorgio is experienced and provides a calming presence, able to step in and stop any hot-tempered inclinations Zamparini is bound to have over the course of the season. As long as Sannino prevents any long strings of poor results, he’ll be on the bench all season long.
Prediction #2: Abel Hernandez will be relatively injury-free and score 15 goals.
Abel’s tenure at Palermo has, up to this point, been one built on promise and expectation but sidelined by injury and partying. His reputation has been sullied as one who cares more about dancing the night away at the discoteca instead of applying himself in practice. He has shown flashes of his potential in the past, if only briefly, but there is a reason why Palermo continue to believe in him. He’s currently playing with the Uruguayan national team and will participate in the Olympics, and if this is any indication for 2012, expect big things from La Joya.
Why it could happen…
Last week, Giorgio Perinetti revealed that he would have a talk with Abel after the Olympics and tell him he needs to respect himself and the club and that another down year is not in question. Such a conversation, pointing out how important he is to Palermo’s success this upcoming season, could be the charge Abel needs to focus on fulfilling his potential. He has all the tools to break out, he just needs to put it all together on a consistent basis. Let’s not forget, he’ll only be 22 years old when the season starts and this was the same player who stole the starting spot away from Edinson Cavani late in the 2009-10 season. Time to deliver.
Prediction #3: Palermo will make it at least to the Coppa Italia semifinals.
It seems like ages ago, but the season before last, Palermo made a historic run all the way to the Coppa Italia final, ultimately succumbing to Inter in the championship game. Last season, Palermo crashed out in the quarterfinals at the Barbera to a surprising Siena side in a thrilling match that went to penalties. Siena would make it to the semifinals and took a 2-1 lead into the return leg, losing to eventual Coppa winners Napoli. The coach of that surprising Siena side? None other than current Palermo boss Giuseppe Sannino. The man takes the competition seriously and with the unpredictability and indifference of other teams, Palermo can go far.
Why it could happen…
Sannino takes the competition seriously. Considering the unpredictability of the Coppa Italia and the indifference of other teams, Palermo can go far.
Prediction #4: Ezequiel Muñoz will be Palermo’s best defender.
Ezequiel hasn’t exactly had the best of times with Palermo. Since joining the Rosanero, the Argentine defender has had few highs but plenty of lows. He lost his starting spot last season and eventually regained it in the second half of the season. While it may come as a surprise, Muñoz actually performed rather well towards the end of last year’s campaign, but given how unforgettable the season was, you wouldn’t be blamed for not remembering. According to the statistics kept at WhoScored.com, Ezequiel Muñoz was the team’s second highest rated defender last year, behind only the now-departed Matias Silvestre.
Why it could happen…
Muñoz will turn just 22 years old a couple months into the upcoming season and he made some very positive strides towards the end of last season. He is big and physical and needs to learn how to counter his weaknesses and play towards his strengths. With two seasons of Italian football under his belt, he now possesses valuable experience to grow on heading into 2012. Under the guise of a smart tactician like Sannino, the Muñoz of old could soon be forgotten.
There you have it. Four predictions that will make heads turn. What are your clairvoyant calls? Will Iličić become Serie A player of the year next season? Ujkani saves 13 penalties in one season? Budan wins the capocannoniere crown? Let’s see them in the comments!
Forza Palermo!!!!!!!
Thats quite entertaining, especially about Munoz. I defended him season before last but hes just too cumbersome. I just read quite an interesting article on (dare I say it) goal.com about the decline of serie a in the wake of Ibra and Thiago silvas move to PSG. I could really disagree with it after the trip to Palermo. Ive been to lots, if not all EPL stadiums over my lifetime and was in shock/horror/awe/(but of course great happiness too) when I arrived at the Stadio Communiale La Favorita (as the letters read from afar whilst walking to the stadium).
The first thing that hit me was how the area was quite nice leading up the stadium and then as you actually walked up the road to the stadium it was like entering the slums. The amount of replica jerseys being sold on stands was quite a surprise being as here no one actually would ever buy a knock off. The food outside the stadium was incredible and made our “beef”burger stands really look bad, I think i ate three paninis.
Then the biggest two surprises,
firstly: No one had a clue where I picked up my tickets from even though I’d purchased them through the official site, it was as if I was asking everyone could I rape their mum and dad. Lots of people spoke clear english so there wasnt an issue in translation, in the end I found the wooden hut and got my tickets
and secondly: The lack of, sorry COMPLETE ABSENCE of stadium facilites.
The stadium itself, is in a sorry state, but this can be accepted, as this is Palermo, and we are a tight ship, but the lack of club shop, food and drink, dining, etc etc facilites was just amazing. How can a club expect to make any money when they dont offer such basic things to help with the income. The average supporter in the EPL will spend as much on food/drink/tshirts/programmes as they would on the match ticket, this needs to be addressed as a money making scheme to take the club forward.
If this is how all stadium are in Italy then I can see how and why calcio is struggling. Whether you class this as greed or clever marketing you must maximise your revenue. The complete lack of shirts on sale near the stadium was just astounding, the money being lost, especially when there are away fans in the Europa league must be staggering. I had to go to old palermo to get a shirt and this was horrendously expensive. I noticed at the game NOONE was wearing replica shirts and everyone instead opts for the cheaper and easier to get hold of scarf option.
If we get this new stadium these things must be addressed, this has to be a welcoming warming stadium for all fans (but not opposition teams) and we MUST MUST MUST maximise our revenue. At 8euro a ticket and no other money made from the fans it is easy to see why the team struggles but difficult to see why every seat isnt filled. Its quite a vicious circle.
wheres my post?
Lorenzo i just wrote a huge post, please can you see if its been spammed I really dont want to write it again.
I totally agree on the lack of marketing and poor fan amenities in and around the stadium – big bucks being lost. I actually prefer the scarf to knock off jerseys but that’s just a personal choice. I love the slogans on them that are steeped in time ‘ sono bello, sone sano – mia madre mi ha fatto Palermitano’ ..
As for you Lorenzo, I don’t know what to think. Let’s just say IF you are right on Sannino everything else will fall into place.
Ah, it appears my post did appear. Yeah i agree with the scarfs compared to knock off shirts or even real shirts but the money being lost is astronomical
The biggest problem with Italian clubs and the stadiums is that theyre not owned by the actual club. This is the biggest problem imo. Juventus did an amazing thing by creating their new stadium thats owned BY THEM.
As for the team…we have just…so much quality but a complete lack of consistency. As soon as we get on a roll and start getting comfortable, we lose a coach and 3-4 star players. yes, we are a club that thrives on selling big players, but we just cannot have complete revamps every season. Selling Pastore, big loss, but we still had other quality players. Losing Bovo, Cassani and Sirigu while we had an already leaky defense…im surprised we werent relegated..
Im hoping for a good season, though i dont particularly expect it. id be ecstatic with a finish somewhere in the top 10.
2 and 3 could happen. No chance on 1 and 4.
If I were to make an additional crazy prediction, I think we could see EL qualification again. Either through the Coppa like we did two years ago, or even by finishing 5th or 6th (as Inter did last season).
Juventus looks like they will still be strong (though I doubt as perfect as they were last season)
Milan is going to take a big hit by losing Ibra and Silva
Roma and Inter still appears to be treading water, either might be good, but not great
And even if they all manage to hold onto their players, between Udinese, Napoli, and Lazio, at least one is bound to have an off season.
All in all, I predict that 2-7/8 will be a bit of a crapshoot, with only a handful of points seperating the lot. Palermo has made some interesting moves, and if Ujkani and the defense can do what they are capable of, I see no reason Palermo can’t be in the mix.
Now that’s what I call optimism!
I think that the first prediction has a chance if only for the fact that there really can’t be many coaches left willing to take a role with Zamparini.
I hope so much that Abel finds some form and keeps it for more than a few weeks. If we don’t have him scoring for us, it’s gonna be an even starker season than last.
As for the Coppa Italia, a semi-final berth is not completely unfathomable. But it is a very big ask.
And finally, Muñoz as our best in defence. That may be true, but it will be the others are have a deeply woeful time and that spells trouble in the backline… again.
Some good points you made Fozz. This is really obvious stuff. However, Palermo really seem to be making headway into lifting their marketing standards. Things will improve.
Salvatore, a 5th or 6th place for us… I just cannot see it. Really hope you’re right though.
And here is my prediction for this Season 2012-13:
We will win the derby. At home and away.
FORZA PALERMO!!!!!!
I was sticking with the “crazy theme,” but I really do think that this year will be even more of a crapshoot than last year was. It’s there for the taking for about half the teams in the league. Maybe it can be our turn
can this be true? are we actually playing hardball over Balzaretti?!
I hope so, on top of being one of our best players, our defense would be incredibly thin without him.
Only Mantovani is really a left-back (Garcia if he’s staying?)
Labrin, Milanovic, Morganella, and Munoz (gag) at CB (Is Cetto staying?
and Pisano at RB (Aguirrregaray is gone right?)
That’s only 8 defenders, 6 of them under 26, that might be good for the future, but it worries me for the present.
Balza situation ? Why do we always get into positions where there is only one bidder ? Look at the ridiculous transaction for Silvestre ! After the Euro’s Balza’s price zoomed … at 31 years of age the price was, at least 3-5 million Euro – plus prospects. We know Lazio made a healthy bid ( they offered Frederico a personal contract worth 1.4 mil Euro an year) but when Frederico said he wants only Palermo or PSG …we are screwed. We’ll never get anywhere near that price and we could still lose him. I’m not worried about left wingback. Barreto can make that transition if needed. I’m worried about centrebacks. Munoz is listed as starting centreback in our first exhibition game. Jesus guys – is Sanninio serious or is he just trying to find out what the kid’s got left ? ( by the way way – great vid of Miccoli scoring five spectacular goals in training in mediaGol ! )
He loves Palermo, so he doesn’t want to leave, unless its to go to Paris, where his wife is in the Ballet.
Does mean we can’t get top dollar, but he has said he is fine staying, so I don’t think its an issue of him trying to force a cheap transfer to PSG.
Its great, we should hold onto him, make him vice-captain and then captain when Miccoli hangs his boots up. If it is true he does want to stay its fantastic news for us. We need to keep intact our identity to some extent. With zlatan and thiago silva going, the league really does have abundance of “top” talent doesnt it. I suppose Cavani is still envied around the world but will he remain over the summer?
Palermo have bought Sebastian Sosa from Cerro Largo FC for 2.000.000 €. A new young striker. Welcome:)
Yes, perfect. We definitely need more blood in our striker department. i hope Martinez gets some playing time this season.
Does anyone know anything about him? He doesn’t have a Wiki page…
Hello! According to various sources (in spanish):
He was top scorer in 2010 with Melo Wanderers, a team of a regional uruguayan league. A year later he was bought by Cerro Largo, played 19 matches and scored 9 goals, enough to get a call from U-20 Uruguay National team.
A very promising striker who’s been hailed for his fast movement and vision, resembling Cavani.
Corriero dello Sport has a more detailed article about his qualities (I don’t understand italian, though).
By the way, does anyone know if Mehmeti is going to stay? if so, is he part of Saninno’s plans?
Is it premature to anticipate an important season for Vazquez this year? I really liked what I saw last in those few games he played. Maturity beyond his years.
New jerseys look awesome. Especially home and away. Not sure yet how I feel about the black third kit.
Would love to get one with Miccoli’s name on the back, but with the personalization and shipping, it would run me $180+ on the official site. Anybody know a cheaper option? If last years weren’t so blah, I’d just get one of those on discount and call it a day. But I love the diagonal on the away kit this year.
Ebay.it is by far the best place to get authentic Palermo gear–even match or prepared worn–at good prices. Of course the problem is that no one will have the new jerseys to sell for a while, so you’ll have be patient for those. I’ve gotten great match prepared jerseys for far less than replica prices (eg, a couple years back a black 3rd match-worn or prepared Amauri jersey from ’07/08 for $45. ’07/08 is a yr that’s easy to know if the jerseys are player-issued, as the seams of the player ones are not sewn but “termosaldato”–heat sealed).
In any case, there have been a LOT of last yr’s home Miccoli jerseys sold lately for as low as 52 euro + 15 euro shipping to US. If you go to ebay.it today and do a search for “match worn palermo” you’ll see an Ilicic home jersey from last season listed by a seller called ale82g. I don’t know this guy personally or anything, but I’ve bought things from him & they’re real. You can also send him a message via ebay & see if or when he might have access to one of the new jerseys (probably when season starts)–or what he has now & how much it will cost you. You might be able to get a Miccoli jersey from last season for around 50 euro or a little more I suspect. Less than a replica.
If you ever want to see a complete description season-by-season of how to tell a match jersey from a replica you can check out: http://www.la-maglia-rosanero.com/Maglie_Palermo_guida.htm
Anyway, I’ve had good luck w/ ebay.it. Just confirm that they are shipping the packages “raccomandata” (ie, with tracking) & I’ve paid w/ Paypal. I’ve also found August to be a good time to bid on things as many Italians are on vacation.
BTW the official Palermo site said the black jersey was the away & the white was the 3rd. Don’t know if that was just a mistake.
Holy fuckin’ shit, 110€ for a shirt with backprint…I’ve never paid more than 70 before, anywhere. Ludicrous.
Aren’t we playing with any sponsors this season? Really digging the white, not crazy ’bout the weird pattern on the pink one…
Shipping to Australia costs almost as much as the shirt!! I know we’re far away but minchia… €60 to post a jersey!!!
Congrats to Zampa for 10 years at the helm of Palermo and for signing Paulo Dybala ( 12 mil euros on a four year contract ) It’s been a rocky 10 years but it seems like he’s opened up his wallet this year. Still, I wish he’d stop referring to the kid as the next Sergio Aguero.
Now that Dybala is in, do we expect any more transfers in or is that about it?
And what does the squad look like for next year, who can we expect to be starting?
They are heading to London next week to finalize the deal for Rios who is in training for the Olympics with his national team (Abel is there too I think). That should be it for the midfield where we have a lot of depth. There are players to be moved out however and I still get a sick feeling we are going to lose either Migs or Balza.
I’m excited about this Dybala kid. Mehmeti and Sosa definitely have promise as well. I feel like the signings of Brienza and Viola have really flown under the radar, and I feel like they can both have an immediate impact. Does anyone know any updates on those potential Saudi investors? That’d be huge.
Last I heard, Zampa said they were backing out due to fear about all the calcio scandals (including Zampa’s 1 year ban from transfer dealings). Don’t know if that means its off for good, or just temporarily