Finally! The appointment with Serie B has come to fruition. At the Gallery of Modern Art in Palermo, the Serie B calendar was presented. Of course, there was no better place to reveal the schedule than in the league’s biggest city. So, who does Palermo get to face in their fight to return to Serie A? Here it is:
Palermo will certainly be put to the test straightaway. Beginning with Modena away, the Rosanero will face arguably eight teams that are aiming for a top 10 finish or higher in the season’s first ten games. Gattuso and his men will need to start strong and fast. The impatience of Zamparini needs no introduction and the key to success will be maintaining continuity. Ringhio is raw but ambitious; however, he’ll need to be given the trust necessary to avoid the disasters that occurred last season which brought Palermo down to Serie B.
Considering the rest of the league sees Palermo as the favorites, each game will be a proverbial dogfight. Despite having a team roster that would fare decently in Serie A, Palermo cannot afford to take any of the teams they face lightly. There is simply too much at stake to take wins for granted. On top of that, the Serie B season is longer. Each club plays a total of 42 games and there is only one extended break, occurring between December 30th to January 24th. Fatigue will be something that Gattuso and his staff will try to avoid at all costs. The team has been built with the rigors of the schedule in mind.
Enthusiasm is present in the city of Palermo. Earlier this week, the club took part in its very first practice open to the public at the Renzo Barbera. The result? An astounding 6,000 fans present to support the squad. The arrival of Gattuso and the new signings have generated an optimism that has not been seen in Palermo in years. The backing of the fans will be a tremendous boost to the spirit of this team that knows the objective in place this season. There are no excuses. Palermo is expected to return to Serie A next year. Anything short of reaching that goal will be an utter and complete failure.
