Several clubs are involved in the race for survival and Saturday’s Derby della Lanterna is just one of the many key matches in the final part of the season in Serie A, writes Giancarlo Rinaldi.
With an epic Scudetto battle on the go in Milan, you could easily miss another amazing struggle going on in Serie A at the moment. But cast your eyes to the bottom of the table and you will see a similarly titanic tussle unfolding. At least half a dozen teams are living in fear for their top-flight future with a crucial few games left to play. Their fans might need a nip of rum in their espresso to steady the nerves in the weeks to come.
In truth, Venezia supporters seem resigned to their fate. A form line that is flatter than the Po Valley has left the boys from the city of gondolas struggling to stay afloat. They sacked their coach Paolo Zanetti earlier this week, but many feel it is too late to turn things around. Their January transfer moves failed to patch up the obvious holes in a side, which has found it devilishly difficult to hit the back of the net. The Bridge of Sighs was never more well named.
The only team less prolific sit just above them in the table with Genoa apparently hoping to bore their opposition into submission. Their weekend win over Cagliari blew open the relegation fight and breathed new life into their survival dream, but they remain a pretty hard watch. A mind-blowing 16 draws – pretty much one every other game – means they still have a chance despite a paltry three victories. The upcoming Derby della Lanterna is likely to be tastier than the finest pesto pasta.
Top form award at the bottom end of the table belongs to Salernitana who downed Fiorentina at the weekend for a remarkable third consecutive victory. A complete overhaul in the winter transfer window appears to have done the trick, along with the unwavering faith of a passionate home support. Davide Nicola will deserve a statue in his honour at the very least if he manages to save them.
Rank | Teams | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | AC Milan | 38 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 86 |
2 | Inter Milan | 38 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 84 |
3 | SSC Napoli | 38 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 79 |
4 | Juventus FC | 38 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 70 |
5 | AS Roma | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 63 |
6 | ACF Fiorentina | 38 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 62 |
7 | SS Lazio | 37 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 61 |
8 | Atalanta BC | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 59 |
9 | Verona | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 53 |
10 | Torino FC | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 50 |
11 | US Sassuolo | 37 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 50 |
12 | Udinese | 38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 47 |
13 | Bologna | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 46 |
14 | Empoli | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 41 |
15 | UC Sampdoria | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 36 |
16 | Spezia Calcio | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 36 |
17 | US Salernitana 1919 | 38 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 31 |
18 | Cagliari Calcio | 38 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 30 |
19 | Genoa CFC | 38 | 4 | 16 | 18 | 28 |
20 | Venezia FC | 38 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 27 |
At present, just above the drop zone are Cagliari, but their loss to Genoa means they are hardly sitting comfortably. The goals of Joao Pedro should really have been enough to keep the Sardinians safe, but their leaky defence has kept them very much at risk of dropping into Serie B. Six defeats in their last seven games is their poorest run of the season and it could hardly have come at a worse time. The island outfit are now in serious danger of being cut adrift.
As already indicated, the upcoming Genoa derby promises to be particularly fiery as Sampdoria have also proved singularly unable to shake off the shadow of relegation. An unusual draw at the weekend came after a run of 12 defeats in 15 games which has seen them plunge down the table. With Lazio, Fiorentina and Inter to play, a very tough run-in, heaps pressure on the clash with their city cousins as vital to their continued presence in Serie A.
Even 15th-placed Spezia can hardly rest easy. A splash of form in the new year – when they beat Genoa, Milan and Samp – looked to have reduced the pressure on Thiago Motta but he is now surely feeling the heat under his stylish touchline sweaters. They have a strong record against the other teams in the relegation mire but surely need at least one more victory to feel completely secure. Three home games in their final four matches might be their salvation, although none of them look easy.
Empoli will be grateful for their fabulous come from behind victory over Napoli at the weekend or they too could have been at risk. As it is, six sides know their Serie A future is no better than 50-50 at the moment. If you can take your eyes off the battle for the title for a wee while, the fight to get out of the zona retrocessione is just as gripping in its own way.
@Ginkers
This table is wrong, Lazio sits 6th with 56 points in 34 games.
Venezia look doomed after looking safe for a while. They’ve dropped like Benevento did last year.
No loss if Sampdoria went down – they’re just happy to avoid relegation most seasons it seems.
Venezia, Genoa and Doria. Bad mix of fixtures as well as poor form. Salernitana look like the only team with momentum, so I think they’ll pull it off.
I will though say it would be an absolute disaster for Genova if both clubs go down. Though in all honesty, it has been a long time coming.