Position: 17th
Points: 31
Previous season: 9th, 53 points
Best Serie A scorer: Simone Verdi, 5 goals in 24 games and Cyril Ngonge
Rating: 5.5/10
Season overview
Verona earned survival in the relegation play-off against Spezia after struggling for the entire season in the drop zone. They seemed hopeless before the World Cup break. Gabriele Cioffi was replaced by Salvatore Bocchetti in October, but Marco Zaffaroni arrived in December given that the ex-defender, promoted from Primavera, didn’t have the required coaching license to take charge of the team alone in Serie A. The second part of the season was brilliant and saw the Gialloblu conquer 26 of their 31 points.
Turnaround moment
Zaffaroni and Bocchetti’s appointments alone wouldn’t have been enough for the Scaligeri to avoid relegation. The January transfer window brought plenty of reinforcement, including Oliver Abildgaard, Adolfo Gaich, Ondrej Duda and Cyril Ngonge who was a key player scoring five goals in 15 appearances, including two in the relegation play-off against Spezia.
The coaches
Cioffi was sacked after nine matches, but Bocchetti’s start was a nightmare as the Gialloblu suffered six consecutive defeats in Serie A, including one at home against Spezia in the last game of 2022. When Zaffaroni was appointed during the World Cup break, not many thought the Gialloblu would have survived as they only had five points in the table. However, the 54-year-old who took charge of a Serie A club for the first time in his career stabilised the defence and made the team become more unpredictable adding one attacking player in a 3-4-2-1 system, slightly more offensive than the previous 3-5-2.
Player of the Season – Cyril Ngonge
The 23-year-old took Serie A by storm, scoring two goals in his first three appearances. He added one more in a key 1-0 win over Lecce in May and netted a brace in the relegation play-off against Spezia. He was arguably among the smartest purchases during the winter transfer window, surely one of the most useful to his team, given that he contributed to earning survival with vital goals. Lorenzo Montipò also deserves a mention. The 27-year-old was consistent throughout the season and made key saves against Spezia in the most important game of the campaign.
Disappointing player of the Season – Kevin Lasagna
Once seen as one of the most exciting prospects in Serie A, the Italian striker has already turned 30 and only managed two goals in 27 appearances across all competitions this term. The ex-Udinese forward has been struggling with injuries and has never played consistently. Verona managed to earn survival despite not having a top striker. Ngonge and Simone Verdi were their best scorers with five goals each but the likes of Thomas Henry, who suffered an ACL tear in January, and Milan Djuric were not less disappointing than Lasagna in a troubled season for the Gialloblu.