Month: August 2022

First Division. Well, Italian football was the best in Europe during most of the 1980s – the top players of the world were there. Just a reminder who played in Italy this season: Diego Maradona (Napoli) and his younger brother (Ascoli), Gullit and van Basten (Milan), Boniek and Voeller (Roma), Briegel and Toninho Cerezo (Sampdoria), Passarella (Inter), Rush and Laudrup (Juventus), Polster (Torino), Diaz (Fiorentina), Elkjaer and Berthold (Verona), Casagrande (Ascoli), Corneliusson and Borghi (Como), Junior and Sliskovic (Pescara), Dunga (Pisa), Schachner (Avellino) – and that without mentioning Italian stars, among which young Baggio was already seen. And the star players had star coaches: Boskov (Sampdoria), Liedholm (Roma), Trapattoni (Inter), Eriksson (Fiorentina). Very tough championship indeed and the decision of the Italian Federation to increase the league seemed right and timely – especially in view of the new leader of the country, pulling the whole ahead with great speed to new heights: the comeback of Milan was extremely exciting. A great team and new great coach, a project for long-lasting future shaping the whole continental football too. The very strong teams were 8, yet two of them soared above such tough competition and fought for the title – Napoli and Milan. Maradona vs Gullit and van Basten. At the bottom there was also tough battle for survival – only 2 teams were going down, because of the league’s enlargement, but still… the league was somewhat divided in two halves: 8 very strong teams and 8 fighting for survival. A matter of 3 points between relegation and 9th place, as the final table shows. Of course, the dark side of Italian football was very much alive too…
Empoli was last and out with 20 points. Normally, they would have survived, but 5 points were deducted from their record and that place them last. All habits never die – Empoli did something illegal, was caught and punished.
No comfort – Avellino was elevated above Empoli because of their punishment, but still they were relegated – 15th with 23 points.
Pescara survived – 14th with 24 points.
Pisa – lucky too: 13th with 24 points.
Ascoli – 12th with 24 points.
Como – 11th with 25 points.
Hellas Verona – 10th with 25 points.
Cesena – 9th with 26 points.
Fiorentina – 8th with 28 points.
Torino – 7th with 31 points.
Juventus – 6th with 31 points. Had to play a playoff against city fellows Torino for the last Italian UEFA Cup spot and only penalty shootout clinched it for them.
Inter – 5th with 32 points.
Sampdoria – 4th with 37 points. The other rapidly rising team – a plenty of talent (Briegel, Toninho Cerezo, Vierchowod, Vialli, Mancini, Pagliuca) coached by Vujadin Boskov.
Roma – 3rd with 38 points. Not a title contender really, but strong anyway.
Napoli – tried hard to win a second title, but lost to formidable opposition. 2nd with 42 points. Interestingly, both top teams suffered from matches lost at home – something entirely un-Italian. Napoli lost 3 home games – and won 12.
Milan – coming back at last after years of disgrace and suffering. The story is well known and noticed right on time: flamboyant big owner pouring big money. Alone, money may work, but also may not – it depends a lot on coach and chemistry. Arrigo Sacchi was a great find: relatively unknown, but visionary coach, who managed to translate money into class. Milan had excellent season and won the title with 17 wins, 11 ties, and only 2 lost games. 43-14 goal-difference and 45 points – 3 more than rivals Napoli. Milan did not lose a single match on the road – their lost games happened at home. Impeccable defense, allowing less than a goal-per-game average – that was in line with Italian tradition – but not so great scorers: second best in the league, outscored only by Napoli, but 43 goals in 30 games is not impressive. That again fells right into Italian tradition as numbers go, but since Milan professed attacking football the record is puzzling. Most likely it was a result of the new approach of Sacchi plus van Basten missing 2/3 of the season – he played only 11 games. And it was still somewhat unfinished team – the full bloom was yet to come, part of it would be the increased number of foreigners allowed to play. The big clubs were pushing for that and 3 foreigners will play soon, but not this season. But the great new Milan was almost completed – it was somewhat short team yet, but most key players were already there: Gullit, van Basten, Maldini, Donadoni, Ancelotti. Costacurta was still rarely used reserve. Polishing of the squad to perfection was still in the future, but the most important thing at the moment was to recover leading position and that was done: Milan won its 11th title and their 1st since ill-fated 1979. That’s chronologically – since they were stripped from the 1979 title after found guilty of bribing and match-fixing, it was 10th title and first since 1968. Great recovery of success and pride, but there was still work to be done: Milan never won two consecutive titles. Their strongest decade so far was the 1950s and after 1962 painful period started in which a single title came once in 10 years – in 1968, then 1979, then 1988. Was it going to chance? Especially in such competitive time with 6-7 very strong teams around? The team had the potential and the money – there was hope.

Second Division. Because of the enlargement of First Division 4 teams were promoted this year. One team was punished for its sins: Triestina had 5 points deducted. 5 teams battled for promotion.
Arezzo finished last with 26 points.
Triestina – 19th with 28 points. They had 5 points deducted, though.
Modena – 18th with 30 points.
Barletta – 17th with 31 points.
Taranto – 16th with 32 points.
Sambenedettese – 15th with 32 points.
Genoa – 14th with 32 points.
Piacenza – 13th with 33 points.
Messina – 12th with 35 points.
Parma – 11th with 38 points.

Udinese – 10th with 38 points. That was the club Zico played for? Does not like it… but time passed and so money.
Padova – 9th with 39 points.
Brescia – 8th with 39 points.
Bari – 7th with 41 points.
Cremonese – 6th with 41 points.
Catanzaro – the losers this year: fought for promotion, but ended with 46 points and thus 5th.
Atalanta – clinched 4th place with 47 points and got promoted. The most intriguing Cinderella story: relegated the previous year, but also qualified to play in the Cup Winners Cup. And had great success there, reaching the ½ finals. With some luck it could have the first and only Second Division team to win European trophy. No luck there, but lucky in the championship – thanks to the enlargement of First Division they were promoted.
Lazio – also with 47 points ended 3rd on better goal-difference. Actually, just one goal better goal-difference. It did not matter at the end, for they were promoted, but it was the same case as Atalanta’s – promoted only because the top league was enlarged.
Lecce finished 2nd with 49 points. Promoted.
Bologna were the Second Division champions with 51 points: 17 wins, 17 ties, 4 losses, 62-37 goal-difference. They won a tough race and scored quite high amount of goals for Italian club, but also had unusual leaky defense, permitting a goal per match. But all ended just fine – they were returning to top flight, just like all other promoted teams.

Third Division – Girone B. Apparently, clean season – nobody was found guilty of dirty activities and penalized.
Teramo – last with 18 points and out.
Campania Puteolana – 17th with 21 points and out.
Nocerina – 16th with 30 points. The played a relegation playoff against Catania and lost it 0-2 – thus, relegated.
Catania – 15th with 30 points. Survived only after beating Nocerina in a relegation playoff.
Brindisi – 14th with 30 points. Strange… they had the same points as Catania and Nocerina and better worse goal-difference than them, yet – safely 14th and no relegation playoff for them.
Ischia Isolaverde – 13th with 31 points.
Casertana – 12th with 31 points.
Cagliari – 11th with 31 points.
Salernitana – 10th with 33 points.
Frosinone – 9th with 34 points.
Francavilla – 8th with 35 points.
Torres – 7th with 36 points.
Monopoli – 6th with 38 points.
Foggia – 5th with 39 points.
Campobasso – 4th with 42 points.

Reggina -3rd with 43 points.
Cozenca – 2nd with 45 points and promoted.
Licata – champions. Like in Girone A, two teams finished with 45 points and goal-difference decided the champion – Licata clinched it on better one. Promoted, of course.
There was one more promotion spot and it was decided in a playoff between the 3rd teams in both groups: Reggina vs Verascit Boccaleone.
Reggina won 2-0 and earned the last promotion.

Third Division. 2 groups of 18 teams – Girone A and Girone B. Last 3 teams relegated,top 2 – promoted. However, this season 3 teams from Girone B were promoted to Second Division.
Girone A. Teams with points deducted and one relegated and later readmitted. Apart from that – the usual tough season without clear favourites.
Ospitaletto – absolute outsider: last with only 11 points. They won just 2 games – one at home and one away. Relegated.
Pavia – 17th with 21 points and out. However, they had 5 points deducted.
Centese – 16th with 24 points. Relegated at first and later readmitted. Lucky boys…
Fano -15th with 24 points, but they were also penalized with deduction of 2 points.
Livorno – 14th with 26 points.
Derthona – 13th with 27 points.
Rimini – 12th with 31 points.
Lucchese – 11th with 36 points.
Reggiana – 10th with 36 points.
Trento – 9th with 37 points.
Vis Pesaro – 8th with 38 points.
SPAL – 7th with 39 points.
Spezia – 6th with 39 points.
Prato – 5th with 41 points.
L. R. Vicenza – 4th with 42 points.
Virescit Boccaleone – 3rd with 43 points. Very strong season – almost got them promoted to Second Division.
Monza – 2nd with 45 points and promoted.
Ancona – clinched 1st place on better goal-difference for they also finished with 45 points. Still note the typical Italian low scoring – Ancona scored a total of 35 goal in 34 games. Monza did not average even a goal-per-game: 28 goals in 34 games.