Palermo and Bari Hope for Some Christmas Cheer On Boxing Day

Such is the cultural importance of football and food in Italy, that managers are measured against one of the country’s culinary staples.

In calcio’s lexicon, managers whose tenure appears doomed are unlikely to eat their panettone, Italy’s traditional Christmas sweet – the implication being they are likely to get sacked before the festive period.

Alessio Dionisi has ridden the storm just long enough to tuck into his first panettone as Palermo manager. However, whether he will get to celebrate New Year’s Day is another matter.

The Rosanero‘s defeat against league leaders Sassuolo on Saturday was their third in a row and left them 12th heading into Christmas, 22 points adrift of Neroverdi, whom Dionisi managed until February.

While Palermo are only two points away from the play-off spots, they are also just four points clear of the relegation zone and Dionisi desperately needs to stop the rot, starting with Bari’s visit on Boxing Day.

Along with the club’s Director of Football Morgan de Sanctis, Dionisi has been the target of the Palermo ultras’ ire over the past month and the atmosphere at the Renzo Barbera on Saturday promises to be just as tense.

So does Dionisi expect to be sacked?

“That’s a question for the club,” he said after the defeat against Sassuolo.

“I thrive on challenges, and I believe our performances deserve better. It’s easy to blame the coach, but if the club shares that sentiment, they’ll make changes.”

This wasn’t in the script when City Football Group spent over €10m (£8.5m) on players this summer to propel the Rosanero back to Serie A for the first time in seven years. 

Billed as promotion favourites, Palermo have failed to live up to the hype, their progress hampered by an anaemic forward line. Only five clubs have scored fewer goals than the Rosanero‘s tally of 18 so far this season and it is no coincidence that three of them – Frosinone, Cosenza and Cittadella – occupy the relegation zone.

Bari have found goals hard to come by too. The Galletti have scored just two more than Palermo and their promotion bid has so far heavily relied on the third-best defence in the league, which has conceded just 17 goals so far.

There’s something pleasantly old-fashioned about Bari’s solidity. With just five wins to their name in 18 matches, the Pugliesi have won the fewest games out of any top-six side in Serie B, while their nine draws are the highest of any team in the top seven of calcio‘s second tier.

Moreno Longo’s no-frills approach delivered a 14-game unbeaten run, but just as Bari climbed into the top four, back-to-back defeats against Pisa and Sudtirol have checked their momentum leaving them seventh, four points adrift of fourth place.

If losing away to fellow promotion hopefuls Pisa could be brushed off as a minor blip, coming unstuck at home against a Sudtirol side that had not won in three months was a major cause for concern.

Longo took responsibility for the defeat but warned his players must learn to live with the increased expectations that come with chasing promotion.

“A tough loss, and it’s on me. We really struggled to get into the rhythm of the game we expected,” he said.

“We must learn to adapt to this style of play. Matches like this are commonplace in Serie B. If we don’t, we’ll find it difficult to compete.”

Both Palermo and Bari will be desperate to find three points under the Christmas tree or else, the leftover panettone could soon start to taste very bitter indeed.