With the game level at 0-0, Pozzi was charged with the small matter of saving his team's season. After eight games without a win, Sampdoria were not so much flirting with relegation as inviting it in for a coffee. They had begun the afternoon third from bottom, and were now struggling to find a breakthrough against Serie A's softest opponents. This was a game Samp simply had to win. Bari were the worst side in Serie A – a team who had scraped together only 21 points from 33 games and who had been rooted to the bottom of the table since mid-November. Sampdoria, though, had their own problems: November, by neat coincidence, was also the last month in which they had scored in an away fixture.
Gazzetta dello Sport notes that in a hypothetical table where all games finished after 45 minutes, Inter would be 12th, with 43 points. Ever wondered why Lazio's Mauro Zárate seems to play with a chip on his shoulder? Perhaps his other half Natalie Weber has some insight: "In the days before games there is no sex, we play PlayStation, " she said last week. "Then afterwards we make up for it. " Napoli took the lead almost immediately at Palermo – Edinson Cavani slotting home a penalty after two minutes – before being pegged back. Once again they looked limited without Ezequiel Lavezzi, but in the final analysis this team will not be too disappointed if they can hang on to a top three finish.
As for Robinho – huge credit is due for the way he led the line in the absence of Alexandre Pato and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. His finishing has been atrocious at times this season and yet, despite not taking any penalties, Robinho has already scored 12 goals. His overall contribution has been even more significant. The neutral's interest in seeing Milan win the title should have increased dramatically since Kevin-Prince Boateng promised: "If we win the Scudetto I will do a moonwalk at San Siro. Dressed like Michael Jackson. " Inter deserve praise for the manner of their win over Lazio. Down a goal and playing with 10 men after their keeper Júlio César was sent off giving away a penalty after 22 minutes, they showed admirable resolve to win. Lazio ought to have done more to test César's replacement, Luca Castellazzi, himself struggling after picking up a thigh injury during the game, but it is worth noting that Leonardo, for all his mistakes, has won 10 out of 10 home league games since taking over from Rafael Benítez.
Opportunity knocks for Nicola Pozzi to save Sampdoria's season | Paolo BandiniNicola Pozzi almost managed to make it sound like a privilege. "There is no precise hierarchy when it comes to taking penalties, " the striker said after Sampdoria's game against Bari on Saturday. "Our dressing room gave me the opportunity to take the shot. "If "opportunity" was one way of describing the situation facing Pozzi in the 59th minute of Samp's fixture at the Stadio San Nicola then another might be "cripplingly onerous responsibility".
Brescia, five points further back, are already considered a lost cause but their trip to Sampdoria next weekend could yet prove decisive for both teams. Cavasin says his team will need 42 points to ensure survival – seven more than they have now, with four games remaining. That is a tall order for a team who before this weekend had taken two from their previous nine games. Nor does the fixture list look straightforward – the game against Brescia is followed by a Genoa derby, a home game against Palermo and a trip to Roma. Cavasin may be setting the bar higher than it needs to be, but at this stage of the season nothing can be taken for granted. Not even the backing of their own supporters.
That leaves Lecce and Samp level on 35 points, but Cavasin's side hold the tie-breaker by virtue of away goals. Sampdoria won 3-2 away to Lecce (the last time they had scored away before this weekend's win over Bari), but lost the home meeting 2-1 this month. With Parma and Cesena winning away to Udinese and Bologna respectively, and Catania grabbing a point at the last, away to Juventus, the gains made by Samp this weekend were more limited than they might have hoped for.
Sampdoria vs Bari Live Sampdoria vs Bari live starts on 26/12/2023 at 19:30 UTC time in Serie B. Currently, Sampdoria rank -, while Bari hold - position. Looking to compare H2H stats ...
As the manager Walter Mazzarri reflected: "Palermo showed they were a great team. That fact only makes it even more impressive that we are 15 points ahead of them in the table. " Palermo have big decisions to make this summer. The mid-season sacking and eventual reappointment of the manager Delio Rossi has frayed his relationship with the owner Maurizio Zamparini, but there is little doubt that the fans want him back.
Talking points "You write Robinho and you read Scudetto, " declared Gianni Mura in Sunday's Repubblica after the Brazilian's goal against Brescia helped Milan to take another huge step towards the Serie A title. With Napoli having lost away to Palermo, Inter are now back in second but the Rossoneri will not be losing too much sleep about their city rivals, who remain eight points behind. Milan need only four points from their four remaining games to be certain of winning the league. At this stage it is certainly a case of when, rather than if.
Serie A 1997-1998, day 09 Sampdoria - Bari 1-0 (Mihajlovic) Serie A 1997-1998, day 09 Sampdoria - Bari 1-0 (Mihajlovic)YouTube · FZ SerieAHistory2.2K+ views · 9 years ago YouTube · FZ SerieAHistory YouTube · FZ SerieAHistory 2:46
