Swimming With The Fishes

Really, should one expect anything less when results don't go your way in Sicily? It's true, after such a bright start to the season, Palermo has nose-dived a bit.

The Rosanero exploded out of the gates, winning nine out of their first eleven Serie A games. The highlights of this fantastic run were a 2-1 win at Milan and a 4-0 aggregate victory over West Ham United in the UEFA Cup.

The worm turned in November, a tough 2-1 loss to league leaders Inter Milan was sandwiched between losses to Sampdoria which brought elimination in the Coppa Italia. The bad patch continued into December where they were trounced, 4-0, by contenders Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. To put an exclamation point on the year, Palermo were eliminated from the UEFA Cup, unable to finish in the top three of a group that featured Celta Vigo, Fenerbahce, Newcastle, and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Palermo currently occupy the third slot in Serie A, thirteen points behind the Nerazzurri. The good news: at present, they have a lock on the third Champions League spot. Fourth place Catania Calcio are nine points back of their Sicilian neighbors.

Palermo official sent goat's head [CNN]

-ac