Palermo maintains clean sheet away from home since match against Modena

Almost five months later, Palermo returns to not conceding goals away. In general, in Lecco the rosanero have kept the seventh clean sheet of the season. 7th October 2023 and 10th March 2024: are the days when the Sicilians locked their own goal away from the Renzo Barbera, excluding the first 9 rounds where the same thing happened in Bari (0-0) and Ascoli (0-1). From the 0-2 in Modena, with goals from Henderson and Mancuso that projected the Sicilians to the top of the table (with 22 points), to the 0-1 in Lecco.

This time the lock on the goal defended by Pigliacelli didn’t bring the reputation of league leaders but still allowed a jump in the standings from sixth to fifth place. In the 9 away games that followed the Modena victory, Palermo had conceded a total of 18 goals. Three against Como and Parma (both games ended 3-3), two with Cittadella (2-0) and Cremonese (2-2), 4 with Brescia (4-2) and one with Ternana (1-1), Catanzaro (1-1), Sampdoria (1-0) and Feralpisalò (1-2). Only in this last case, Eugenio Corini’s team found the three points. A fact that confirms once again the importance of defensive solidity, key to success in Serie B and beyond. With the three points taken at the Rigamonti Ceppi, Palermo has therefore broken a sort of spell that had lasted too long.

And won, for once, against a so-called small team in the league, against which the rosanero often struggle. In 29 rounds, in fact, Palermo suffered a total of 4 defeats against teams in the lower part of the table. It is remembered the home defeat against Cosenza (sixth round), the 1-2 at the Barbera against Lecco (eleventh round), the 1-0 against Sampdoria, “small” in the standings but big in terms of reputation (twelfth round), and the most recent 2-3 against Ternana (27th round). In general, against the Umbrians, the Sicilians collected only one point between the first and second leg (it ended 1-1 at the Libero Liberati).

Among the slip-ups against teams fighting to avoid relegation is also the home draw against Spezia (2-2) on 23rd October. In short, the victory against Lecco, albeit hard-fought, is a sign of maturity and spirit of sacrifice. After collecting only one point in the previous three league games, it is too early to say if Corini and his boys have fully recovered after a victory that came furthermore against the bottom team (not taken for granted anyway). It is certain, however, that the three points are very heavy and relaunch Palermo’s ambitions, five days before the big match against Venice. The moment of truth, nine rounds from the end.