Serie B 2011/12 Review

The 2011/12 Serie B campaign has probably been one of the best in recent memory, with excitement occurring at both the top and bottom of the table. However, the season was also tinged with sadness after the tragic on-field death of Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini in April.

The purpose of this post is to look back on (and laugh at) the pre-season predictions that I made in August.

 

Left : Actual Table - Right : My Predicted Serie B Table

As the above tables show, my pre-season Serie B predictions were way off the mark, despite correctly predicting that Torino would finish in 2nd position. However, my prediction of Sampdoria winning the league was way off the mark, although they did regroup towards the end of the campaign to beat Varese in the playoff final to secure promotion.

I had predicted a successful campaign for Zdenek Zeman's Pescara, however they exceeded the expectations of many by claiming the Serie B title in the final minute of the final match. Despite predicting mid-table finishes for both teams, Sassuolo and Hellas Verona found themselves in the playoffs, and were both somewhat unlucky to not progress to the final.

At the other end of the table, I correctly predicted that Gubbio and Nocerina would be relegated after just one season in Serie B, and AlbinoLeffe's long stay in Italy's second tier is over as they finished bottom of the league. In the relegation play-out, two sides who have recently played in Serie A - Empoli and Vicenza, battled it out to stay in the division - and it was the Tuscan side who prevailed in a back-and-forth tussle meaning that it will be Vicenza who will play Lega Pro football next season.

Quick Summary

Champions : Pescara
Promoted : Torino, Sampdoria
Relegated : AlbinoLeffe, Gubbio, Nocerina, Vicenza
Overachievers : Juve Stabia
Underachievers : Padova
Top Scorer : Ciro Immobile - 28 (Pescara)