Squad
Goalkeepers
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Ivan Pelizzoli (until January) - Pietro Marino
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Nenad Novaković - Andrea Campagnolo
- Christian Puggioni
| 2006–07 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Pasquale Foti |
| Manager | Walter Mazzarri |
| Serie A | 14th |
| Coppa Italia | Last 16 |
| Top goalscorer | Rolando Bianchi (18) |
Reggina Calcio was thought to be a prime candidate to be relegated in the 2006-07 season, since it had been deducted eleven points for its involvement in Calciopoli. At no stage had Reggina renewed its contract with more than a point or two, and therefore its 51 points in 38 games was a very high yield. The Serie A stay was extended thanks to the successful striking force of Rolando Bianchi and Nicola Amoruso, scoring an unprecedented 35 goals between them. Bianchi headed for Manchester City in the summer, and successful coach Walter Mazzarri found a new berth at Sampdoria.
Ivan Pelizzoli (until January) Pietro Marino 
Nenad Novaković Andrea Campagnolo Christian Puggioni | Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Parma | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 41 | 56 | −15 | 42 |
| 13 | Catania | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 46 | 68 | −22 | 41 |
| 14 | Reggina [lower-alpha 1] | 38 | 12 | 15 | 11 | 52 | 50 | +2 | 40 |
| 15 | Siena [lower-alpha 2] | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 35 | 45 | −10 | 40 |
| 16 | Torino | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 27 | 47 | −20 | 40 |
Nicola Amoruso is a former Italian footballer who played as a striker. An elegant, technically gifted, and agile forward, known for his delicate touch on the ball and use of feints, he usually played in a central role; his nicknames were piede caldo and Dinamite (Dynamite), due to his eye for goal. He is currently the sporting director of Palermo.
The 2007–08 season was the 108th season in Società Sportiva Lazio's history and their 20th consecutive season in the top-flight of Italian football.
S.S.C. Napoli returned to Serie A, following a couple of years in Serie B, where the club had rebuilt itself following the disastrous 1997-98 season, when it scored merely 14 points from 34 games.
Genoa C.F.C. had a mixed season, in which it struggled to replace world-class striker Diego Milito, who moved on to Internazionale, where he was key in winning the treble in 2010. Such a player was difficult to find, and his Argentinian replacements Hernán Crespo and Rodrigo Palacio lacked the final punch. Crespo had it in his younger years, of course, but despite four goals in the autumn, he was offloaded to Parma, as Genoa put its faith in David Suazo for the goalscoring. Sergio Floccari also departed, and the Lazio signing scored more goals for the Roman club in half the year than what any player did for Genoa the whole season, while Suazo became a flop. The defence did not perform at expected level either, and even though the team scored several goals by many players, the defensive holes ensured the team did not repeat the fifth position from the year before.
Genoa C.F.C. enjoyed its best season in recent history and finished fifth in Serie A. Topscorer Diego Milito hit the back of the net 24 times, and earned a move to Inter prior to the 2009-10 season. The ex-player and 29-year-old Argentinian Milito, arrived from relegated Spanish side Real Zaragoza, and the returnee performed his best season yet. Thanks to his goals and Thiago Motta's midfield display, Genoa finished in the top 5, and nearly pipped Fiorentina to the final Champions League spot. Motta was also sold to Inter in the summer, which left a huge fold in the Genoa squad.
U.C. Sampdoria enjoyed its best season since 1993–94, when the club finished third in Serie A and won Coppa Italia. In 2004-05 Sampdoria was able to finish fifth in the standings, thanks to a robust defence and a goalscoring ace in secondary striker Francesco Flachi, who played the football of his life. With only 29 goals conceded, the defence of Sampdoria was fully comparable with those of top sides Juventus and Milan, and coach Walter Novellino was hailed for the strong performance in the club's second season since its return to Serie A.
Udinese Calcio had its most successful season for seven years, in which it reached the Champions League thanks to a stable fundament in the team, with several players attractive for bigger clubs. Following the season, coach Luciano Spalletti left to take over Roma, while playmaker David Pizarro was sold to Inter.
U.C. Sampdoria returned to Serie A after a four year-absence, and immediately re-established itself as a team on the top half of the domestic championship. Goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli offered crucial experience, but apart from him did the bulk of the squad play in the 2002-03 Serie B, with top goalscorers Fabio Bazzani and Francesco Flachi quickly adjusting themselves to the higher pace of Serie A. Midfielders Sergio Volpi and Angelo Palombo also stood out. Right back Aimo Diana even earned a call-up to the national team following his performances.
U.C. Sampdoria had a successful season in the domestic league, finishing in sixth place. The club also captured Antonio Cassano from Real Madrid, with the notorious troublemaker settling in well at Sampdoria, helping the club to European qualification. The season also saw the first Serie A derbies between Sampdoria and Genoa C.F.C. since 1995, with Sampdoria winning the second one with 1-0, following a goalless draw in the beginning of the league campaign.
Reggina Calcio just renewed its Serie A contract, thanks to a late surge in the league competition and a successful spareggio against Atalanta. Reggina drew 0-0 at home, and then turned around a deficit to win 2-1 away from home, with Francesco Cozza and Emiliano Bonazzoli being the match-winners. The player who got the most headlines during the season was Japanese playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura, who scored seven goals and created several others. He also helped Reggina to get onto the Asian market, so the signing was largely hailed as a genial manoeuvre by president Pasquale Foti.
Reggina Calcio did renew its Serie A contract on the second consecutive occasion, ensuring the longest stay of the Calabrian club in the top division of Italian football. With returning coach Franco Colomba not being successful in his third stay at the club, Giancarlo Camolese guided the side to 13th place in the league. With only 29 goals scored, Reggina relied heavily on its defence for the survival, and Martin Jiránek plus defensive midfielder Davide Baiocco strengthened their reputations. After the season, Baiocco returned to Juventus, who in turn loaned him out to Reggina's arch-rivals Messina, newcomers for the 2004–05 season, setting up the first Messina strait derby in the highest division ever.
ACF Fiorentina had a fantastic season points-wise, scoring just a couple of points less than second-positioned Roma, but due a 15-point penalty because of the club's involvement in the Calciopoli scandal, it missed out on the Champions League, and had to settle for 6th and a position in the 2007–08 UEFA Cup. New signing Adrian Mutu was able to compensate for Luca Toni not having such a spectacular season as the one before, and both players netted 16 goals. Goalkeeper Sébastien Frey also had a top-class season, conceding only 31 goals all year, despite having a defensive line without renowned stoppers.
Reggina Calcio extended its stay in Serie A by a further season, despite being charged with involvement in Calciopoli at the end of the term. Reggina was allowed to retain its Serie A status, but was demoted eleven points out of its 2006-07 campaign, leading to the general consensus that its time in the top-flight division was running out, given that it had only sealed its Serie A stays by the shallowest of margins before.
Reggina Calcio managed to save its Serie A berth at the last minute, for the sixth consecutive season. Nicola Amoruso delivered 12 goals, which was five goals fewer than in the previous season, but enough to land a deal with Torino for the next season.
Reggina Calcio finally dropped out of Serie A, following seven years of balancing around the drop zone. Following its previous six years, the club had stayed in Serie A by less than three points on all occasions. In 2008–09, Reggina dropped off the pace mid-season and was nowhere near survival.
Atalanta B.C. lost its momentum it had built in its first two Serie A seasons in its stint, eventually being relegated following a playoff against Reggina. The championship was such competitive than Atalanta was only four points away from repeating its 9th place from the 2001-02 season, but instead had to face Serie B competition, losing key players such as Cristiano Doni, Luciano Zauri and Ousmane Dabo to bigger clubs.
Piacenza Calcio once again survived in Serie A, this time being on the brink of relegation, and having to beat Cagliari in Naples in a so-called spareggio to decide which team would stay up. Thanks to a 3–1 victory, Piacenza was able to hang onto their Serie A status, which was all that could be expected from new coach Bortolo Mutti. Despite losing Nicola Caccia to Napoli, Piacenza was able to count on a reliable goal scorer in Pasquale Luiso, who grabbed 14 goals in his debut season in Serie A.
Cagliari Calcio had a successful return to Serie A, finishing in 12th place and reaching the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. This was much thanks to a trio of attacking players consisting of Mauro Esposito, David Suazo and Gianfranco Zola, with Esposito scoring 16 league goals, a personal record.
During the 1991–92 English football season, U.S. Foggia competed in Serie A.
Associazione Calcio Fiorentina had a poor season, finishing 16th in Serie A and being relegated to Serie B as a result. The highlight of the season was a crushing 7–3 defeat suffered at home to eventual champions Milan. The season would also see four different managers at the helm.
