Serie B Matchday 3 Talking Points: Sampdoria sack Pirlo, Reggiana and Juve Stabia replace Sudtirol at the summit
As the Serie B table continues to take shape in the opening rounds of the 2024/25 season, the likes of Reggiana and Juve Stabia share top spot at the end of Matchday 3, but that was not the biggest news from the midweek round.
Sampdoria have parted ways with their coach Andrea Pirlo after just three matches into the new campaign, making an announcement on their official website on Thursday. He is expected to be replaced by former Udinese and Salernitana tactician Andrea Sottil.
While Samp have failed to impress, Reggiana and Juve Stabia have perhaps exceeded expectations with seven points in the opening three rounds. They were able to go on top of the table after Sudtirol lost 2-0 to newly-promoted Carrarese. Meanwhile, Palermo have won their first match of the season after defeats in their previous two games.
Sampdoria struggle to find winning formula
It has been an underwhelming start to the Serie B campaign for Sampdoria, who have picked up just one point in three matches.
After drawing 2-2 with Frosinone, the Blucerchiati have suffered losses to Reggiana and Salernitana. Although new goalkeeper Paolo Vismara committed a horrendous error for the opening goal in the 3-2 defeat in Salerno, Pirlo has not been able to get the best out of a team that has made multiple signings in the summer.
With the likes of Nikolas Ioannou and Alessandro Bellemo joining from Como, Bartosz Bereszynski and Simone Romagnoli adding experience to the defence, and forwards Massimo Coda and Gennaro Tutino arriving in Liguria after impressive 2023/24 campaigns with Cremonese and Cosenza respectively, Pirlo should have had this team challenging for promotion.
Unfortunately, the former AC Milan, Juventus, and Italy Men's National Team great is not producing the same magic that he did as a player, and now his time with Sampdoria is over.
Reggiana efficiency takes them to the top
With Alessandro Nesta joining Monza as coach, Reggiana decided to replace him with William Viali, and the move is paying off dividends so far as the Granata sit on top of the Serie B table.
In all three matches in the Cadetti to date, the club from Reggio Emilia have been dominated by the opposition in terms of possession, but they are dangerous on the counter-attack and get more shots on target.
Reggiana defeated Brescia 2-0 on Tuesday evening thanks to a fine solo effort from Matteo Maggio and a late goal from Manolo Portanova. Antonio Vergara did not score this time after finding the back of the net in the opening two rounds, but he did supply the former Genoa and Siena midfielder with an assist.
An away trip to Pisa on Saturday evening should further test their credentials and see if this promising start is sustainable.
Juve Stabia surprisingly sitting pretty at the top
One of the four teams promoted from Serie C, Juve Stabia followed their opening day victory away to Bari with a scoreless draw against Catanzaro and a 1-0 win against Mantova.
A solitary goal from Kevin Piscopo in the 14th minute was enough for victory against the Biancorossi while attacking midfielder Nicola Mosti provided his third assist of the campaign after capitalising on an error in the Mantova defence.
For their next match, Juve Stabia will travel to Frosinone, who were relegated from Serie A and are struggling in the Cadetti so far. Defeating the Canarini in Lazio would be an impressive scalp in what is already a fabulous start to the season.
Palermo rediscover that winning feeling
Palermo needed to react after their defeats to Brescia and Pisa, and the Rosanero finally got three points thanks to a solitary goal from Roberto Insigne away to Cremonese.
The brother of former Napoli and Italy star Lorenzo replaced Francesco Di Mariano in the 70th minute and it took just six minutes for him to find the back of the net. Federico Di Francesco sprinted into the opposition half and Insigne was able to tap the ball in at the back post.
Cremonese dominated the play with 65% possession, 18 shots to five, and four shots on target to three. However, the Grigiorossi could not get the ball past Sebastiano Deplanches in the Palermo goal and the three points went back to Sicily.
Serie B 2024/25: Matchday 3 results
| Date | Serie B Results |
|---|---|
| Tue, Aug 27 | Bari 1-1 Sassuolo |
| Tue, Aug 27 | Carrarese 2-0 Sudtirol |
| Tue, Aug 27 | Cittadella 1-1 Pisa |
| Tue, Aug 27 | Cremonese 0-1 Palermo |
| Tue, Aug 27 | Frosinone 1-1 Modena |
| Tue, Aug 27 | Reggiana 2-0 Brescia |
| Tue, Aug 27 | Salernitana 3-2 Sampdoria |
| Wed, Aug 28 | Cesena 2-0 Catanzaro |
| Wed, Aug 28 | Cosenza 0-0 Spezia |
| Wed, Aug 28 | Juve Stabia 1-0 Mantova |
Serie B 2024/25: Table after Matchday 3
| Pos | Club | MP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reggiana | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | Juve Stabia | 3 | 7 |
| 3 | Cesena | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Salernitana | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Sudtirol | 3 | 6 |
| 6 | Pisa | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | Sassuolo | 3 | 5 |
| 8 | Spezia | 3 | 5 |
| 9 | Mantova | 3 | 4 |
| 10 | Modena | 3 | 4 |
| 11 | Cittadella | 3 | 4 |
| 12 | Cosenza | 3 | 4 |
| 13 | Carrarese | 3 | 3 |
| 14 | Cremonese | 3 | 3 |
| 15 | Brescia | 3 | 3 |
| 16 | Palermo | 3 | 3 |
| 17 | Frosinone | 3 | 2 |
| 18 | Catanzaro | 3 | 2 |
| 19 | Sampdoria | 3 | 1 |
| 20 | Bari | 3 | 1 |