Torino and Samp among the elite

On Saturday, Sampdoria overcame Varese with a last-gasp Nicola Pozzi goal to emerge 4-2 winners on aggregate in a promotion play-off and become the third promoted side to the Serie A along with Pescara and Torino.

Samp had started the season with Gianluca Atzori in charge. However, the former Catania coach’s stint at the Marassi was short-lived after a stuttering start.

Atzori was replaced by the more experienced Giuseppe Iachini in November, at a time when Sampdoria were lagging behind in seventh place.

At first, the team did little to suggest they had shrugged aside their poor performances.

However, Samp’s campaign took a twist in the right direction in January when they overhauled the squad by offloading some of their players, including captain Angelo Palombo, and signed a few who looked more suitable and motivated to play in Serie B.

At the end of the first round, Sampdoria were 11th with only 26 points. In the second round, they amassed 41 points to finish sixth and a slot in the play-offs.

In the semi-finals, Samp eased their way past third-placed Sassuolo first before dispensing of fifth-placed Varese to return to the top flight after only one year in the doldrums.

So, Sampdoria became the third side coached by Iachini to win promotion to the Serie A after Chievo (2008) and Brescia (2010).

Torino, too, made a much-awaited return to the Serie A after three seasons in the second-tier of the Italian game.

Torino won the right to play in Serie A after a very consistent campaign. Looking back, promotion was practically never in jeopardy bar a few weeks towards the end of the season.

The Maroons finished level on points with Pescara (83 points each) with the latter being crowned champions due to a better head-to-head record.

Last season, Torino had opted for an experienced coach in Gianpiero Ventura.

In the past, he had helped Lecce (1996/97) and Cagliari (1997/98) to secure promotion from Serie B so he knew a thing or two about the task he had in hand.

At the half-way stage, Torino were leading the standings with 42 points, one ahead of Verona and two above Sassuolo.

Torino built the foundations of their successful campaign at home where they notched 52 points in 21 outings.

Ventura transformed the Olympic Stadium into a fortress as Verona were the only side to leave Turin with the three points last season.

Prague-born Zdenek Zeman, 65, was the mastermind behind Pescara’s return to the top division after a 19-year absence.

Pescara started the season with no particular ambition other than to secure a trouble-free mid-table spot as early as possible while Zeman sought to launch the career of young players Marco Verratti, Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne.

Pescara’s attacking style confounded the pundits and in the end it was no surprise that they finished so high in the classification at the expense of more-quoted sides like Sampdoria, Padova and Verona.

Zeman decided to re-join Roma in the off-season and last weekend it was confirmed that Pescara will be managed by novice Giovanni Stroppa, a star player for Foggia in the early 1990s at a time when Zeman was in charge.

At the wrong end of the table, AlbinoLeffe, Gubbio, Nocerina and Vicenza all lost their fight against relegation.

Vicenza were doomed to the Lega Pro after a two-legged decider with Empoli.