Before the Christmas recess Car-pi’s relegation looked a foregone conclusion.
The newcomers seemed heading straight back to the Serie B after managing a mere 13 points from their first 17 league matches this season.
Giuseppe Sannino replaced Fabrizio Castori as coach but the change did not bring about the desired effects as Carpi never managed to come out of the bottom three positions.
But things have changed since the turn of the year as Carpi, with Castori back on the bench, collected a remarkable nine points thanks to identical back-to-back home wins over Udinese and Sampdoria and three draws from their matches against Lazio 0-0, Inter 1-1 and Palermo 1-1.
The consistent run confirms that Carpi are far from down and out. They have gone a long way in terms of improvement since the 5-2 drubbing at the hands of Sampdoria on the opening day of the Serie A campaign.
Carpi, who were promoted to the Serie B for the first time in 2013, held current leaders Napoli to a goalless draw on the fifth day but a heavy 5-1 upset away at Roma momentarily brought the curtains down on Castori’s time at the club.
Sannino’s stint
Castori’s successor, Sannino, could not have aspired for a brighter debut as he led Carpi to a 2-1 win over Torino at home.
However, after failing to beat bottom-placed Verona in a crucial relegation six-pointer, club chief Claudio Caliumi sacked Sannino and re-hired Castori.
Again, Castori lost on his debut as Carpi were beaten by Sassuolo 1-0 but gradually the side started showing signs of a revival.
And last month Carpi did confirm the progress they had made since their awful debut against Sampdoria back in August as they started to collect championship points, so vital to keep the chances of extending their stay in the Serie A alive.
Against Inter last month, Carpi played a blinder and never threw in the towel despite going behind just before half-time.
That match at the San Siro showed that Castori had instilled more character and fighting qualities inside his players irrespective of the credentials and pedigree of their opponents.
Against Inter, Carpi kept coming on and on until they scored a stoppage-time equaliser through substitute Kevin Lasagna.
No doubt, Castori was a happy man at the end of the match.
“I am delighted with the performance and the result,” he was quoted as saying at the San Siro.
“Carpi played well in depth, attack space. This year could be better than the last one.”
Last weekend, Carpi, who were still playing fifth-tier football only a few years back, spoilt former Floriana and Birkirkara coach Giovanni Tedesco’s debut at the helm of Palermo with a second-half equaliser, the goal coming from a penalty scored by substitute Matteo Mancosu.
In January, Carpi also gave Milan a good run for their money before going down 2-1 in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
In that tie, Mancosu, 31, scored on his debut following his loan move from Bologna in this winter’s transfer window.
Castori knows only too well that his side is in a race against time to stave off the drop from the top flight. There are only 16 games left and as things stand, Carpi do not have much room for error as they have to catch up with the likes of Sampdoria, Genoa, Udinese and Palermo to stay afloat.
Carpi have two difficult away matches coming up – vs Fioren-tina and Napoli. Then, they host Roma before playing Torino away from home.
Although it is improbable that Carpi can improve their position in the table by winning points in their next four matches, Castori’s men can produce shock results as happened in their Serie A trips to Lazio and Inter recently.
So, it would be a huge mistake if Fiorentina, Napoli and the rest take Carpi lightly.