contract linked to the promotion – Corriere.it

Some loves never end, Antonello Venditti sang. A phrase perhaps overused in the world of football, where it is often difficult to distinguish between interests and feelings. A phrase that has never been so true if it refers to the career of someone who has made his emotions and ties with the square a distinctive trait: Zdenek Zeman. Four times coach of Foggia (the last one in the 2021/2022 season), twice on the bench of Rome. And now the third lap on that of Pescara.

Zeman again in Pescara: the precedents

The deal is now on its way. The Abruzzo club has chosen to bring the Bohemian back to blue-and-white to replace the current coach Albert Columbus.
The last time was in February 2017, always as a substitute. A return that lasted just over 12 months, before the exemption arrived in March of the following year. The love between Zeman and the square, however, born in the 2011/2012 season.
The magical year of the Verratti-Insigne-Immobile trio, capable of scoring 48 goals and 29 assists. The year of direct promotion arrived with a first place in the standings ahead of Turin. A year ended with the crowds in his native Pescara and the melancholy – but inevitable – farewell: it was time to return to Rome.

Pescara, the latest results

More than 10 years have passed since then. The blue-and-whites are no longer those of the first Zeman and not even those of 2.0. The Serie C championship (third place but light years behind Catanzaro and Crotone), the trio of wonders greeted Abruzzo for some time. The only one left, from that ride, Riccardo Brosco, a 20-year-old defender at the time, now in the prime of his football maturity: Unfortunately we find ourselves in this very bad situation and we players have to shake things up. The sporting director and the president will take care of the rest, he declared after the 1-0 defeat against Audace Cerignola. And President Sebastiani echoed him shortly after: They looked like Real Madrid, we were a C team. There’s a problem.

Looking for the breakthrough

In short, the complicated moment is in Pescara. In the last 5 games there have been three draws, one defeat and only one victory. Too little, for a team that aspires to return to Serie B. We need a breakthrough, and the right man to give it Zdenek Zeman. The coach will sign a contract until the end of the season with automatic renewal in case of promotion. An ambitious goal given that, to achieve it, Pescara will most likely have to go through the playoffs. Complicated, of course, but never mind: for Zeman, football has never been just a question of victory or defeat. Today Pescara needs him. And he replies present.