Bologna vs Palermo preview - Guaraldi backing Piolo

Posted Sunday, November 18, 2012 by PA

Bologna coach Stefano Pioli has received a vote of confidence ahead of Sunday's game against his former club Palermo at the Stadio Dall'Ara.

The Rossoblu have slumped to second from the bottom of Serie A off the back of a run of five defeats in their past six games while they have not won since beating Catania on September 30.

Nevertheless, club president Albano Guaraldi still believes Pioli is the right man to guide the club back up the table and away from danger.

"The situation is serious, but it is not compromised," he said. "He (Pioli) enjoys my maximum faith, as a man and as a coach.

"The only way out of this phase is by remaining united."

According to Guaraldi, the situation is different now to how it was a year ago, when he sacked Pierpaolo Bisoli and appointed Pioli.

"There wasn't the right cohesion between the players and the coach," he told the Corriere dello Sport.

"It's not like that this year. The team is following Pioli and we are lacking something small to turn things around.

"The only way out of a hole is by everybody giving each other a hand."

That is what has happened at Palermo since Gian Piero Gasperini took charge in September, although the results did not arrive immediately.

The Rosaneri lost their first two matches under the guidance of the former Genoa coach, but a run of five games unbeaten and just one defeat in their past seven matches has managed to lift the Sicilians away from danger.

Even the absence of Fabrizio Miccoli, which is likely to be the case again tomorrow, no longer seems to be a problem with Paulo Dybala emerging with two goals against Sampdoria last weekend.

"He is a player who knows his way to goal," said Gasperini of the 19-year-old.

"He has all that it takes to become a great player."