Serie B's Renaissance: Why the second division of Italy is worth watching

Italian football is a manic old game, with the Serie A bringing enough drama to have you needing a lie down. But the Serie B has similar drama, with a less polished game and an edge of rawness...

I’ve been an advocate for Serie B for a while now. I think it is one of the best leagues in the world to follow. Not for the quality, no. That’s lacking in some parts but for the culture, the chaos and the fun of it all - Serie B delivers every year.

Take the season just gone, for example. Whilst Sassuolo walked to the title early on, the rest of the league provided. A promotion race between Spezia and Pisa was a great one until Pippo Inzaghi put his foot firmly to the floor, delivering promotion the first time of asking at the club. Cremonese won the play-offs, too, narrowly beating Spezia 3-2 in the second leg of the play-off final.

Most of the drama happened at the other end of the table, though. Cosenza were a lost cause, relegated before the last day of the season. Cittadella had a slight moment of hope, but they disappeared into Serie C as well.

It was chaotic for the final relegation place and the play-out. In typical Italian football fashion, it was mainly centred around finances. Or lack thereof. Sampdoria were relegated to Serie C on the final day of the season, a sad moment for Calcio lovers everywhere to see a club once competing in Europe with some of the best players to play in Italy relegated to the third division. Alas, step in Brescia. Or step in Massimo Cellino, I should say.

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Brescia were deducted points for financial irregularities regarding taxes from earlier in the season. Cosenza were deducted four points for similar, too. That deduction saw Brescia relegated, saving Sampdoria from the drop and giving I Blucerchiati a lifeline. And they took the chance, beating Salernitana (who have suffered back-to-back relegations, by the way) in the play-out and keeping them in Serie B for one more season. Brescia have just had their professional license revoked and kicked out of Serie C, and this will see FeralpiSalo take over the Brescia name creating a Phoenix club. Same name but new players, new staff, new owners. No more Massimo Cellino, which is a good thing. Pretty much, this drama will be forgotten in a few months.

Serie B is much more than financial drama, though. It’s actually a really good league to follow and watch. It’s at the niche end of football, and you risk being labelled a ‘football hipster’ by your friends (just wait until you unlock Serie C levels of cool…). The league is full of teams who were once at the peak of Italian football. The aforementioned Sampdoria, Palermo, and Bari are all playing in the league next season. Venezia are back in the league, too, alongside Monza and Empoli following their relegations from Serie A.

The league has also been a hotbed for talent, as well, with many Serie A legends making their name in the second division before jumping to the big time. Gianluca Vialli started at Cremonese, Gianluigi Buffon with Parma (and Juventus…), Andrea Pirlo broke through in the league for Brescia and Marco Verratti is best known for his time at Pescara in Italian club football given he’s never featured in the top division (somehow). And more recently, we’ve seen some now big names in the top-flight breakthrough in the league. Milan’s new signing, Samuele Ricci, won Serie B Footballer of the Year during his time at Empoli, and Federico Gatti at Frosinone, too. Andrea Colpani had one of the highest-valued stocks in the league at one point, too. Francesco Pio Esposito has made a name for himself thanks to a stunning season on loan at Spezia. If you review past winners of the Player of the Season award since 2010, you can see the talent that grows in the league. Sandro Tonali, Lorenzo Insigne, Marco Veratti, Ciro Immobile, Adam Masina, Domenico Berardi and Stephan El Shaarawy.

Off the pitch and into the stands, it’s a wonderful story, too. I visited Como during their time in Serie B and loved every second of it. The ultras of both Como, the home side, and Palermo were loud and lively. Flares, flags, fireworks. The typical Italian culture. It doesn’t change as you go down the divisions.

And yes, I am not naive enough to not allude to the problems surrounding Italian football and more specifically, Serie B. Crumbling stadia. Financial issues that see clubs fold year in, year out. Dodgy dealings on transfers. Some talent negligence is an issue throughout the FIGC in general. Systemically, Italian football is troubled. And Serie B is at the heart of a lot of those troubles.

But if you’re looking to follow a new league for the new season, Serie B is certainly one to keep an eye on. It’s setting up to be an interesting season, with Pippo Inzaghi back in charge of Palermo, and some new boys from the Serie C coming up to dip their toe and hopefully stay. All that and most certainly some loan moves from Serie A clubs (see: Francesco Pio Esposito) and most definitely managerial madness throughout the season, where we see coaches sacked only to be brought back one week later.

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