20 May 2023
It was a moment of celebration for Empoli last weekend when they ensured their place in the top flight. A stoppage time equaliser on Monday against the only side relegated so far, Sampdoria, grabbed the point theTuscans needed to seal mathematical safety.
The Tuscan club's Serie A status has been earned on the back of 39 points from nine wins - seven of which at home, 12 draws and 14 defeats.
Let's find out how Empoli's season unfolded.
THE SEASON SO FAR
The first season with Paolo Zanetti as coach started with four draws from the opening six games. The first win arrived on matchday 7 at Bologna, and the team would notch up three more victories before domestic football was put on hold for the World Cup. The heaviest defeat before the break, and in fact all season, was the 4-0 loss at the Allianz Stadium on October 21.
With the resumption of Serie A, Zanetti's team set off on a five-match run without loss, which included a win over Inter and a draw with Lazio, and climbed to midtable. The side from Tuscany's form dipped at the end of February and a stretch of seven losses in nine games dragged them perilously close to the relegation zone.
However, seven points from the most recent three games - the draw with Sampdoria came on the back of wins over Bologna and Salernitana in the most recent outings at the Castellani stadium - made sure the Azzurri achieved their season's objective: staying in Serie A.
KEEP AN EYE ON...
Despite scoring after just 17 seconds when introduced to the matchday 15 fixture against Cremonese, with just one goal in the opening half of the season, Nicolò Cambiaghi's first full season in Serie A started slowly.
However, the Italy Under 21 international displayed more of his potential with two goals in his first two top-flight starts, in February against Spezia and Fiorentina. On loan at Empoli from Atalanta, Cambiaghi has proved pivotal in the Azzurri's season with three goals in his last four games, including finding the net in the back-to-back victories over Bologna and Salernitana.
With five goals from eight starts in 2023, the 22-year-old has shot his way to the top of Empoli's scoring charts.
