Pisa are playing the Garibaldi way

"We're at the Officine Garibaldi, we play at the Arena Garibaldi, and I want a Garibaldi-style Pisa.” Fighting words from new Pisa coach Alberto Gilardino, quite literally. He was referencing Giuseppe Garibaldi, the general widely considered Pater Patriae of modern Italy who unified the country and after whom Pisa’s Arena Garibaldi stadium is named.

If Gilardino is to give Pisa a dose of the Garibaldi treatment, then they might just survive in Serie A, a feat that’s been beyond them since 1987/88. When Atalanta defender Isak Hien turned the ball into his own goal on Sunday night, the travelling Pisa fans must have felt a sense of Garibaldi-ism about their team’s abrasive start to life in Serie A.

In that moment, Pisa were beating Champions League team Atalanta. The same Pisa who had toiled in Serie B for two very frustrating seasons after losing a play-off final to Monza in 2022, an opportunity that passed them by and looked like their only to return to the top flight.

Gilardino has to pick up where his predecessor Pippo Inzaghi left off before he upped sticks for the bright lights — and massive bank balance — of Palermo, at least if Pisa are to have any hope of surviving in Serie A.

Drawing 1-1 away to Atalanta is a decent start to that gargantuan task, with Pisa showing resilience in defence against the inevitable onslaught, only conceding to a fine Gianluca Scamacca strike.

Inzaghi had Pisa defying our preconceived notions of modern football last year, achieving automatic promotion with a relatively unremarkable side that ignored the possession football trend, instead utilising direct counter-attacks and counter-pressing football. 

But their greatest threat came from set pieces, with Inzaghi’s team scoring 24 of their 61 goals from set piece situations, with a special focus on getting their physically imposing wing-back Idrissa Toure involved.

It’s no wonder the big man popped up with six goals and four assists, having displayed an innate ability to win second balls and find himself in the right position to shoot at goal. 

Inzaghi repurposed Toure from central midfield to the wide position, a move that has revitalised the player’s career.

It was Toure that played the cross into Atalanta’s box which led to Hien’s own goal and he could claim to be his team’s best outfield player on the night, winning all ten aerial duels and making himself useful at both ends of the pitch.

Set pieces will be vital for Pisa’s survival hopes this season, at both ends of the pitch, and one can read into the hiring of Gilardino as an indication that the Pisa board believe as much.

Their new coach built a strong Genoa side in 2023/24, one which thrived on its prowess from set pieces.

Signing a player like Juan Cuadrado should help them excel there. Sure, he’s a 37-year-old winger/wing-back, but he can take free-kicks and corners, and he’s got a truly remarkable CV at this level.

Their summer business has been quietly impressive, picking up Swiss international midfielder Michel Aebischer on loan from Bologna, as well as striker M’Bala Nzola from Fiorentina, a player who thrived in a relegation-threatened Spezia side, hitting double figures twice in three seasons.

Then there’s Matteo Tramoni, Pisa’s most exciting player. The Corsican attacking midfielder arrived from Cagliari in summer 2022, having impressed for Brescia the previous season.

He had a decent first campaign at Pisa and started 2023/24 with a goal against Sampdoria on the opening day before tearing his cruciate ligaments and missing almost the entire season.

Tramoni came back on Easter Monday and scored twice in the final six minutes as Pisa came from behind to win 4-3 against Palermo.

Despite Pisa’s set piece prowess, their promotion likely would not have happened without Tramoni last year. He missed twelve matches through injury and Pisa won only three of them. For reference they won 23 times last season.

Their mercurial talent’s injury proneness meant he never played more than seven matches without missing one that season, but he still scored thirteen times and assisted another three.

Tramoni scored winners against Brescia and Sampdoria, and struck twice in a massively important win 3-1 against eventual champions Sassuolo on St. Stephen’s Day. 

If Tramoni can stay fit for much of this season, it will be fascinating to watch him go about his business in Serie A. It’s obvious that he won’t have anywhere near as much time and space to impact matches, but he looks capable of making the step up to the top level and he’ll get chances.

Pisa feels like a club in tune with its city and fanbase right now, despite some teething issues in the past couple of years. Their Curva Nord ultras protested against the club in January 2024, after what they felt was negligence from the board that led to reduced capacity at Arena Garibaldi due to safety issues.

Said issues have since been resolved and the Rangers Pisa group are back in the curva flying their Che Guevara flag again. They’re a socially aware, often radical bunch, which is to be expected in a university city, so it’s no wonder that one of the news takeaways from their promotion celebrations was a video of Pippo Inzaghi waving a Palestine flag from the team’s open top bus.

One can’t expect the peace between ownership and ultras/fans will last forever, but owner Alexander Knaster appears to be keeping a slightly lower profile than some other American club owners as he continues to pump investment into the club.

Long gone are the days of charismatic, eccentric owners like Romeo Anconetani, the last Pisa chief to see the club into Serie A in 1990. Anconetani was famous for salting the pitch before matches to the roar of the crowd and for bringing South American talent like Diego Simeone, Dunga and Jose Chamot to Europe.

Though there are bigger cities in Italy, it feels right seeing Pisa in Serie A, even if only because the stadium is a short walk from the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

This Saturday sees the first Serie A match at Arena Garibaldi in 34 years when Pisa take on Roma, who were the opponent the last time Pisa played at home in the top flight. 

While a repeat of the 1-0 defeat from 1991 would be no disgrace for Pisa, they’ll be hoping for a memorable return on a day that will undoubtedly see the Curva Nord bursting with blue and black.

Pisa are making strides to bridge the gap between them and the three teams they need to finish above this year and may pick up another couple of experienced additions before Monday’s transfer deadline, but they’ll need to rely on several of their Serie B stars to make the grade.

Making themselves a threat from set pieces and hard to beat feels like the best way to give yourself every chance to avoid relegation and Pisa seem intent on doing as much. 

If Idrissa Toure pops up with a goal from a corner and Pisa nick a point — or even a win — this weekend, then it might be time to believe the hype.