Bari at the last corner, face to be saved. Playoff? Winning in Bolzano and cheering Modena with Cesena

BARI - The impression is that we are, objectively, exaggerating in considering Bari's championship already over. It is no longer the architect of its own destiny, true. It does not show up at this last curve in a mental condition that can be called decent, very true. It continues not to know how to conjugate the verb of reliability, sacrosanct truth. But here there is no need to win on the field of Pisa and hope that Cesena stumbles on the field of a team, perhaps, already relegated. Two results are needed that, despite the widespread depression, must be considered compatible with the reality of a Serie B that has never been more illegible than this year. And on a mediocre andante.

To beat a Sudtirol that is already safe (by the way, congratulations to the timeless and always fashionable Fabrizio Castori) you don't need a very convincing performance. On paper, obviously. Because if, then, you think back to the Bari seen in Cosenza and Cittadella... it becomes problematic to think of anything that could induce optimism. The Emilia-Romagna derby, then. The technical figure of Cesena leaves any discussion open. Also because those of Modena are not doing well on an environmental level. And ending with a defeat in such a heartfelt challenge... would be a further blow to their credibility. Mignani did an excellent job. And for him, yes, the playoffs would be a very important and unexpected goal. Leading a team with a fairly low average age and with very few certainties.

The problem, however, is another. With all the disasters that Bari has caused, especially in the second half of the season, who tells the fans that there is a game to watch and two results to hope for? The distance between the city and the team seems increasingly sidereal. We knew about the clear fracture with the ownership. And it was already a problem of enormous proportions. Then, there was the collapse of the team, capable of poor results and even worse performances. What the people of Bari have had to take in these last weeks is, frankly, disconcerting as well as unacceptable. To the point that any type of analysis is impracticable. The results remain, the only true certainty in the red and white chaos.

The importance of the moment is not enough to dress up as an optimist. In Cosenza and Cittadella the moments were even more delicate. Those games in which you expect players capable of "eating up" the pitch. And of dominating the opponent also and above all on a mental level. You are Bari and whoever is in front of you must understand it immediately, already in the tunnel. Do you think that Longo and his boys do not know that failing the playoff objective, moreover in a season with a very low technical level, would be a stain difficult to erase, even in the long run? They know it and well. But it is evidently not enough. To make the spark explode. To turn on the engine of ambition. This is what the numbers tell. And the attitude.

Depressed environment, they said. And that's fine. Confusion, so much so. It's difficult to read inside a fibrillated present, let alone lean into a future that no one knows anything about, not even at the top. The silences of the last few weeks don't help. Longo doesn't speak anymore, apparently because of a choice shared with the club. The meaning? I don't know... The other night it wouldn't have been a bad idea if, after the humiliation on the pitch, a manager had appeared before the journalists. Or maybe the president, why not? Of course, finding the right words would have been a feat. But at least show your face. The hallmark of respect. At least towards a crazy fan base. Out of passion and a sense of belonging. Respect, yes. More and more just an optional in a football that, day by day, loses more and more values. Crushed in a rampant mediocrity. At all levels.

To sum up. We have to win tonight in Bolzano against Sudtirol. And hope that Modena beats Cesena. Then yes, we would have the pass for the playoffs. Which certainly shouldn't be celebrated, of course. But at least it would be something that helps save face, at least that. We would also have to apologize, if we think about it. But there will be time for that. Hoping that silences don't come back to dominate the scene. Mockingly.