Bari at the showdown now all in question

BARI - First point, untie the knot regarding the sporting director. This is the real priority for a Bari that must metabolize the second, terrible disappointment and try to lay the foundations for next season. The contractual situation speaks very clearly: Giuseppe Magalini and Valerio Di Cesare are under contract until 2026. But contracts, as we know, are not the verb. Nowadays in football they are almost waste paper. They only count if both parties simultaneously want to give it weight. So we will have to wait a little longer before considering their confirmation certain. It remains probable, for a thousand and one reasons. But there will be a 360° assessment of the situation and their work will also be a matter of evaluation by the Filmauro top brass, the parent company.

It is possible that the Bari operation will start today. With Luigi De Laurentiis intending to set the guidelines, but not before having learned about the budget allocation in the Roman living rooms. In Naples, certainly, the bar is already being raised by imagining an even more competitive squad capable of performing well in the Champions League. If only to try to convince Antonio Conte to reject the Juventus temptation. And in Bari? We have said it and we repeat it, the feeling is that little or nothing will change. We will start again with the usual "wallet", still hunting for bets to win and that touch of luck needed to fill the gap with the clubs that want to play to win. Will we rely on Magalini and Di Cesare again? It has not been a positive season and it is also normal that there are evaluations underway. It is possible that a healthy discussion will help the parties find a way to start again. Be careful, though. The confirmation of the Veneto market man is less obvious than what was thought in the last few hours. With Di Cesare silently waiting. He, ambitious as he is, would not think twice about finding himself alone on the bridge. With a motivational status at the highest levels. Guido Angelozzi, in the background.

The coaching issue seems much more defined, however. Longo did not convince his age and there was no feeling with the technical area. His value is not in question, we are talking about a professional with undisputed qualities. However, to make credible marriages, 360° understandings are needed. Also and above all in communication. Longo has almost always countered the need to always and in any case ferry messages of positivity with a low profile that has not been liked even a little. Prudence and realism are fine, but at a certain point at the higher levels it seemed that the coach's words took away sporting dignity from the team group. Longo is essentially reproached for this. Also in light of a disconnect with the team that seemed to arise precisely from that public way of seeing things and telling them to the outside.

Longo, however, has a robust contract. Three hundred thousand euros net of taxes, a cost that therefore approaches six hundred. It is difficult to imagine that the De Laurentiis family could get in the way if, in the event of confirmation, Magalini and Di Cesare were to communicate to the club that there is a need for a change in technical management. However, the owner would be very vigilant due to the known financial problems. The two market men would be asked to manage Longo's exit. Trying to obtain a contract resolution with the least possible impact on the budget.

There is no shortage of ideas for Longo's succession. There is a lot of talk about Vivarini, who worked very well with Magalini in Catanzaro and who also enjoys the esteem of Di Cesare (together with Bari). The coach from Abruzzo, however, must free himself from Frosinone with whom he lived a nightmare period. Could he be the right man? We are talking about a highly trained professional and a good man. The problem, if anything, is another. And it calls into question his character. Here, in Bari they need a figure who has plenty of it. Vivarini, on the other hand, has always shown difficulty in managing complex situations. And here, from July onwards, they will have to deal with a very tense environment.

Roberto D'Aversa is also very popular, with Di Cesare in his experience at Parma. Coming off two championships with less than brilliant results (Lecce and Empoli), it might not be a problem for him to accept starting again from Serie B. A heavy salary, around 500 thousand euros. His hiring is unthinkable with Longo still on the payroll. In short, there are things to sort out. And ideas to cultivate. Including that of an emerging coach. A quality young man. This last hypothesis is quite remote. It would take a lot of courage to ride it. And, perhaps, also a pinch of healthy "madness".

THE BIG FREEZE In recent times, a great freeze has apparently broken out between Bari and the Casillo family, who have been alongside the red and white club for many years with a robust sponsorship contract. It seems that the very inspired Coratini entrepreneurs, who manage their companies with great results, have decided to lower their investments in Bari. In other words, a new agreement with Luigi De Laurentiis is missing, who, in fact, is already looking around for a new top-level sponsor.