2010–11 Serie B
# 2010–11 Serie B

The 2010–11 Serie B (known as the Serie bwin for sponsorship reasons) is the seventy-ninth season since its establishment in 1929, and the first one under the rule of the new Lega Serie B. A total of 22 teams contest the league, 15 of which returned from the 2009–10 season, 4 of which have been promoted from Lega Pro Prima Divisione, and three relegated from Serie A.

## Events

On 25 April 2010, Livorno became the first team to be mathematically relegated to the league from Serie A; on the same day, Novara put an end to a 33-year absence from the division by becoming Lega Pro Prima Divisione/A champions in advance of two weeks.

On 2 May 2010, Siena became the second team to get relegated from Serie A, putting an end to a seven-year consecutive stay in the Italian top flight.

On 9 May 2010, Atalanta were mathematically relegated into the Serie B; on the same day, Portogruaro won the Lega Pro Prima Divisione/B title, thus ensuring themselves participation in the Italian second tier in a historical first team for the small Venetian club.

On 13 June 2010, Varese and Pescara became the other two teams promoted from the third tier as playoff winners.

On 22 June 2010, it was announced that newly promoted Portogruaro would play the first games of the new season at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, in order to allow renovation plans for the club's home stadium in Portogruaro, which is considered too small for Serie B standards; according to the club's general manager Paolo Mio, Portogruaro is expected to play at least the first four or five home games in Udine.

On the deadline of 7 July, Ascoli and Ancona ultimately failed to fulfill the financial requirements and were expelled from the league, while Portogruaro was expelled because the club did not fulfill bureaucratic requirements. On July 16, 2010 the Federal Council readmitted Ascoli and Portoguraro to Serie B championship, and excluded Ancona, who subsequently announced their intention to appeal the decision to the Italian Olympic Committee.

On 23 July, Ancona's appeal was rejected, but the club filed another appeal to an administrative court in Rome. Such appeal was rejected on 3 August, thus formalizing Ancona's exclusion from the league. On 4 August, the Federal Council decided to bring back Triestina to fill the vacancy.

On 28 October, the Venice prefecture signed the authorization that allowed Portosummaga to play its home matches at the Stadio Piergiovanni Mecchia, which had undergone renovation works during the summer, including the installation of a new stand.

## Teams

### Stadiums and locations

| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity | 2009–10 season |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| AlbinoLeffe | Albino and Leffe (playing in Bergamo) | Atleti Azzurri d'Italia | 26,393 | 11th in Serie B |
| Ascoli | Ascoli Piceno | Cino e Lillo Del Duca | 20,000 | 9th in Serie B |
| Atalanta | Bergamo | Atleti Azzurri d'Italia | 26,393 | 18th in Serie A |
| Cittadella | Cittadella | Pier Cesare Tombolato | 7,500 | 6th in Serie B |
| Crotone | Crotone | Ezio Scida | 9,631 | 8th in Serie B |
| Empoli | Empoli | Carlo Castellani | 19,795 | 10th in Serie B |
| Frosinone | Frosinone | Matusa | 9,680 | 16th in Serie B |
| Grosseto | Grosseto | Carlo Zecchini | 9,909 | 7th in Serie B |
| Livorno | Livorno | Armando Picchi | 19,238 | 20th in Serie A |
| Modena | Modena | Alberto Braglia | 20,507 | 12th in Serie B |
| Novara | Novara | Silvio Piola | 10,106 | Lega Pro Prima Divisione/A Champions |
| Padova | Padua | Euganeo | 32,336 | 19th in Serie B |
| Pescara | Pescara | Adriatico | 24,500 | Lega Pro Prima Divisione/B Playoff Winners |
| Piacenza | Piacenza | Leonardo Garilli | 21,668 | 15th in Serie B |
| Portogruaro | Portogruaro | Piergiovanni $Mecchia^1$ | 3,335 | Lega Pro Prima Divisione/B Champions |
| Reggina | Reggio Calabria | Oreste Granillo | 27,454 | 13th in Serie B |
| Sassuolo | Sassuolo (playing in Modena) | Alberto Braglia | 20,507 | 4th in Serie B |
| Siena | Siena | Artemio Franchi | 15,373 | 19th in Serie A |
| Torino | Turin | Olimpico di Torino | 27,994 | 5th in Serie B |
| Triestina | Trieste | Nereo Rocco | 32,454 | 18th in Serie B |
| Varese | Varese | Franco Ossola | 8,213 | Lega Pro Prima Divisione/A Playoff Winners |
| Vicenza | Vicenza | Romeo Menti | 17,163 | 14th in Serie B |

$^1Portogruaro$ played the first 5 home matches at Stadio Friuli in Udine.

### Personnel and kits

| Team | President | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| AlbinoLeffe | Gianfranco Andreoletti | Daniele Fortunato | Acerbis | UBI Assicurazioni, Studio Casa Agenzie Immobiliari |
| Ascoli | Roberto Benigni | Fabrizio Castori | Legea | Carisap, CIAM |
| Atalanta | Antonio Percassi | Stefano Colantuono | Erreà | Axa, Daihatsu |
| Cittadella | Andrea Gabrielli | Claudio Foscarini | Garman | Siderurgica Gabrielli |
| Crotone | Salvatore Gualtieri | Leonardo Menichini | Zeus | Sovreco |
| Empoli | Fabrizio Corsi | Alfredo Aglietti | Asics | NGM Mobile, Computer Gross |
| Frosinone | Maurizio Stirpe | Salvatore Campilongo | Legea | Banca Popolare del Frusinate, Provincia di Frosinone |
| Grosseto | Piero Camilli | Michele Serena | Erreà | Industria Lavorazione Carni Ovine, Banca della Maremma |
| Livorno | Aldo Spinelli | Walter Novellino | Legea | Banca Carige |
| Modena | Ninetto Sgarbi | Cristiano Bergodi | Givova | CPL Concordia, Immergas |
| Novara | Carlo Accornero | Attilio Tesser | Sportika | Banca Popolare di Novara, Intesa pour Homme |
| Padova | Marcello Cestaro | Alessandro Dal Canto | Lotto | Famila, Cassa di Risparmio del Veneto |
| Pescara | Giuseppe De Cecco | Eusebio Di Francesco | Legea | Pail Serramenti, Humangest |
| Piacenza | Fabrizio Garilli | Armando Madonna | Macron | UNICEF, Banca di Piacenza |
| Portogruaro | Francesco Mio | Andrea Agostinelli | Givova | Arreghini, Autostar |
| Reggina | Pasquale Foti | Gianluca Atzori | Onze | Provincia di Reggio Calabria/La Fabbrica dello Sport/Canale/Mobilya Design/Progetto5/Zappalà/Goalsbet Italia, Stocco&Stocco |
| Sassuolo | Carlo Rossi | Paolo Mandelli | Sportika | Mapei |
| Siena | Massimo Mezzaroma | Antonio Conte | Kappa | Banca Monte dei Paschi |
| Torino | Urbano Cairo | Franco Lerda | Kappa | Italporte/Fratelli Beretta, Dahlia TV |
| Triestina | Stefano Fantinel | Sandro Salvioni | Legea | Fantinel, Testa & Molinaro/Friuli Venezia Giulia |
| Varese | Antonio Rosati | Giuseppe Sannino | Onze | Oro in Euro, Gruppo Ing. Claudio Salini/Temporary |
| Vicenza | Danilo Preto | Rolando Maran | Max Sport | Banca Popolare di Vicenza |

## Managerial changes

### Before the start of the season

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ascoli | Giuseppe Pillon | End of contract | 1 July 2010 | Elio Gustinetti | 1 July 2010 |
| Siena | Alberto Malesani | End of contract | 1 July 2010 | Antonio Conte | 1 July 2010 |
| Livorno | Gennaro Ruotolo | End of caretaker spell | 1 July 2010 | Giuseppe Pillon | 1 July 2010 |
| Empoli | Salvatore Campilongo | End of contract | 1 July 2010 | Alfredo Aglietti | 1 July 2010 |
| Piacenza | Massimo Ficcadenti | End of contract | 1 July 2010 | Armando Madonna | 7 July 2010 |
| Sassuolo | Stefano Pioli | Mutual consent | 1 July 2010 | Daniele Arrigoni | 1 July 2010 |
| Torino | Stefano Colantuono | Resigned | 1 July 2010 | Franco Lerda | 1 July 2010 |
| Atalanta | Bortolo Mutti | End of contract | 1 July 2010 | Stefano Colantuono | 1 July 2010 |
| Crotone | Franco Lerda | End of contract | 1 July 2010 | Leonardo Menichini | 1 July 2010 |
| Reggina | Roberto Breda | End of contract | 1 July 2010 | Gianluca Atzori | 1 July 2010 |
| Padova | Carlo Sabatini | End of contract | 1 July 2010 | Alessandro Calori | 2 July 2010 |
| Portoguraro | Alessandro Calori | Mutual consent | 2 July 2010 | Eugenio Corini | 5 July 2010 |
| Grosseto | Maurizio Sarri | End of contract | 1 July 2010 | Luigi Apolloni | 6 July 2010 |
| Modena | Luigi Apolloni | End of contract | 1 July 2010 | Cristiano Bergodi | 12 July 2010 |
| Portogruaro | Eugenio Corini | Resigned | 17 July 2010 | Fabio Viviani | 19 July 2010 |

### During the regular season

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Grosseto | Luigi Apolloni | Sacked | 27 September 2010 | Francesco Moriero | 27 September 2010 |
| Sassuolo | Daniele Arrigoni | Sacked | 3 October 2010 | Angelo Gregucci | 3 October 2010 |
| Ascoli | Elio Gustinetti | Sacked | 3 November 2010 | Fabrizio Castori | 3 November 2010 |
| Crotone | Leonardo Menichini | Sacked | 27 November 2010 | Eugenio Corini | 27 November 2010 |
| Portogruaro | Fabio Viviani | Sacked | 29 November 2010 | Andrea Agostinelli | 3 December 2010 |
| Triestina | Ivo Iaconi | Sacked | 23 December 2010 | Sandro Salvioni | 23 December 2010 |
| Frosinone | Guido Carboni | Sacked | 8 January 2011 | Salvatore Campilongo | 8 January 2011 |
| Grosseto | Francesco Moriero | Sacked | 12 January 2011 | Michele Serena | 13 January 2011 |
| AlbinoLeffe | Emiliano Mondonico | Sick leave | 29 January 2011 | Daniele Fortunato (a.i.) | 29 January 2011 |
| Livorno | Giuseppe Pillon | Sacked | 14 January 2011 | Walter Novellino | 14 January 2011 |
| AlbinoLeffe | Daniele Fortunato (a.i.) | End of sick leave | 15 February 2011 | Emiliano Mondonico | 15 February 2011 |
| Crotone | Eugenio Corini | Sacked | 20 February 2011 | Leonardo Menichini | 20 February 2011 |
| Torino | Franco Lerda | Sacked | 9 March 2011 | Giuseppe Papadopulo | 9 March 2011 |
| Padova | Alessandro Calori | Sacked | 15 March 2011 | Alessandro Dal Canto (caretaker) | 15 March 2011 |
| Torino | Giuseppe Papadopulo | Sacked | 20 March 2011 | Franco Lerda | 20 March 2011 |
| Sassuolo | Angelo Gregucci | Sacked | 9 May 2011 | Paolo Mandelli (caretaker) | 9 May 2011 |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Atalanta (C, P) | 42 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 61 | 35 | +26 | 79 | Promotion to Serie A |
| 2 | Siena (P) | 42 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 67 | 35 | +32 | 77 | Promotion to Serie A |
| 3 | Novara (O, P) | 42 | 18 | 16 | 8 | 63 | 38 | +25 | 70 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Varese | 42 | 16 | 20 | 6 | 51 | 34 | +17 | 68 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 5 | Padova | 42 | 15 | 17 | 10 | 63 | 48 | +15 | 62 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 6 | Reggina | 42 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 46 | 40 | +6 | 61 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 7 | Livorno | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 49 | 46 | +3 | 59 | |
| 8 | Torino | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 49 | 48 | +1 | 58 | |
| 9 | Empoli | 42 | 13 | 18 | 11 | 46 | 39 | +7 | 57 | |
| 10 | Modena | 42 | 12 | 19 | 11 | 46 | 51 | −5 | 55 | |
| 11 | Crotone | 42 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 45 | 50 | −5 | 54 | |
| 12 | Vicenza | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 44 | 54 | −10 | 54 | |
| 13 | Pescara | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 44 | 48 | −4 | 53 | |
| 14 | Cittadella | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 50 | 54 | −4 | 51 | |
| 15 | Grosseto | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 43 | 50 | −7 | 51 | |
| 16 | Sassuolo | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 42 | 46 | −4 | 51 | |
| 17 | Ascoli | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 44 | 48 | −4 | 50 | |
| 18 | AlbinoLeffe | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 55 | 66 | −11 | 49 | Qualification to relegation play-offs |
| 19 | Piacenza (R) | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 50 | 63 | −13 | 46 | Qualification to relegation play-offs |
| 20 | Triestina (R) | 42 | 8 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 57 | −23 | 40 | Relegation to Lega Pro Prima Divisione |
| 21 | Portogruaro (R) | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 39 | 63 | −24 | 40 | Relegation to Lega Pro Prima Divisione |
| 22 | Frosinone (R) | 42 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 46 | 64 | −18 | 38 | Relegation to Lega Pro Prima Divisione |

* 1 2 CRO 1–2 VIC ; VIC 1–2 CRO
* 1 2 3 CIT: 6 pts ; GRO: 5 pts ; SAS: 3 pts
* ↑ Ascoli was docked 6 points.
* 1 2 TRI 0–0 POR ; POR 1–2 TRI

## Results

| Home \ Away | ALB | ASC | ATA | CIT | CRO | EMP | FRO | GRO | LIV | MOD | NOV | PAD | PES | PIA | POR | REG | SAS | SIE | TOR | TRI | VAR | VIC |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| AlbinoLeffe | — | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 |
| Ascoli | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Atalanta | 3–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| Cittadella | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 |
| Crotone | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 3–2 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| Empoli | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Frosinone | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–3 | — | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| Grosseto | 3–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | — | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Livorno | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Modena | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 |
| Novara | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–3 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| Padova | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 4–1 |
| Pescara | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–2 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Piacenza | 1–3 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | — | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 4–1 |
| Portogruaro | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Reggina | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 |
| Sassuolo | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 5–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | — | 4–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Siena | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2–0 |
| Torino | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 |
| Triestina | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Varese | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | — | 1–0 |
| Vicenza | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | — |

## Play-off

### Promotion

    Semi-finals
    First legs played on 2 June 2011; return legs on 5 June 2011

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Reggina (6) | 2–2(*) | (3) Novara | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 |
| Padova (5) | 4–3 | (4) Varese | 1 – 0 | 3 – 3 |

(*)Higher seed advances when aggregate score is tied.

    Finals
    First leg played 9 June 2011; return leg played 12 June 2011

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Padova (5) | 0 – 2 | (3) Novara | 0 – 0 | 0 – 2 |

### Relegation

    First leg played on 4 June 2011; return leg played on 11 June 2011

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Piacenza (19) | 2 – 2 | (18) AlbinoLeffe | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 |

Piacenza is relegated to Lega Pro Prima Divisione 2011-12.

## Top goalscorers

### 23 goals

* Federico Piovaccari (Cittadella)

### 19 goals

* Elvis Abbruscato (Vicenza)
* Rolando Bianchi (Torino)

### 18 goals

* Emanuele Calaiò (Siena)

### 17 goals

* Cristian Bertani (Novara)
* Emiliano Bonazzoli (Reggina)
* Daniele Cacia (Piacenza)
* Claudio Coralli (Empoli)

### 15 goals

* Pablo González (Novara)
* Davide Succi (Padova)

Updated: 29 May 2011

