Comes on at 65min (1-1) in a 3-2 amazing win against Torino. Empoli (2-1 up) conceded the equaliser in the 91st but then scored the winner in the 94th! And Libby has been credited with the assist!
Empoli soar to 15th though with a game in hand over the 3 teams below them who can catch up/overtake them.
Just watched the highlights. Libby did something really really good and yet he seemed not to celebrate after they scored. Did anyone watch the game live? Seems odd when you've basically won your team 3 massive points in the relegation battle. Curious!
— Empoli Football Club Official (@EmpoliFC) April 9, 2024
In other words, Libby Cacace picked one hell of a moment to provide his first assist in Italian league football...
It was Cacace who instigated the move with that one-two. He then stuck with it after the defender had seemed to get goalside of him. Never gave up on the lost cause and then crept around the edge to keep the ball in play at the byline. Easy cutback to M’Baye Niang and there ya go. 3-2 to Empoli. The stadium went nuts. All except for Cacace himself, who walked away as casually as if he had the crown jewels hidden under his jersey and was trying to evade detection. Don’t think his teammates didn’t recognise though. They were quick to mob him when the final whistle blew.
This is his second full season with Empoli after half a year before that. His 47th appearance in Serie A, combining for close to 2800 minutes, and that was his first goal contribution. Don’t think he hasn’t gone close because he’s been on corner kick duty lately and infamously had a banging goal disallowed a few weeks back, so this moment had been getting closer and closer. He just had to save it for when it mattered most, right?
Heartbreak from Empoli and Libby, who comes on at 84min (0-0), only to see his team concede a goal only 4 minutes later and lose the match 1-0.
Empoli stay 16th, 2 points above relegation, but now have played one more game than Verona, Frosinone and Sassuolo who could potentially overtake or catch them up by the end of the round.
6 matches remaining, and they are all tough fixtures:
Comes on at 82min (1-0), in a crucial 1-0 win. Empoli up to 15th (31 points), +4 on Frosinone who are in the last relegation spot (but have a game in hand).
Yes Empoli have done the double on the reigning Serie A champs, his boyhood club, this season. The first 1-0 away in Naples was epic as Empoli defended all match long, to pinch it at the death. Libby had a full game that day.
Empoli hosting Frosinone in a fortnight is going to be a big affair.
To be fair Napoli's title defence season has been abysmal...but still, for a club like Empoli to do the double.. that was something special, especially for Libby, given his Napoli affiliations.
Empoli are making it hard for themselves this season though, they lost to Atalanta 2-0 overnight. Libby started on the pine, but was subbed on at 25' (0-0). He replaced a CB but moved to the left, with Pezzella moving into the center of defense.
Empoli are one spot above relegation, and +2 over Udinese. Frosinone, Empoli and Hellas Verona all on 31 points, Cagliari on 32.
Next up, arguably the most important match so far, at home vs Frosinone who beat the whipping boys of the league Salernitata 3-0. A win for Empoli would be huge. Though they still have to go to Rome to play Lazio, then are away at Udinese for another relegation battle, before finishing the season at home vs Roma who are still fighting for a UCL spot. 4 points from the two relegation battles might be enough.
I really hope it isn't my team Roma who sends them down in the last game. I've always had a soft spot for Empoli who had a terrific team and punched well above their weight in the 00s. I had half their team in my fantasy football and won a good amount of money thanks to them...
To be fair Napoli's title defence season has been abysmal...but still, for a club like Empoli to do the double.. that was something special, especially for Libby, given his Napoli affiliations.
Empoli are making it hard for themselves this season though, they lost to Atalanta 2-0 overnight. Libby started on the pine, but was subbed on at 25' (0-0). He replaced a CB but moved to the left, with Pezzella moving into the center of defense.
Empoli are one spot above relegation, and +2 over Udinese. Frosinone, Empoli and Hellas Verona all on 31 points, Cagliari on 32.
Next up, arguably the most important match so far, at home vs Frosinone who beat the whipping boys of the league Salernitata 3-0. A win for Empoli would be huge. Though they still have to go to Rome to play Lazio, then are away at Udinese for another relegation battle, before finishing the season at home vs Roma who are still fighting for a UCL spot. 4 points from the two relegation battles might be enough.
I really hope it isn't my team Roma who sends them down in the last game. I've always had a soft spot for Empoli who had a terrific team and punched well above their weight in the 00s. I had half their team in my fantasy football and won a good amount of money thanks to them...
I'm ancient enough to remember when Empoli had Johnny Ekstrom playing for them!!
To be fair Napoli's title defence season has been abysmal...but still, for a club like Empoli to do the double.. that was something special, especially for Libby, given his Napoli affiliations.
Empoli are making it hard for themselves this season though, they lost to Atalanta 2-0 overnight. Libby started on the pine, but was subbed on at 25' (0-0). He replaced a CB but moved to the left, with Pezzella moving into the center of defense.
Empoli are one spot above relegation, and +2 over Udinese. Frosinone, Empoli and Hellas Verona all on 31 points, Cagliari on 32.
Next up, arguably the most important match so far, at home vs Frosinone who beat the whipping boys of the league Salernitata 3-0. A win for Empoli would be huge. Though they still have to go to Rome to play Lazio, then are away at Udinese for another relegation battle, before finishing the season at home vs Roma who are still fighting for a UCL spot. 4 points from the two relegation battles might be enough.
I really hope it isn't my team Roma who sends them down in the last game. I've always had a soft spot for Empoli who had a terrific team and punched well above their weight in the 00s. I had half their team in my fantasy football and won a good amount of money thanks to them...
Your boy Totti is touring Australia, NZP. Drawing a crowd in Sydney & Melbourne.
He is the agent for a young 20 yr old Aussie Cristian Volpato who was released as a kid by WSW, but has since starred in Italy (dual nationaility), and been capped by the Azurri at age group level. Both countries courting him. Volpato was at Roma and now at Sassuolo.
Yes I've seen my main man Totti is not far from NZ. I'd love to meet him in person one day. He was the most influential player of my youth, along with Baggio.and Giuseppe Giannini... I've been following Volpato, a real shame we released him but with Sassuolo almost certain to be relegated, I feel he will either blossom in Serie B or he'll get picked up by another top tier team. The kid shows a lot of promise.
On the pine as Empoli travel to the Olimpico to play Lazio. Game just kicked off. Will update before I got to bed or in the morning. Empoli start this round on 32 points, same as Frosinone (17th, last spot above relegation who have already played yesterday) with Udinese and Sassuolo on 30 and 29 points who could still potentially leapfrog Empoli.
Udinese host Lecce (13th) and Sassuolo are away at Genoa (12th).
Hopefully Libby and Co can grind out a result tonight. They will close off the campaign with a massive 9 pointer away at Udinese before hosting Roma who may still be in the hunt for a UCL spot.
Luckily Sassuolo lost too. Fabio Cannavaro coached Udinese with a long trip down south to Lecce have a chance to overtake Empoli in the safe zone tomorrow. Lecce have been solid and are looking at a mid table finish, a bit like Empoli last year. Udinese have been dreadful this season. Hopefully they can't get a result away from home
Udinese (33 pts) won 2-0 at Lecce. So Empoli (32 pts) drop into the relegation zone with 2 games left.
Empoli travel to Udinese this weekend in a big one. Empoli really need some points from that game, otherwise it will be tough to survive hosting Roma in their final match.
Edit - unpopular opinion no doubt but is Libby good enough to be playing in Serie A at the moment? He's mostly a bench player of late, for a side that's struggling.
I just remember how disappointing his crossing was for the AWs back in March in Egypt. Was a bit of a shock how bad it was. I think he only has one assist now in 2-3 seasons in Serie A.
Maybe a season down in Serie B, where hopefully he'd be a regular starter, would be best for his development. At the moment he's in & out of the starting lineup (mostly out). Still only 23
Standard recent areas here with Empoli losing and Liberato Cacace only playing off the bench. At least he did get on a little earlier this time, chucked out there on 66’ with the Azzurri down by a goal against Lazio. They got a header on target from one of his corner kicks... but then they conceded again right at the end to go down 2-0.
Worse still is that Udinese won 2-0 away to Lecce which means that Empoli have dropped into the relegation zone with two rounds remaining. They play Udinese next so they could immediately solve that conundrum... or they could further doom themselves. There are four teams within two points of them on the table so even a draw there might lift them up, but they host Roma in the final week so it’d be way more efficient if they could just win that game comfortably and then see some other fortunate results elsewhere. Sweaty times.
Doesn’t help that they keep picking Giuseppe Pezzella ahead of Cacace when they’ve secretly been a way more effective team with LC on the pitch...
Empoli have scored a mere three goals in the almost 1000 minutes that Pezzella has been out there for. Three (3) goals... as an entire team. That’d be bad for an individual forward let alone the whole lot of them. Can’t blame a left-back for all of that but they’ve scored 20 times in the 1822 minutes that Cacace’s played. Two games remain with which to save themselves. We’re in need-a-hero territory now.
Up Next: An absolutely enormous season-defining game between Udinese and Empoli at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Yeh I think that Libby is good enough, but I also feel he needs something to focus him or free him. He doesn’t seem to be turning his runs into goals or chances as much as he did in the A league. Iirc we often played 352? Letting him play LWB?
On the other hand, from the bits I watched he’s always itching to get forward and pushes the team forward.
And there’s no point stepping on the toes of the players ahead, if there’s a winger out there already.
Are there weaknesses in his game that the manager has mentioned?
I think the problem with his crossing is the game plan. Trying to hit Kosta or even Caputo in the air is a low productivity strategy. And it feels like he’s a bit frustrated about having all these weapons in his locker, but not being able to unleash them as he would like.
Could his weak foot be an issue? Particularly if he’s being encouraged to cut inside and let the winger go to the touch line and stretch the play wide. His left foot is the golden one, so maybe it’s a problem if he’s heading in field?
Anything from fans or the newspapers?
The good news is he does seem to be a valued impact player consistently getting around 20 minutes.
A top full back/wing back should be able to be putting in quality crosses regardless of the game plan. And in that regard Libby was poor for the AWs in March.
Seems he's on corner duty for Empoli when he's on the field, so he must be good in that aspect of his game.
But yeah maybe a season down in Serie B to work on a few things, wouldn't be a bad outcome, given he's still young.
