Miha Zajc, who put in several excellent performances for Olimpija, left Ljubljana after the autumn portion of the season and headed to Empoli, where he didn’t get any real chances to prove himself.
Actually, he only received a few crumbs. He spent most of the games on the bench. It was only in the final round of the tournament, when the team struggled to remain in the Serie A, when head coach Giovanni Matrusciello gave him a few opportunities.
Only five appearances in Empoli’s team colors
Zajc grabbed his first opportunity in Cagliari and thrilled fans just a few minutes after entering the game. He scored a goal and then made an assist, but his team nevertheless left Sardinia in defeat. Two weeks later, it was Day D for the team – the crucial match for survival – against Palermo, which had already been written off. Empoli had to win the game or hope for Crotone’s loss. However, Crotone ended up handily defeating Lazio (3:1).
An end to dreams in Palermo
At the Renzo Barbera Stadium, Zajc began as part of Empoli’s starting lineup for the first time. He drew attention to himself with several plays; he also threatened the net several times, especially in the 40th minute, when only bad luck prevented him from scoring a goal. The spectators had to wait a long time for a goal, but the score finally changed in the 76the minute. Andrea Rispoli made an assist from the right, enabling Ilija Nestorovski to score from up close. Bruno Henrique scored eight minutes later to make it 2:0. He took advantage of a major error in the opposing team’s defense and then scored a chip shot. Empoli’s dream of staying in Serie A were over.
The guests’ defeat was alleviated somewhat in the 87th minute by Rade Krunić, but that was all. Zajc played until the 60th minute, when Manuel Pucciarelli entered the pitch.
A poor conclusion to the season
Zajec’s Empoli was relegated to Serie B. In the current season, the team in blue scored eight wins and eight draws in 38 matches, but lost 22 times. Their performance was better in the first part of the season, when they appeared safe, but they ended up getting just three points out of a possible 15 in the last five matches. Before then, they had hoped for a better outcome, having scored two convincing wins – they first beat Fiorentina 2:1 in an away game, and then defeated Milan. After his transfer on January 24, Zajc made five appearances (lasting a total of 103 minutes), but was a part of the starting lineup only once. Significantly, just a few days after Zajc’s arrival, Omar El Kaddouri, a member of the Moroccan national team, also joined Empoli. He is Zajc’s chief competitor in his attempt to become a permanent part of the starting lineup.
He added a single goal and an assist to his statistics. Perhaps he will have more opportunities next season in Serie B. The 22-year-old player certainly deserves them.
Mitja Lisjak; Translated by J. B.
