Genoa got it so wrong with Gilardino, Vieira and Balotelli | OneFootball

Genoa sacking Alberto Gilardino will have to go down as one of the dumbest decisions of the season, argues Susy Campanale.

Serie A remains the toughest European league for tacticians, who get chewed up and spat out at an alarming rate, seemingly with no difference for a top club, middle ranking or minnow. Pulling the plug on the boss just feels like the easiest way to shake things up, even when it is incredibly counter-productive.

Genoa’s results this season haven’t been the best, but in the circumstances, it really is difficult to see what Alberto Gilardino could’ve done differently. He was initially brought in from the Primavera youth team as a caretaker in December 2022 with the team near the bottom of Serie B and took them to promotion that same season. After a more than positive mid-table campaign of comfort, Genoa sold most of the best players and those talents who did remain managed to get injured in an apocalyptic run of setbacks this year. What more could he have done with such limited resources?

The timing of the announcement also raises some very significant questions. The break for international duty is often used to sack a coach and give time for the new boss to settle in, make the necessary changes in defence. It is generally not done over a week into the break, with squads coming back to find their entire tactics and approach have been transformed overnight.

Something must’ve happened to prompt this sudden change. Gila had already been publicly reticent to sign a new contract in the summer, warning he wanted to keep the squad as competitive as possible. Genoa owners 777 Partners, who are in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings, might’ve informed the coach that rather than January reinforcements, he’d be dealing with an even weaker group of players.

Genoa make a statement with Vieira

Plumping for Patrick Vieira feels like an odd choice too, perhaps trying to follow in the footsteps of Como and build the international brand of Genoa on the back of famous names. For Vieira, see Cesc Fabregas. For Mario Balotelli, see Sergi Roberto. Considering this is an American-owned club seeking new investors, it makes perfect sense. As a purely sporting decision, it adds nothing other than someone largely unfamiliar with the Italian game nowadays and whose management record has not been stellar.

The fact that Vieira was appointed just a couple of weeks after the arrival of his old nemesis Mario Balotelli really does add insult to injury, although on behalf of the assorted media, we can be content with the inevitable drama and attention it will bring. Perhaps that’s what getting 90s wrestler The Undertaker to model their third kit was about too, attracting attention for the sake of it.

Genoa fans were so happy after the Enrico Preziosi era finally ended, a man so unpopular that he had to be escorted out of the stadium by police when the crowd realised he was in the stands at a match. They never stopped packing the arena with their presence even in Serie B and proved themselves worthy of a much better club to support. The same could easily be said of Sampdoria across the city, they too forced to deal with a succession of entirely unsuitable owners who can barely keep historic sides afloat.

These are supporters who, when not fighting each other, can provide a fantastic atmosphere and deserve to be in the top flight with distinction rather than as a carnival of foolish Calcio decisions.