Vieira ‘irritated’ by referee and reveals what Balotelli wanted | OneFootball

Patrick Vieira is already irritated with Serie A refereeing after his debut as Genoa coach ended in a 2-2 draw with a pair of Cagliari penalties, while admitting Mario Balotelli ‘wanted to come on earlier.’

The tactician only came in on Wednesday when Alberto Gilardino was somewhat surprisingly sacked and got his first game in charge at Marassi this afternoon.

Morten Frendrup and Fabio Miretti were on target, but Cagliari grabbed a 2-2 draw thanks to two penalties converted by Razvan Marin and Roberto Piccoli.

“I am very satisfied and think the players put in an interesting performance,” Vieira told DAZN.

“It is disappointing because I think we deserved the victory, especially in the second half. The most important thing was to give the squad confidence, as they do have the quality to do well.

“We conceded two penalties and created numerous chances that we could’ve taken better. There is a lot that we need to work on.”

Vieira unhappy with Serie A refereeing

epa11738150 Cagliari’s Italian forward Roberto Piccoli scores a goal on a penalty kick during the Italian Serie A soccer match Genoa Cfc vs Cagliari Calcio at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 24 November 2024. EPA-EFE/STRINGER

In his press conference, Vieira confessed to irritation at the decisions for the two penalties, awarded for handball and a high Aaron Martin boot.

“It is honestly difficult to accept the second penalty, in particular. With all due respect to the referee, I think he got it wrong on the second penalty, but the first was irritating too. I do not agree with the explanation given by the referee and we cannot ask players to jump with their arms down.

“In any case, we have to set this aside and focus on the things we can control.”

Much has been said about Vieira’s past problems with Balotelli at Manchester City and OGC Nice, so it was noted that the striker seemed unhappy when coming on for a brief cameo in the final minutes of the game.

“We still have to work on the attacking phase and these players have the quality to come on and give their contribution,” Vieira told DAZN.

“Mario was disappointed because he wanted to come on earlier, but these are the reactions I want to see from my players.”