Though it may not look like it on the outside, it is most likely safe to say that the pressure on Gian Piero Gasperini may be growing at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Genoa have only collected one win in their last seven with their current slump lasting nearly two months. However, Sunday’s humbling at the hands of Roma was the first match in which Genoa have looked completely outmatched since October’s loss to Juventus.
With six points from 21 possible, it wouldn’t be out of character for Genoa president Enrico Preziosi to make a change and attempt to prevent a further slide. Hopefully this nervousness over Gasperini will subside with a few positive results in the coming weeks. But if more defeats like Sunday’s occur, Gasperini’s mini-renaissance will be over sooner than later.
This writer does have a little bit of caution over Gasperini’s long-term future with the club. Again, removing a coach after a few losses isn’t out of character with the Grifone. But as long as Gasperini secures survival, he has done the job for this season. Despite that being the most important facet of his 2013/14 job, so often one or two moves up and down in the table dictate a board’s decision on retaining a coach.
Strangely for Genoa, the club have been incredibly quiet thus far in the transfer mercato. The only official departures have been that of Francesco Lodi, Ze Eduardo and Ahmed Said. Lodi’s move back to Catania was the correct move for all parties, while Said is still a young striker and will return after his loan move expires in the summer. One day he may even play an important part at the club, though I am sure he probably won’t in the end. Meanwhile, the strange story of Ze Eduardo continues.
The striker has returned to Brazil with Cortiba on a loan, his second loan since joining Genoa in 2011. The Brazilian, who won four trophies during his time with Santos, seemed to have a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-like ego after arriving at the club. Though he was anything like Ibrahimovic in front of goal.
The striker played a mere ten times for Genoa where he never found the back of the net. Bizarrely, the 26-year-old refused a trial at AC Milan when the clubs negotiated one of their usual swap deals. Yes, the Brazilian that Genoa didn’t want was about to make a big move to Milan just like the others that have made the same move.
Ego aside, Ze Eduardo is just another one of those all too common Genoa players that arrives for a varying length of time, goes out on loan, plays a handful of times for the Grifone and then leaves again. The side is currently littered with players very much like that now in the form of Riccardo Centurion, Mario Santana, Ioannis Fetfatzidis and Adrian Stoian. Players that should be given more of a chance – Santana aside – and allowed to show what they can do for the red and blue.
Ze Eduardo refused a trial with AC Milan as he was thought to be the replacement to Alexander Pato.
Genoa have allowed three players to leave, though Luca Antonelli’s move to Napoli seems to have hit a snag, at least for now. While this is curious, what has been truly surprising is the club’s lack of player signings, which is truly what Genoa do not need this mercato.
One player has arrived, another curious move, in the form of Sunderland’s Cabral. Why Genoa need a player and one from one of England’s worst teams is beyond this writer; and why Genoa need another midfielder for their already packed midfield is also beyond me.
The Swiss defensive midfielder could be of some use, however, with Juraj Kucka out for the rest of the season and Matuzalem picking up a suspension last weekend.
Of course, Genoa’s player recruitment doesn’t always make sense, so expect Cabral to be sitting on the sidelines in the coming weeks before he’s shipped back to Sunderland or to another exotic locale.
Follow Drew Farmer on Twitter @CalcioFarmer.
