A change of atmosphere can do a player a lot of good.
Nobody should jump to conclusions yet but another two players have made bright starts to their stints at Sampdoria.
Michele Fornasier and Stefano Okaka made their Doria debut in the 1-0 win against Cagliari last Sunday and both players had solid displays.
Both players received match ratings of 6.5 out of 10 from www.tuttomercatoweb.com in their first Serie A game for the Doriani.
Okaka started as the lone striker in Sinisa Mihajlovic’s 4-2-3-1 formation while Fornasier partnerned captain Daniele Gastaldello in the centre of defence.
Originally from Vittorio Veneto, in the province of Treviso, Fornasier was scouted by Fiorentina and played in their Allievi Nazionali side.
Like Federico Macheda and Alberto Massacci before him, Fornasier was lured away by Manchester United.
The then 16-year-old was not under contract with Fiorentina and the EPL giants came knocking. After four years playing for the Red Devils’ under-21 squad, Fornasier is back in his homeland.
Mihajlovic gave Fornasier his Doriani debut in the 4-1 victory against Hellas Verona in the Coppa Italia back in December but the young defender had to wait until the latest round to make his Serie A debut.
Fornasier’s passing wasn’t that great (10 of his 17 passes were successful) but he intercepted the ball three times and made 12 clearances.
He made his debut because Shkodran Mustafi was suspended but he made the most of his time and the future could be bright for him.
If Fornasier’s future is promising, Okaka (or Okaka Chuka) is someone who would be looking to prove everyone that he can be a regular starter in Serie A. Now at 24-years-old, Okaka has become a journeyman in Italian football after once being touted as a future star from the Roma youth system.
His best return in Serie A was a paltry three goals in 14 matches for Parma in the 2011-12 season but his Serie B statistics are slightly better.
Modena took him on loan in the 2007-08 Serie B season and he scored seven goals in 33 matches. Okaka went on loan to Spezia last season and scored seven goals in 38 matches. He also got six assists but he also received a red card and five yellow ones.
After making two appearances for Parma this season, Okaka moved permanently to Sampdoria last month, while Nicola Pozzi headed to Emilia-Romagna.
His Doria debut came against Cagliari because Genoa derby hero Maxi Lopez picked-up an injury during training.
Okaka didn’t score on his debut for the Doriani but it was his goal-scoring chance that resulted in the corner that gave Sampdoria the lead. He also created two chances for Manolo Gabbiadini and the Cagliari defence struggled to deal with his imposing figure.
Okaka is expected to start against Roma this weekend and it would be a bittersweet feeling for him if he could score against one of his former employers.
Once Maxi Lopez is back to full fitness, it is likely that Okaka will return to the bench. While he is a starter for Sampdoria, the Italo-Nigerian could make the most of his playing time for the Doriani and maybe live up his potential.
Fornasier and Okaka aren’t definite starters for Sampdoria just yet but if back-ups like them are present, at least Mihajlovic has the right reserves for his system.
Follow Vito Doria on Twitter: @VitoCDoria
