Sampdoria are looking towards laying down the foundations for the future. Positive results have been achieved on the pitch recently and off it the club is making changes too.
On the field, Doria pulled off an incredible comeback, and in the stands sitting with club president Edoardo Garrone was Doria legend Roberto Mancini. Trailing 2-0 at half-time against Livorno, the Doriani ended-up triumphing 4-2 in their round 27 Serie A encounter.
Sinisa Mihajlovic made two changes at half-time, replacing Lorenzo De Silvestri with Michele Fornasier and Pedro Obiang with Nenad Krsticic.
Fornasier plays regularly as a centre-back but he played in the right-back position against the Amaranto. He nullified the threat Livorno’s Ishak Belfodil was providing in attack and the Algerian had to drift into different parts of the pitch. Before that, De Silvestri and Shkodran Mustafi couldn’t cope with the Amaranto striker.
Krsticic pulled the score back to 2-1 and helped pull the strings in midfield with Angelo Palombo, who was playing his 400th game for the Blucerchiati, and Roberto Soriano. The latter operated in a more advanced role than Krsticic and Palombo and probably should have scored at least one goal.
For all the substitutions made and the spirit shown by Doria, it was Stefano Okaka who played in a starring role. The 24-year-old striker played like the complete centre-forward, using his large frame to shrug off defenders, displaying dribbling ability, shooting ability, and the vision for a good pass.
Having earned a starting role ahead of Maxi Lopez in attack, Okaka repaid Mihajlovic’s faith in him by scoring Sampdoria’s third goal and assisting in the fourth one for Manolo Gabbiadini. He also played an exquisite through-ball for Gabbiadini minutes earlier, who squandered a one-on-one situation with Livorno goalkeeper Francesco Bardi.
Before the victory against Livorno, Mihajlovic and sporting director Carlo Osti watched the Doriani’s primavera side defeat Carpi 4-0. Coached by former Sampdoria star Enrico Chiesa, the primavera squad emerged victorious with goals from Edoardo Oneto, Nicola Ciccone, Simone Dejori and Rey Manaj.
Mihajlovic congratulated the players after the match and one can only hope that these players can eventually work their way into the senior squad. The primavera squad is in third place and they are also ahead of Juventus.
Off the pitch, director general Rinaldo Sagramola has left Sampdoria by mutual consent and according to Il Secolo XIX, his replacement will be former AC Milan sporting director Ariedo Braida.
Braida will be expected to work together with Osti but there are still some discussions as to who will handle the scouting duties.
One of the first things Braida and Osti would be doing is help new vice-president Stefano Remondini convince Mihajlovic to stay on as coach, who wants to stay on but only if he has the funds to spend in the summer. This thought would not surprise Sampdoria fans, having witnessed the club work on a tight budget for the last few years.
Garrone has taken a liking towards Mihajlovic, even comparing him to compatriot and former Doria coach Vujadin Boskov.
“We needed someone like Mihajlovic and I knew he was a tough figure who could change our campaign,” Garrone told TuttoMercatoWeb.
“He is a psychologist like Boskov and knows how to keep the locker room in his grasp. I am holding on tight to him.
“The future? We’ll talk about it, he has a contract until 2015, but there are no options on the deal regarding a renewal.”
If Garrone likes Mihajlovic so much and believes that he is like Boskov, he should give the Serbian tactician the opportunity to emulate his compatriot.
Perhaps he won’t win the scudetto with Doria like Boskov did but Mihajlovic should coach a side that has a realistic chance of playing in European competitions. For the time being, ‘Miha’ has done an excellent job steering this team away from the relegation zone.
Sampdoria play Atalanta in round 28 of the Serie A in Bergamo and it looks likely that Krsticic will be brought back into the starting line-up. Although changes have been made off the field, the Doriani will be hoping to maintain the form on it.
Doria-style, baby!
Follow Vito Doria on Twitter: @VitoCDoria
