Of course Genoa would lose to Sassuolo thanks to goals from former Genoa players now playing for the Neroverdi.
Antonio Floro Flores and Davide Biondini both showed why Genoa should have kept them on hand for this season as both players tallied three of Sassuolo’s four goals in the game.
Floro Flores has now recorded seven goals and three assists in 29 games this season for Sassuolo. Those seven would have put the Italian second on Genoa’s score leader chart this season, and those seven goals would have added a handful of points to Grifone this term.
Biondini on the other hand, is a player that has a big heart and a lot of skill to match. The big red head was able to play in 16 matches for Genoa in the early part of the season before being sent to Sassuolo in January. Though he didn’t necessarily fit with Matuzalem, Juraj Kucka and Andra Bertolacci all vying for spots in the midfield, he still added a lot to the team. Routinely it was Biondini or Kucka pushed out wide at times as the midfield positions were few and far between. That wide position was a spot that suited Kucka far more than Biondini.
The Italian has spent 18 of the last 24 months on loan, first to Atalanta and now Sassuolo. His loan to the Neroverdi seems all the more strange due to Genoa’s thin assortment of quality midfielders available to Gian Piero Gasperini. It still remains to be seen if either player will be welcomed back next season, but with the way both helped Sassuolo retain Serie A status there is no reason they shouldn’t be welcomed back into the fold.
With another loss in the penultimate match of the season, Genoa have had an appalling second half of the season after Gasperini’s initial good results. Since January 6, Genoa have won a mere five matches and have gone winless since March 26 when the Grifone easily swept Lazio aside. Though president Enrico Preziosi has reassured Gasperini of his job next season, it is not unrealistic that he could be dismissed this summer.
Despite the club reaching safety thanks to those five timely wins in the second half of the season and a number of draws, Genoa have been quite unimpressive in the last two months. This has mostly been unseen by many as the club haven’t been in danger of relegation since Gasperini turned things around in October.
With Genoa ebbing more than flowing, goalkeeper Mattia Perin has continued to excel. His fantastic play in 2013/14 has led to his inclusion in the Italian 30-man preliminary squad. It appears he will most likely be added to the final 23-man squad as only three goalkeepers have been selected – Gianluigi Buffon and Salvatore Sirigu the others. If Perin does make it past the final squad cull, it is unlikely he will get any playing time unless an injury and/or suspension prevents Buffon or Sirigu from playing.
Perin’s inclusion to this point is a fantastic reward for a brilliant season from Genoa’s best overall player. A player that looked completely out of his depth in the first month of the season. I was fortunate enough to see the Grifone in pre-season and was completely underwhelmed by everything Perin did during the match. That underwhelming feeling continued as the youngster fumbled and follied his was through matches against Inter and Fiorentina.
The kid learned quickly and righted the ship, becoming the club’s most valuable player – along with Gilardino – over the course of the season. Perin’s initial inclusion in the Azzurri is well deserved and all Genoa supporters will be hoping he gets a chance to show what he can do.
Follow Drew Farmer on Twitter @CalcioFarmer. Drew Farmer is ForzaItalianFootball.com’s Genoa correspondent and can be heard on the Club Focus podcast.
