Sampdoria’s Serie A campaign did not exceed expectations but it did not fail to live up to expectations either.
The Blucerchiati finished the 2013-14 season in 12th place on 45 points, two positions higher and three points more than on their Serie A return in 2012-13.
Sampdoria struggled early in the season under Delio Rossi and the team lacked ideas and inspiration. Midfielder Andrea Poli and striker Mauro Icardi were not properly replaced at the end of last season and Rossi’s 3-5-2 looked defensive because of it.
It took until round eight for the Doriani to win a game, defeating Livorno 2-1 in Tuscany. Rossi’s side did lose to some big opponents, but after losing 4-3 at home to newcomers Sassuolo and 2-1 away to Fiorentina, Rossi was sacked.
Rossi’s replacement as Sampdoria coach was Sinisa Mihajlovic, the man that Rossi replaced at Fiorentina in the 2011-12 season.
Mihajlovic left his job as coach of Serbia to return to the club he played for from 1994-98 and he made changes immediately.
He ditched the 3-5-2 formation and opted for the 4-2-3-1 formation instead. Shkodran Mustafi became a starter in the centre of defence, Manolo Gabbiadini was moved from a striker’s role to the right-wing and Roberto Soriano became a starter in midfield, operating as a false left-winger or sometimes as an attacking midfielder.
The moves paid off as Doria started registering more wins under Mihajlovic. Although Samp struggled against the big teams, Mihajlovic made his squad competitive and they showed more confidence in possession than they did under Rossi.
After a 2-0 win away to Torino in March, Il Doria trailed 2-0 at half-time at home to Livorno but they managed to stage an amazing comeback, winning 4-2 in the end.
Around this time Mihajlovic’s press conferences were becoming memorable. Before the match away to Atalanta, the Serbian tactician had said that taking Sampdoria from the relegation zone to mid-table safety was like Dante going from the Inferno to Paradise in “The Divine Comedy”.
After losing 3-0 to La Dea, Mihajlovic accused his players of not having any balls and that they needed to be men first and players second.
He got the reaction he wanted when Sampdoria played Hellas Verona in the next round, winning 5-0 at home. The Doriani had thrashed the Gialloblu 4-1 in the Coppa Italia in December last year, and this time in the league, they won convincingly against the Veronese again.
Before the match against the Mastini, Mihajlovic said that his team were “going to throw Juliet off the balcony” and the Doriani did just that.
It was a good as it got on the field. After beating Sassuolo 2-1 three days later, Samp won only one of their last eight matches, beating Chievo 2-1 despite being down to 10 men.
In between those wins was a 4-0 defeat to Inter at home. Samp striker Maxi Lopez was cheated on by his wife and she is now with Maxi’s former teammate Icardi.
Maxi refused to shake Icardi’s hand prior to kick-off and the former Doria striker scored two goals. To make things worse, Maxi Lopez had a penalty saved and Eder was sent-off.
Sampdoria looked content with surviving the relegation battle but they nearly spoiled Antonio Di Natale’s potential farewell game for Udinese. The Blucerchiati drew 3-3 with the Zebrette and lead twice in the match.
Pawel Wszolek’s back-pass meant that victory slipped away from Samp and Di Natale got a fairytale hat-trick.
Sampdoria fans will have to wait now if Mihajlovic stays on as coach and if former AC Milan sporting director Ariedo Braida signs with the club.
If Samp president Edoardo Garrone can keep Mihajlovic and employ Braida, the Blucerchiati might be able to do more than just achieve survival in Serie A.
Player of the Season
If there was one player who played well consistently, it was Albanian-German defender Shkodran Mustafi. He played occasionally under Rossi on the right-side of the three-man defence but he thrived under Mihajlovic.
The Serbian tactician converted Mustafi from a right-back into a centre-back in a four-man defence and the 22-year-old proved to be a more reliable performer than his defensive partner and captain Daniele Gastaldello.
Aside from his defensive duties, Mustafi was calm and elegant when playing the ball out of defence. He also scored a bizarre goal in the 1-0 win against Atalanta, when his header was deflected in by the hand of Luca Cigarini.
Mustafi was rewarded for his form at Sampdoria with a call-up to the German national team and he has also made Germany’s preliminary squad for this year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Goal of the Season
Samp lost 2-1 to Catania in Sicily but Stefano Okaka’s goal in that game was a positive memory to take away from that game.
From just inside the opposition’s half, Okaka controlled a long pass on his chest, he turned past his defender, beat another one on his way, and his angled shot beat the keeper at the near post.
Best and Worst Signing
Manolo Gabbiadini was inconsistent despite scoring eight goals so Stefano Okaka gets my vote. Despite arriving in January and not starting every match, he was excellent in the centre-forward role.
He scored five goals and got three assists in 13 matches and all those stats came in matches he started in. With more matchtime next season, the former Roma prodigy might be able to finally fulfil his potential.
As disappointing as Maxi Lopez was, the worst signing goes to Polish youngster Pawel Wszolek. The 22-year-old right-winger arrived from on a free transfer from Polonia Warsaw last summer but he only played 19 matches and scored one goal.
Wszolek was played out of position at times but he has struggled in Serie A anyway. He did score a fine goal in the 5-2 loss to Napoli but the back-pass against Udinese was mind-boggling to say the least.
Follow Vito Doria on Twitter: @VitoCDoria
