Going six matches without a victory has placed doubts on the coaching future of Marco Giampaolo, making the first edition of the Derby della Lanterna for 2016-17 a very decisive one.
On Saturday, Sampdoria will face Genoa in the Derby della Lanterna, but this encounter will not be an ordinary one for the Blucerchiati, especially for their coach Marco Giampaolo.
The 49-year-old joined from Empoli in the summer but his attacking philosophy has not produced many desirable results. After winning the opening two matches for the 2016-17 Serie A season, Samp only collected two points from the following six rounds.
There are reports suggesting that Giampaolo could be sacked if the Doriani do not defeat the Grifone on Saturday evening, and Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero during the week had given the coach the dreaded vote of confidence in his interviews with the media.
Luck has not been on Giampaolo’s side since his team secured victories against Empoli and Atalanta. When they were winning 2-1 away to Roma, torrential rain halted the game for an hour and a debatable penalty near the end of the match secured a 3-2 win for the home side.
Sampdoria supporters could feel harshly done by after their side were denied two legitimate goals in their 1-0 defeat against AC Milan, and the often reliable Emiliano Viviano made a horrendous error which allowed Federico Melchiorri to score the winner for Cagliari in their 2-1 win against Samp in Week Six.
Although the Blucerchiati dominated possession against Palermo and Pescara, they could only register 1-1 draws against each opponent and the latter result was more embarrassing, considering that the Delfini were down to 10 men in the second half.
In those draws, Josip Posavec and Albano Bizzarri played superbly in goal for their respective sides, but how long can Samp use bad luck as an excuse?
Having said that, with an abundance of new signings arriving in the summer, it has not been easy for Giampaolo to find stability in the squad.
The defence has been leaky with 11 goals conceded, Polish starlet Karol Linetty is the only midfielder to have played all eight Serie A matches so far, and the attacking pair of Luis Muriel and Fabio Quagliarella has scored just four of Sampdoria’s eight goals in the league.
Certain individuals have to be singled out as well. Jacopo Sala and Pedro Pereira have struggled to fill the void left by Lorenzo De Silvestri at right-back, Slovakian defender Milan Skriniar has looked out of his depth in Italian football, defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira offers little offensively, and Fabio Quagliarella looks like a shadow of his former self.
From the outside looking in, it is doubtful Sampdoria’s problems will be fixed in a flash, and to make things worse, Viviano has been ruled out for three matches with a wrist injury.
At Empoli there were many things in place and Giampaolo did a great job coaching the Tuscan side, albeit with the foundations laid by his predecessor Maurizio Sarri. Although recent results at Sampdoria have not inspired confidence, Giampaolo needs to win the Genoa Derby so he can keep his job and shape Il Doria’s playing style.
Defeat would not only mean that the former Empoli tactician will have to kiss his job goodbye but his successor will have to work with a team constructed for a specific, currently flawed, philosophy.
