The old football adage says that there is no such thing as a one-man team. However, there may be such thing as a two-man team, as the shocking downward spiral of Sampdoria shows, all beginning with the loss of their two strikers in January; Giampaolo Pazzini and Antonio Cassano.
Last season was a fantastic one for i Blucerchiati, as they took fourth place in the league and a place in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League this season, something which now seems like a lifetime away for the Genoa club. Samp have recently sacked coach Domenico Di Carlo and are no longer dreaming of glamorous European nights – they are embroiled in a messy fight to stay in the top tier of Italian football.
It seems like an impossibility that a club which romped to success last year can be the complete opposite this season and will drop down into the Serie B abyss, but don’t be fooled – they are in a dire run of form and are in serious trouble of dropping out of the division altogether. They are bottom of the form table, mustering a miserable point from their last six games, scoring just two goals in the process.
This is an unsurprising statistic as Sampdoria have struggled to find the net throughout the latter half of the season since losing Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini to the Milan giants, with the duo proving to be one of the most potent in Serie A during their time at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
The Blucerchiati‘s run of success looked set to continue at the start of the season with Cassano and Pazzini up top, as they won nine of their opening thirteen games. However since then their season has gone downhill rapidly, with their current strike force being statistically one of the worst in the league. Only Cesena, Brescia and Bari have scored less. Massimo Maccarone has found the net just twice since joining in January, with Federico Macheda unable to open his account for the club since joining on loan from Manchester United.
The heartbreak that the supporters of Sampdoria felt when they lost their place in the group stages of the Champions League thanks to a last-minute Werder Bremen strike at the start of the season may have been numbed as the months have passed, but that will be nothing compared to the impact of a relegation into Serie B. This is a real possibility with a toothless team which has failed to win since early February. Il Doria need to turn it around, and fast.
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I was lucky enough to go and see a friendly between Sampdoria and local side Verbania during my holiday in Italy. Samp won 10-0, of course, and the world seemed at their feet. The following week they were to play Werder Bremen for a place in the Champions League. How things have changed since then.
Great article. It really is sad to see a side with such a long history in Serie A – and who managed to surprise everyone last year- fall into a slump like they have. I hope they bounce back and will be able to avoid relegation. They have the strength in the squad they just have to find the confidence