Genoa left the Olimpico Sunday night with their fourth consecutive positive result against Lazio. The club showed the heart and soul they had lacked all last season as the Grifone withstood everything Lazio threw at them and still found a way to pick up all three points.
In some way that was a major victory for the club and supporters.
With one defensive lapse after 79 minutes of constant defending, it was Lazio who succumbed to a Genoa smash and grab following Sebastien Frey’s stellar heroics. Genoa should have lost this game by a considerable scoreline. However, Frey’s excellent form (for once) and Lazio’s poor shooting allowed the Grifone the chance to snatch the game late on.
Lazio dominated much of the match on Sunday night and looked unfazed by their mid-week Europa League trip to London. It was Genoa that looked the worse for wear on the pitch as the club continually struggling to get into the game.
Genoa again looked poor in midfield. The club is still unable to stop teams from operating down the middle. The likes of Daniel Tozser and Juraj Kucka have been incapable of stopping opposing teams. With the club under pressure for much of the game manager Luigi De Canio continually threw on defensive players.
To De Canio’s credit he started the game quite offensively. After sitting Alexander Merkel for the past two matchs – both losses – the German was re-instilled into the team. Il Mister started Ciro Immobile and Marco Borriello together as well. De Canio’s decision to be so attacking at the Olimpico was perplexing after playing it slightly defensive in past weeks.
Despite finishing last season as Genoa manager De Canio still seems unsure of his best squad. Most notably he is unsure of his best supporting attackers to Immobile. One night it’s Merkel and Anselmo while the next it’s Bosko Jankovic and Cristobal Jorquera or Juan Manuel Vargas. While the jury is still out on Anselmo, the manager must find a way to regularly use Jankovic, Jorquera, Vargas and Merkel in support of the club’s star striker Immobile. All of a sudden Genoa of an embarrassment of riches in attack.
Though Mario Sampirisi has been shaky at right-back, De Canio may have found a back-line that can not only stay fit, but prevent goals. Sunday night was the club’s second cleansheet in four matches. Genoa’s defense gave up the most goals in Serie A last term and only kept six cleansheets. The club is already one-third of the way to that mark after four match days. They are also giving up 1.5 goals per-game, roughly middle of the pack.
The summer signing of Michele Canini from Cagliari was an astute move by a club that has made a few questionable signings – to say the least – over the past few seasons. Canini has made an immediate impact next to 2011 mercato signing Andreas Granqvist. It was Canini’s quick thinking and equally quick feet that cleared an early Lazio shot of the line. One has to think Kakha Kaladze or Dario Dainelli couldn’t have done the same last season.
The club now face Parma in mid-week before travelling to Udinese Sunday. The Grifone are just as likely to finish the week with six points from six as they are to end with no points at all. The team is still a work in progress. However, there have been good signs thus far this season.
Follow Drew Farmer on Twitter @calciofarmer
