Balancing league clashes with European fixtures can provide a battle for provincial clubs and the Neroverdi have had that problem, especially with their star forward on the sidelines.
After a successful campaign in 2015-16 that resulted in European qualification, it seemed that Sassuolo were capable of maintaining that form this season.
As typical of the smaller teams in Italian football, the Neroverdi are struggling to balance Serie A action with competing in Europe, but the greater quantity of games isn’t the only reason for the lack of consistency from the Emilia-Romagna club.
Their squad depth has been tested with injuries impacting on the selections of coach Eusebio Di Francesco, and the most crucial absence from the Sassuolo squad has been their talismanic striker Domenico Berardi.
The 22-year-old was in sensational form, scoring seven goals in just six matches in all competitions, including five in the Europa League qualifiers against Luzern from Switzerland as well as Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade.
In the games he has played in this season, the Neroverdi have won three and drawn twice while their 2-1 victory against Pescara in Serie A was awarded to the Delfini after they had fielded an ineligible player.
Berardi suffered a knee strain after playing in the Neroverdi’s encounter with Pescara and he has been on the sidelines for two months. Without him, Sassuolo have been defeated in five out of nine Serie A games, and their form in the Europa League has been decent but not as comprehensive as in the qualifiers.
Since Berardi has been sidelined, Matteo Politano has been moved from the left to the right-wing, scoring two goals in 11 Serie A matches and netting on another two occasions in the Europa League.
Unfortunately for Di Francesco, the change in flanks for Politano has resulted in a lack of reliable performers on the left side of attack, with Serie B stars Antonino Ragusa and Federico Ricci struggling to make that leap in quality from second division football to top flight action.
Previously, the Emilian side have battled to register victories whenever Berardi is absent.
When they made their Serie A debut in 2013-14, only one of their nine victories was achieved without the Calabrian winger, and the only time they won in his absence during the following season was in a Coppa Italia clash with Pescara. Even in 2015-16, only three of their 16 league wins were secured when he was out.
In the previous four campaigns including his debut season in Serie B back in 2012-13, Berardi has been the Neroverdi’s leading goalscorer and he still shares second place with Politano with his two strikes this season. Gregoire Defrel has found the back of the net five times in Serie A but the presence of Berardi would certainly have provided Di Francesco’s team with another scoring outlet.
While Berardi has left a void in attack, midfielders Francesco Magnanelli and Simone Missiroli have also been injured, forcing Di Francesco to give more playing to Lorenzo Pellegrini and Luca Mazzitelli. Although Pellegrini is a star on the rise, Mazzitelli is another player who is not adapting to Serie A football after impressing in Serie B.
With the Neroverdi sitting 15th in the Serie A table and second in their Europa League group on goal difference, they need the Calabrian starlet to return from injury soon if they are to produce results consistently.
Football is considered to be a team game but a star player can make a difference and a talismanic striker like Berardi is somebody who can be a match-winner for Sassuolo.
