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Genoa - Making an Effort

Season Preview - 2019/2020

Genoa president Enrico Preziosi cuts quite an infamous figure on the Italian Football horizon. His menu of misdemeanors includes match-fixing, dodgy transfers, falsified accounting, bankruptcies, and much more. Some would say it’s remarkable he’s not in jail, let alone still at the helm of a proud and prestigious club; but this is Italy after all.

Little loved by fans, Preziosi is actually trying to appease them and has for a while declared that Genoa are for sale. Unsurprisingly, not many potential buyers have come knocking on the doors at Marassi. Unsurprisingly because each year Preziosi spends barely enough to keep his club in Serie A and typically cashes in quickly on any players that show promise (see Piatek, Pellegri).

Recently some eyebrows have been pleasantly raised, however, as Preziosi appears to be making more of an effort to make the club competitive - possibly realizing he’s not going to sell the club otherwise. There’s an argument that too many of the squad are loans, but that’s not uncommon for teams in this bracket of Italian football, and there are at least (some) signs of a logic to their presence.

Breakout Argentine, Romero, was signed by Juventus last season but he’s been left with the rossoblu to continue his maturity. Hot property Pinamonti, one of the standouts at the Under 20 World Cup, is loaned from Inter but with an obligation to buy. Inter also provide keeper Radu with another year at Marassi for first choice experience. Riccardo Saponara dares to cross the divide from Sampdoria to Genoa, still loaned out by Fiorentina with an option to buy. Also joining are wide-man Barreca after life abroad, while experienced defender Zapata (Milan) and forward Gumus (Galatasary) arrive outright, as do Italian Under 19 internationals Gavioli and Zennaro. The real coup, though, was Lasse Schone signing from Ajax after being on the cusp of the Champions League final only months earlier. He’s already adapting to life at Italy’s oldest club with a goal in the cup to match his cute presentation video which circulated on social media.

Aurelio Andreazzoli is the man brought in to amalgamate the new crop and hopefully put an end to the merry-go-round that is the Genoa bench. He brings with him an attractive brand of attacking football; testament to this, former Roma player Taddei named his famous move Aurelio after the coach (at the time assistant at Roma) encouraged him to implement it during a match. His 3-5-2 formation has started brightly, collecting an unlikely 4 points from Roma and Fiorentina and showcasing the fresh front pairing of Pinamonti and the quick Christian Kouame.

A whisker away from relegation last season, Genoa look much more comfortable. With enough quality and talent, they have more substance than most teams in that mid-table to relegation pack of Udinese, SPAL, Parma, Bologna, etc. Challenging for Europa League might be a stretch for the Grifone, but fans can expect a comfortable campaign. Provided Preziosi resists the temptation to cash in on his stars come January, the faithful in the Gradinata Nord will be treated to some entertaining football and hopefully success in the Derby della Lanterna against their city rivals Sampdoria. If things go really well, Genoa fans and president Preziosi might both have their wishes granted: a new buyer.

Image credit: Getty Images

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