Football Season Guide

Last season, Genoa only managed to secure salvation in the very last week thanks to a success over Hellas Verona, while Lecce ended up being relegated perhaps not too deservedly. Their campaign had been characterized by 2 changes at the helm, with Davide Nicola proving capable of leading them to safe shores after picking up the team when it was sitting at the bottom of the table at the beginning of January. Genoa never really displayed wonders but won the games they had to but this was not enough for the coach to be confirmed in charge. This time around, President Preziosi opted to give the reins of the team to Rolando Maran, a reliable coach whose last 3 seasons were far from memorable as they ended up with one 15th finish and 2 sackings. Unlike the past, when they invested huge amounts of money on an incredible number of players, Genoa seem to have opted for a different approach in the market: in fact, they first made sure to sign permanently two young players, midfielder Cassata and forward Pinamonti, who had been fundamental for their permanence in the top flight. Moreover, they also convinced Juventus to renew Perin’s loan. So far, they only bought one new player, Charpentier, a young striker who did well in the Italian Serie C and in Latvia. He might prove very useful, considering that last season Genoa mostly had to rely on 35-year-old Pandev for their goals. And Czyborra, who arrived on loan from Atalanta, should provide back-up on the flanks. Several players also returned from loans away but, amongst them, not many seem likely to be considered. The group of players leaving, for once, is actually bigger than the one of new arrivals. The defence was the department mostly affected by these departures with centre-back Romero being their major loss, while Goldaniga and Soumaoro were good back-ups. Barreca also returned to his parent club but he will not be missed as he was too inconsistent when asked to replace captain Criscito on the left. Genoa are still a work in progress as they are still looking for quality for a solid defender, he should be Ranocchia from Inter, a playmaker and a holding midfielder- Behrami, Sturaro and Radovanovic are all overly injury-prone while Schone did not leave a great mark on the past campaign – and, last but not least, a prolific striker.