Sampdoria
has lost its seventh consecutive Serie A match in a row and one can only wonder
how things can go right if Ciro Ferrara stays at the helm. 19-year old
Argentine striker Paulo Dybala netted a brace in Palermo’s 2-0 against Samp but
the Genovese club looked like a defeated team from the first whistle. Hardly
any Palermo player could put a foot wrong and Sampdoria was a team that lacked
confidence, ambition and leadership. The Genoa derby is next and even though
the ‘rossoblu’ are struggling too, they would love to take a scalp against
their city rivals.
Ferrara’s
team was compact but the players didn't press Palermo players hard enough. When
the ball was won, the Samp players struggled to put passes together. Nobody
looked eager to be a leader or seize the initiative. None of the midfielders
looked capable of playing in the ‘regista’ role. It was only when Palermo went
2-0 up that the Samp midfield looked like it could create chances.
Eder looks
like a man out of his depth. A prolific scorer in Serie B for Empoli in
2009/10, he went back to Serie B in January this year, helping ‘i doriani’
return to Serie A. Despite having a decent scoring record at Brescia in its
last season in Serie A, he struggled at Cesena and he hasn't been doing much
better with Sampdoria in the top flight. His performance against Palermo was
marred with poor passes and an inability to stay on his feet.
Romero saved
Sampdoria from further humiliation. He made many vital saves and rescued what
was an open and nervous defence. Dybala and Ilicic were causing their fair
share of headaches and the Samp keeper was cool, even in one-on-one situations.
Icardi came
on for the last 30 minutes or so and even though he didn't score, he made some
impact in attack. He got his teammates involved and created some presence in
attack, which Eder couldn't do. Juan Antonio also came on in the second half
but he didn't make much of an impact. The attacking midfielder hasn't been used
like he was under Giuseppe Iachini’s reign as coach.
Ferrara has
been using age as an excuse, pointing out the lack of experience in the team.
Psychologically, this Sampdoria side is playing with fear and does not look
capable of facing their fears. Perhaps those last 20 minutes in the match
showed the crowd that Ferrara’s side should play at a high tempo more often.
The players were more instinctive.
Genoa has
been incapable of getting results too, even after its president Enrico Preziosi
sacked Luigi De Canio. Ex-Sampdoria coach Luigi Del Neri has lost all four
Serie A matches as ‘grifone’ coach. Sampdoria’s rivals have also shown an
inability to hold on to leads, perhaps falling into the cliché that Italian
teams can’t last for 90 minutes.
Both
Genovese sides are near the Serie A’s relegation zone and have no fondness for
their presidents. Preziosi buys good players for big money or loans but there
is no stability. In the ‘blucerchiato’ half of Genoa, president Riccardo
Garrone is buying players for cheap prices and letting go of players for
considerably less.
Genoa’s
circumstances differ from Samp’s to an extent but when it comes to derbies, ‘i
grifoni’ play very physically. Marco Rossi usually goes out there to prove that
he is the biggest anti-Doria of them all but fortunately he won’t be available
to hassle ‘i doriani’ in person. Ferrara’s players need to show that they are
men and that they belong in Serie A. Genoa up the ante more than other teams in
Italian derbies. If Sampdoria was scared against Palermo, it will be worse
unless the players run their socks off and press ‘i grifoni’. ‘I doriani’ must not show any weaknesses
because this match means more than the previous seven. A loss here will really
hurt the ‘blucerchiati’ faithful but Ferrara and the players owe it to the fans
to stop further agony. It's early days but it would be cruel if Sampdoria went straight back into Serie B.
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