Genoa president Alberto Zangrillo refused to confirm whether or not Alexander Blessin would stay at the club following their relegation to Serie B on Sunday, in the aftermath of a crushing 3-0 defeat to Napoli.
But if Blessin had done his research, he’d have known that any manager joining forces with Zangrillo should not get comfortable on the colorwheel coast of Liguria.
‘Live out of your suitcase’ is the advice we’d give to the man tasked with taking the German’s place in football’s hottest hotseat, with Zangrillo’s finger twitching over the trigger once again.
Blessin, a graduate from Red Bull’s esteemed finishing school of managers, is Genoa’s 11 different head coach since April 2017. His predecessor, Andriy Shevchenko, lasted just two months and 11 games.
“A team that does not win and does not score deserves Serie B,” spat Zangrillo, via Il Mattino. “(Will) Blessin stay next year? Right now, we look to the present. But we have a project. We must honour this project.
“Genoa remains Genoa even in Serie B. In this moment, it is of no interest to make confirmations.”
According to the Daily Record, Blessin – a former RB Leipzig youth coach who was named Belgium’s Manager of the Year just last season after working wonders with alongside Fashion Sakala at unfancied KV Oostende – was one of the candidates to succeed Steven Gerrard at Ibrox back in November.
But as Giovanni van Bronckhorst prepares to go head-to-head with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final, Blessin has found out the hard way just how fickle and unforgiving football can be.
Manager of the Year in 2021, relegated in 2022.
Genoa relegated from Serie A
Though there’s only so much of the blame that can really be apportioned to Blessin, who missed out on the Sheffield United job 12 months ago after failing to obtain a work permit. Blessin lost just five out of his 15 games in charge of Genoa, a loss rate of 33 per cent. Before his arrival, Il Grifone lost 12 out of 25 – 48 per cent of their matches.
Blessin’s side claimed draws against Roma, Inter Milan and Atalanta, while defeating Juventus just a few days ago. The legendary Fabio Capello, meanwhile, believes that Italian football could learn a lot from a man who’s direct, high-pressing tactics are still relatively alien in Serie A.
“Italian football has imitated (Pep) Guardiola for 15 years,” Capello says, via Football Italia.
“There were no vertical passes or physical strength, there is no habit to making challenges. On the other hand, we should follow Jurgen Klopp’s playing style.
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“Alexander Blessin at Genoa is offering even something more than Klopp. The German way is the model to follow.”
Blessin deserves to emerge from the wreckage of Genoa’s season with his reputation unscathed. The same cannot be said of Zangrillo. Perhaps inevitably, Genoa’s hire-and-fire culture has left their president pecking shotgun shells out of his own foot.
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