When Albert Gudmundsson swapped AZ Alkmaar for Genoa on the final day of the January transfer window, he arrived in Italy on the back of a nine-game unbeaten run at the Eredivisie high-flyers.
It quickly became apparent that life at his new club would not be quite so cushy.
A crushing 4-1 defeat at Lazio last weekend means Genoa are just one place off the bottom of the Serie A table. They are potentially just five games away from relegation. Wins are needed and fast. But, given that Genoa have triumphed just twice all season – and once since a 3-2 victory over Cagliari in September – that is certainly easier said than done.
Gudmundsson was linked with a move to Rangers before putting pen to paper with the lifeless Ligurians, via The Telegraph.
So too was the man attempting, in vain, to keep Grifone heads above water.
Alexander Blessin, miracle worker?
“Several clubs looked at him,” Belgian football agent Kristof Vandermissen tells Tuttomercatoweb when asked about Alexander Blessin’s journey from Oostende to Italy.
“Clubs like Sheffield United, Glasgow Rangers and RB Leipzig thought about him.”
Sheffield United came closer than most. They tried to hire Blessin as Chris Wilder’s successor around 12 months ago, only to hit problems when attempting to secure a work permit.
Rangers, meanwhile, thought about handing over the reigns to Blessin once Steven Gerrard was lured away by Aston Villa in November, before turning their attention to Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Daily Record).
The former Leipzig U19 boss – a graduate from the feted Red Bull coaching academy – would eventually put pen to paper on a deal until 2024 with Genoa instead.
The chances of him seeing out that contract feel about as slim as Scott Brown professing an undying love for all things Rangers.
Trigger-happy Genoa have had 11 different managers since April 2017. And Blessin – one win in 10 games – is not exactly thriving where his predecessor, the legendary Andriy Shevchenko failed, though he has instilled a much-needed sense of organisation and discipline into a side which, prior to his appointment, would make Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United look like Fabio Capello’s AC Milan.
If – or when – Genoa do tumble into Serie B, there will be few laying the blame at Blessin’s door. The 48-year-old German inherited a squad and a club in an almighty mess. And he deserves major credit for ensuring that Genoa still have a chance of survival with six games remaining.
Heck, Capello even indicated that Blessin should be an example for other Italian coaches, bringing a more modern ‘European’ style to a country that tends to cling on desperately to past glories.
An example to follow?
“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.
“Alexander Blessin at Genoa is offering even something more than Klopp. The German way is the model to follow.”
Many a Rangers supporter may be puffing out their cheeks with relief if Blessin’s Genoa are indeed relegated. Jumping to the conclusion that the 2021 Jupiler League Manager of the Year is a bullet nimbly dodged.
But the numbers really don’t do Blessin’s impact at Genoa justice. Things, as ever, are a little more complex and nuanced than the results suggest.
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