Samp, Pirlo launches relaunch operation

Out of limbo. Andrea Pirlo’s Sampdoria is looking for a quick change of direction, to leave the penultimate place in the table (due to a series of contributing factors) while at the same time restoring serenity to the environment. In recent matches, the Blucerchiati coach has had to distort his usual attacking trident, first adopting the 4-4-2 at home against Catanzaro and then switching to the 3-5-2 with which he took the field in Ascoli, the last match before the stop, where he even preferred the expert Ravaglia (fresh from contract renewal) to the young Stankovic, protagonist of a start to the season between lights and shadows. At the restart, however, Samp will find two of its most important men, the Spanish genius Pedrola and the flexible Depaoli, who will allow them to raise the quality level of their attacking play. Going in search of the first points at home against Cosenza in ten days at Marassi after four consecutive home defeats.

handicap racing

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There is no point in going around it: in a squad that is not of the first magnitude, due to the well-known limits imposed by the corporate reorganization, the excellent injuries (Benedetti and Ferrari still remain out: the latter will only return in the spring) have represented significant damage for Pirlo, restricting the choices considerably. Hence the need – the numbers speak for themselves – to actually draw on the entire squad (twenty-eight elements already used in the championship) in an attempt to square the circle. The point collected in the Marche is intended by the Blucerchiati to be the one capable of marking the turning point in this somewhat bizarre start to the season.

the master (and the project)

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A step back, useful for understanding. When Pirlo, now three and a half months ago, reached an agreement with the two new owners Manfredi and Radrizzani, the choice of a two-year contract was precisely the result of the common awareness regarding the difficulty of bringing Samp back to the top which would inevitably have been encountered above all at this start of the project. Reconstruction is a long affair, starting from the foundations takes its time. Then, it is clear, not even in the worst case scenario was it thought that we would be able to lose five games out of the first nine. But the message that Corte Lambruschini was quick to send to the public is that such a departure cannot authorize the immediate renunciation of dreams of promotion. The return to Serie A is planned within a couple of seasons, but in this championship Borini and his teammates will still have to try until the end. Among other things, the team has had the unconditional support of its fans so far – 18,229 season ticket holders are a more than flattering result – and this represents help that must be exploited better, especially at Marassi. Where – but here the discussion would be much broader – Samp won only once in 2023, now almost seven months ago. Therefore Pirlo also took on the role of the psychologist and not just the tactician. The forced choices of the summer transfer market have brought a large group of young talents to Bogliasco, who must be given the chance to make mistakes. The further problem, if anything, became apparent when even the most experienced players – such as Pirlo’s two former players at Fatih Karagumruk, Borini and Ricci – were unable to make an immediate difference. Now history should finally change.

the relaunch of the club

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Starting from the next few hours – from now on one day could be the right one – the approval of the debt restructuring plan is expected from the Court of Genoa which will effectively open a new chapter in the management of the new property, which up to now has had to navigate by sight in a still rough sea. Once the creditor issue has been definitively resolved, other capital injections will arrive to formally open phase two. More positive and constructive, on and off the pitch.