Genoa – The green line. Twenty years each, against Cosenza (and not only) Sampdoria’s defense will have to stand on the legs of Daniele Ghilardi and Facundo Gonzalez. It’s the turn of the Next Gen. Body like a cuirassier, the Italian is 189 centimeters tall, the Uruguayan is 193 centimeters but has a baby identity card, both born in 2003. No one in Serie B plays with two such young centre-backs.
After 8 games without a win, Andrea Pirlo arrives at the game of the necessary turning point with a rearguard in great emergency. The two starters at the beginning of the season are out of action. Alex Ferrari will have it until spring, after surgery to reconstruct the cruciate ligament in his right knee. Nicola Murru, captain this season, will be out for 15-20 days with a distracting injury to the hamstring in his right thigh. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the right back, the Slovenian Petar Stojanovic, is also out, having returned from the national team with a strained adductor. Ghilardi himself also followed an individual program yesterday but today he is expected in a group and it is not a concern. While up front there is good news from Pedrola, at full speed in the group.
After Ascoli’s 3-5-2, Pirlo he wants to return to the 4-man defense. And they remained at the center: Ghilardi and Gonzalez. Rivals in June in the final of the U20 world championship won by Facundo’s Uruguay and now teammates in yet another “final” that awaits Sampdoria at Marassi tomorrow against the Lupi di Calabria (4.15 pm).
The project by Manfredi and Radrizzani focuses heavily on the rejuvenation of the squad. Samp is in first place among Serie B clubs in the ranking dedicated to the playing time of the Under 23s. A philosophical choice but not only, given that in Serie B the use of the Italian Unders (and Samp excels in this too) is rewarded at the end season with a financial contribution.
On the last day of the championship before the break, in Ascoli, Samp was the team with the lowest average age of central defenders of the cadet tournament: 22.7 years (Murru 28 years, Gonzalez and Ghilardi 20). And tomorrow it will be even more so, with the 20th anniversary of the Italian-Uruguayan duo. The gap with the others is clear. Still considering the central defenders, after Doria the youngest on the ninth day were Venezia and Brescia, 24 years old. Semi-green line also for Cosenza, with Meroni, 26 years old and Venturi, 24 (average age 25). But many in Serie B rely on the experienced central defender, with the peaks being Di Cesare (40 years old, Bari) Masiello (37, Sudtirol) and Lucioni (36, Palermo). In addition to the two Sampdoria players, the only 20-year-old central defender in the last round was Angeli in the Cittadella, supported however by the 30-year-old Pavan.
Ghilardi and Gonzalez they are therefore expected to take an early final exam. The former, who arrived on loan from Hellas Verona with an obligation to buy in the event of promotion to Serie A, is third in the ranking of the most used Under 23s after Bianco (Reggiana) and Nasti (Bari) with 698 minutes. Facundo, on the other hand, was taken on loan from Juventus and had little space at the start of the season, with his agent, Guastadisegno, publicly complaining, stating that without playing he would return to Turin in January. Raised in Espanyol (where he played with Pedrola) then moved to Valencia, Gonzalez needed to settle in in Italy but after the moments against Parma and Catanzaro, Pirlo launched him from the 1st minute in Ascoli. And now Facundo will make his debut as a starter at Ferraris.
Ghilardi is right-footed and the Uruguayan is left-footed. On paper they complement each other well. In Ascoli they were both booked, the impetuosity needs to be smoothed out. Against Cosenza they will have to pay attention to the strength rediscovered by Forte but not only that. After Palermo, the Calabrians send more men to the net than anyone else, 9. And they have the best header, Mazzocchi, 3 goals.
On the bench, Pirlo could bring Buyla, 18 years old, Spanish, Primavera defender, on loan from Atalanta, while the 19-year-old Finnish Lotjonen is not at his best. As an alternative there is Vieira, who has also been tested at times in defence. On the left, Barreca is the favorite. On the right, with Stojanovic out, the natural solution is Depaoli returning. Conti could also still remain out of the squad. At most Girelli could be adapted. Pedrola is there, we need to understand if Pirlo wants to risk him from the 1st minute upon his return from the hamstring injury. Without great alternatives on the wings, in addition to the 4-3-3 and the 4-2-3-1, the 4-3-1-2 can be taken into consideration. Yesterday in Bogliasco, in addition to the director of the technical area Legrottaglie (his birthday yesterday, 47 years old) and sporting director Mancini, there was the owner Matteo Manfredi. Possible finishing at Ferraris today, the choice will be made this morning based on the weather and turf conditions.
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