Genoa – Good intuitions. As a footballer they called him the Maestro. And one of the most abused definitions to describe his talent was: “he saw plays that others didn't even imagine.” As a coach Andrea Pirlo he is still at the dawn of his career but even without the ball at his feet he shows he has a long vision. And knowing how to remain calm in the face of obstacles, clear-headed to find a solution. An ability that has so far allowed him to come out of the darkest moments. Sampdoria-Lecco confirms it. The Blucerchiati got there after the bad defeat in Brescia. A defeat that must be put behind us immediately, in order to be able to declassify it in the “road accidents” category. But the wind blew against it for many reasons. Vieira's injury, Depaoli's disqualification. The postponements of the returns of Benedetti and Pedrola. The fever that knocked out La Gumina and debilitated Verres. All in addition to the long stops of Ferrari and leader Borini. Against a Lecco team that was marching at playoff pace with Bonazzoli, there were numerous dangers. But Pirlo came out great.
He developed his first intuition this week: Murru's return, Giordano transformed into a hybrid midfielder and Samp double-sided, with the usual 4-3-2-1 in the defensive phase ready to transform into 3-4-2-1 when there was an attack to do to make the most of Stojanovic and the left-footed player Simone on the flanks. The second idea, however, was born after the first 15' of the match, with Lecco starting better. «We struggled to get their play – the explanation – We changed something in the pressure, arranging ourselves differently, we were more aggressive, compact and we took control of the match». Practically Esposito has moved more to the center-right, from where he then fired the two left-handed missiles. Verre, on the other hand, attacked on the centre-left and moved into the middle on Degl'Innocenti when he set Lecco. Rivals harnessed and Esposito moved to the area from which he then struck.
So far the recent insights. Others come from further away. You see Yepes. In the initial plans the director was to be Ricci, wanted by the coach after already having him in Turkey. But the former Fatih, returning from a significant muscle injury, needed time to recover while Pirlo took advantage of “Gerry's” skills and put him at the center of his Sampdoria team. “We didn't know him much but he caught our eye,” revealed the coach. As a footballer, Pirlo had those who were able to immediately grasp his talent, like Lucescu at Brescia. And who knew how to make the most of it, like Mazzone, who transformed him into the new Falcao. Likewise, Pirlo is always ready to launch young players. And he is open to possible role changes that can enhance the skills of a footballer. With him Depaoli also played as a winger or midfielder and Murru relaunched himself as a central defender. Since his retirement he has given space to Giordano. Injuries forced him to accelerate the additions of Ghilardi and Gonzalez but he has always given them confidence. He encouraged Esposito to give more, continuing to do so even after the killer double against Lecco. Just like Stankovic's management works, after his only exclusion (Ascoli) he has always been positive.
But, more generally, Pirlo was good at changing the setup and modules on the fly without ever distorting the basic concept: always trying to play the game. In Livigno he started with a precise project, 4-3-3 and construction from the bottom in line with his ideal football. But injuries and negative results in the first few days complicated his plans. The hardest moment after the two consecutive knockouts with Como and Catanzaro. Already in those matches, we had seen some changes in formation, a 4-2-3-1 in the second half in Como and a 4-4-2 against the Calabrians. Then an emergency 3-5-2 to snatch the restart point in Ascoli. And from the 2-0 against Cosenza onwards, here is the Christmas tree, with Verre more advanced to waste less energy, a solid midfield trio with Kasami, Yepes and Vieira, and the construction from below set aside for now in favor of a more vertical and concrete football, more in line with the characteristics of the squad and the context of Serie B. The injuries of Vieira and Borini complicated the plans. But Pirlo found the right countermoves. And, beyond the victory, the myriad of goals and the pleasant game seen against Lecco allow us to face the final of a second round with confidence, with Samp -6 from the playoffs.
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