Genoa was good (but not beautiful) in the middle and played the first half better than Lazio, who had two separate players on the pitch at home (Felipe Anderson and Luis Alberto), but then in the second half it dramatically evaporated until it dissolved. And not even the excuse of tiredness for playing on Monday when there are teams that put together more than fifty games a season doesn’t hold up, moreover it is hoped that sooner or later Genoa will also have these problems.
At the urging of those, first of all Arrigo Sacchi, who invited him to be more offensive, arguing that Genoa must give more in terms of building the game, Gilardino changed the tactical structure and deployed two strikers plus Gudmundsson, obtaining the only result of taking away certainties and safe points of reference from a team that, with a game system now super tested in the last 9 away matches, has lost only once (at San Siro due to the fake penalty called on Barella), a roadmap that does not they had Bagnoli’s Genoa and Gasperini’s best Genoa, and in total they had lost only 3 games of the last 16 (at home with Atalanta and Monza and in Milan with Inter). Objective data, while the concept of a good game is extremely subjective as well as being an end in itself.
It is not the catchphrase “stay, don’t stay” that can destabilize Gilardino, also because he himself has probably not yet made a decision, if anything, it is the drip of being considered a “non-player” and absolutely wanting to prove the opposite which, in this season finale may create some problems.
Against Lazio, the need to give Badelj a breather, who has been singing and carrying the cross all season, had a significant impact. Strootman has an extraordinary personality but, having other characteristics, he certainly cannot be the metronome capable of dictating the team’s tempo. The club has thought of Bohinen as a future alternative to the Croatian but, up to now, he has made three appearances for a total of 30 minutes (one minute with Lecce, 5 with Juventus in Turin and 24 in Verona).
Genoa’s match ended in the 46th minute of the first half when Ekuban concluded a 3-on-1 counterattack in the most unfortunate way possible. Gudmundsson had to be served immediately, then the Lazio defender did well to close his passing line, forcing him to shoot and with a very small door angle. In the second half Genoa no longer existed. Lazio grew to become masters of the game, conquering the midfield where Genoa was constantly outnumbered. A few changes should probably have been made earlier and instead the first substitutions only arrived immediately after the goal was conceded. Badelj replaced Strootman and Ankeye with Ekuban, confirming the setup with two attackers. If nothing else, however, Retegui has returned to being a real center forward and not Ekuban’s “sidekick”. In fact, it was up to the Italian-Argentine to do the dirty work of going to make passes around the pitch, evidently trusting in Ekuban’s creative streak.
In addition to Retegui’s use as a second striker, bringing Gudmunsson, Genoa’s best scorer, so far from the penalty area also raised some doubts. If in Florence he played as a midfielder, against Lazio he was in fact an all-rounder and it often happened that, understanding the team’s difficulty in starting the maneuver due to Badelj’s absence, he relegated to play point guard. The dedication is certainly praiseworthy, but there Albert, the king of dribbling, becomes like many others.
(photo Facebook Genoa Cfc)
Tags: Genoa Retegui shouldering Ekuban Gudmundsson area
