Suazo back in team; Jankovic heavily injured

the official players-coach of Genoa

Tonight at 18.00 hours Genoa plays in Florence against Fiorentina. The last years Genoa always was unlucky against Fiorentina with often very dubious decisions of the referee. Let’s hope this time the 2 teams themselves can make clear why Genoa is the best team in the standings. Mr. Gasperini took the following players in the coach to Toscany:

GOALKEEPERS: Amelia, Scarpi, Frison

DEFENDERS: Bocchetti, Fatic, Moretti, Sokratis, Tomovic

MIDFIELDERS: Criscito, Juric, Kharja, Mesto, Milanetto, Zapater

STRIKERS: Aleksic, Lazarevic, Palacio, Palladino, Sculli, Suazo 

Our wingstriker Bosko Jankovic is operated again this week in Barcelona after he played only 15 minutes this season against Inter 2 weeks ago. The international of Serbia can not play for another 6 months, so he also can not play at the World Cup in South Africa.

Bosko Jankovic scored again today, just as last week

What a great match: Genoa-Cagliari 5-3

Giuseppe Sculli celebrates his goal against Cagliari

After the 3-4 defeat against Bologna 2 weeks ago again a fantastic spectacular game in Luigi Ferraris. This time also with our team as winner. Genoa played without a central forward because both Acquafresca and Suazo were injured, so the 3 wingstrikers: Palacio, Sculli and Palladino formed the attack. After Genoa hit twice the post and once the crossbar, Cagliari had opened the score with an irregular goal because the ball first was out of the field before Dessena scored, finally in the 36th minute our first goal arrived. It was Alberto Zapater who scored the penalty after Palacio was fouled. Within 8 minutes Genoa scored another 3 times by Palacio, Sculli and Rossi while also Conti of Cagliari scored, so the score at halftime was 4-2.

In the second half Cagliari opened the score again by a penalty of Matri after a foul of Bocchetti. Only 5 minutes later Omar Milanetto decided the match by realizing a great assist of Palacio: 5-3. Genoa is now 7th in the standings with 42 points, so we are back in the Europa League-zone. Saturday we play at 18.00 hours in Florence.

The players of Genoa celebrate the victory against Cagliari  

[youtube iTuc7UsMDMs]

Genoa blocks Inter in Giuseppe Meazza: 0-0

The 2 best players in the field: Sokratis and Sneijder

Just as last season Inter could not beat Genoa in their own Giuseppe Meazza stadium. Last year it was Thiago Motta who stopped Zlatan Ibrahimovic c.s., yesterday it was the complete defence of Genoa that stopped the Inter-strikers: Milito, Balotelli, Pandev, Eto’o and Quaresma.

Mr. Gasperini started in the usual 3-4-3 system with Bocchetti in stead of the injured Dainelli and Mesto + Sculli as wingstrikers to support Suazo. Of course Inter was the strongest team in the field, but Marco Amelia was unemployed in the 1st half.

The 2 playmakers together: Omar Milanetto and Wesley Sneijder 

After the break Inter played more agressive and more offensive, but the Genoa-defence was very strong. Inter-coach Mourinho was squalified but tried to help his team in the last 20 minutes from the 1st row in the mainstand. He also brought extra strikers in the field with Eto’o and Quaresma, but nothing succeeded to break the Genoa-defence. On the other side Mr. Gasperini changed Suazo with Jankovic, but our striker already had to leave the pitch again within 10 minutes with a new injury. Despite the problems of Jankovic Genoa kept strong and took 1 point back home: 0-0.

[youtube XxvETT0ET7M]

Tomorrow 20.45 hours: Diego Milito-Genoa

Ivan Juric with in the back his partner in central midfield: Omar Milanetto

For the first time in his career Diego Milito plays against his favorite club: Genoa. Let’s hope this will be an extraordinary match between the most scoring teams in Serie A. Of course Diego may score, but at the end Inter has to score at least one goal less as our Genoa. Mr. Gasperini selected the following 21 players including the returned Ivan Juric, Raffaele Palladino and Houssedine Kharja, while injured Dario Dainelli stays in Genova:

GOALKEEPERS: Amelia, Scarpi, Frison

DEFENDERS: Bocchetti, Fatic, Moretti, Sokratis, Tomovic

MIDFIELDERS: Criscito, Gucher, Juric, Kharja, Mesto, Milanetto, Rossi, Zapater

STRIKERS: Jankovic, Palacio, Palladino, Suazo, Sculli

Genoa-fans in Giuseppe Meazza during Inter-Genoa 2008-2009

7 Goals but no points: Genoa-Bologna 3-4

It was terrible weather in Liguria today which brought a lot of wind, rain and goals. Genoa took 3 times the lead, but Bologna always came back and 10 mintes before the end our ex-player Adailton scored his 3rd and Bologna’s 4th goal.

our ex-player Adailton scored 3 times

With David Suazo as substitute of Robert Acquafresca who scored twice last week against Udinese our team started very good. In the 8th minute Suazo opened the score to be very attent at the moment the goalkeeper of Bologna could hardly save the shot of Dainelli. Unfortunately Bologna scored the equalizer only a few minutes later when Criscito got the ball out of a corner on his knee and Bologna could score easily: 1-1. Genoa had to start again, but Giuseppe Sculli helped us to score 2-1. Also this time Bologna came back soon when our ex-player Adailton scored after a big error of Dainelli. Still in the 1st half it was David Suazo who scored his second goal this afternoon (just as Acquafresca last week) after a combination with Marco Rossi: 3-2, halftime.

David Suazo scored twice against Bologna

In the second half Adailton scored his 2nd and 3rd goal (dubious penalty on the edge of the penaltyarea) which gave Bologna a 3-4 victory. The Gasperini-boys only hit 3 times the post and the crossbar in the 2nd half. Our second homedefeat of the season (other defeat against Inter: 0-5) was born and we missed a great chance to be inside the Europa League zone. We still have 12 matches to continue our European adventure.

[youtube Woik-cTKdLs]

 

Omar Milanetto can play against Bologna

Omar Milanetto celebrates the openinggoal against Sampdoria

The last weeks our playmaker Omar Milanetto was injured in his face, but tomorrow “Hannibal” can return in the team of Mr. Gasperini with a mask to protect his head. With the return of Milanetto the number of injured players is reduced to 4: Kharja (who returns in a few weeks and already plays with the Primavera-team of Genoa), Juric, Palladino (maybe can play next week in San Siro against Inter) and Acquafresca who after his 2 goals last week got injured at the training this week. Tomorrow against Bologna the following 18 players are ready to come even closer to Europa League-zone:

GOALKEEPERS: Amelia, Scarpi

DEFENDERS: Bocchetti, Dainelli, Moretti, Sokratis, Tomovic

MIDFIELDERS: Criscito, Fatic, Lazarevic, Milanetto, Rossi, Zapater

STRIKERS: Jankovic, Mesto, Palacio, Suazo, Sculli

Genoa-Udinese: 3-0 (2x Acquafresca+Palacio)

The goalscorers against Udinese: Robert Acquafresca and Rodrigo Palacio

Yesterday-evening Genoa beat Udinese by 3-0. Our new central-forward Robert Acquafresca scored twice, while our returned Argentinian wing-striker Rodrigo Palacio scored the last goal. We have now 38 points in 25 matches and are 9th in the standings.

Mr. Gasperini again started with his new defence: Sokratis, Dainelli and Moretti and for the first time with the 3 strikers: Palacio, Acquafresca and Sculli. In the beginning of the match Udinese played good, maybe even better than our boys, but after 30 minutes the match changed. After goalkeeper Handanovic stopped a great shot of Sculli it was Acquafresca who scored in the rebound: 1-0, first goal of Acquafresca in Rossoblu. Despite serveral chances with this score also halftime arrived.

Alberto Zapater also against Udinese one of our best players

In the 2nd half Genoa played towards Gradinata Nord, as often the most favorite direction of the players. In the 8th minute Genoa got a corner. At the far post Acquafresca surprised defender Coda of Udinese but before our new talented striker could score he was stopped by Coda: penalty. It was only a delay of a minute before Acquafresca could score his first goal in front of Gradinata Nord because he scored the penalty himself: 2-0. Just a litte more then 10 minutes later Palacio headed the 3-0 behind Handanovic after a good cross of Sculli. In the last 15 minutes Jankovic returned after his heavy injury for the first time this season in our team as substitute of Robert Acquafresca who deserved the standing ovation of the public. 

[youtube pYp7H2oMdXE]

Tonight 18.00 hours: Genoa-Udinese

Bosko Jankovic scored again today, just as last week

Tonight at 18.00 hours Genoa plays in Luigi Ferraris against Udinese on a new grassfield, that is ready just on time. Our wingstriker Bosko Jankovic is finally back in the team, just as Emiliano Moretti, Rodrigo Palacio and Nenad Tomovic. Mr. Gasperini selected the following 18 players:

GOALKEEPERS: 32 Amelia, 73 Scarpi

DEFENDERS: 26 Bocchetti, 3 Dainelli, 13 Fatic, 24 Moretti, 15 Sokratis, 40 Tomovic

MIDFIELDERS: 4 Criscito, 22 Gucher, 20 Mesto, 7 Rossi, 21 Zapater

STRIKERS: 9 Acquafresca, 17 Jankovic, 8 Palacio, 14 Sculli, 19 Suazo 

With the match tonight probably comes an end to the discussion about the incredible penalty of Juventus last week. Even José Murinho the trainer of Inter supported Genoa in the newspapers and was furious that Juventus was helped for the 3rd match in a row. It looks like the referees want to end the crisis of Juventus. Even last Thursday in Europa League the opponent of Juventus: Ajax did not get 2 clear penalties. Unless the defeat the Ajax-supporters were clear:

Ajax-Juventus, Europa League 18-02-2010

As ever: Juventus wins by unreal penalty: 3-2

The unreal penalty: if Sokratis already touched Del Piero it was outside the penaltyarea

Yesterday Genoa played a very good match in Turin against Juventus and deserved the 2-2 draw which was on the scoreboard before referee Mazzoleni gave Juventus an unbelievable penalty like the Moggi-scandal never happened. Not only the referee is to blame about this penalty also the linesman who must have closed his eyes at the moment Del Piero showed everybody why so many people don’t like him, the symbol of Juventus.

referee Mazzoleni is happy that he could help Juventus, while Sokratis can not believe it

Genoa played a very good match and opened the score in the 16th minute by Marco Rossi – who at the beginning of the match already shot on the post – who realized a great combination of Zapater and Acquafresca. Time to the Juventus-fans to attack the 1500 Genoa-supporters with heavy fireworks. At the moment the fireworks finally stopped it was Amauri who scored the equalizer after an error of Criscito and Amelia. Halftime 1-1

Marco Rossi is happy after one of his goals against Juventus

In the 2nd half Juventus was the best team in the field but Genoa created just as many chances as the hometeam. In the 61st minute a great combinaton of Del Piero and Diego – again Criscito was not powerfull enough – gave the hometeam the lead: 2-1. The happiness lasted only 2 minutes when Marco Rossi scored again after a big mistake of Buffon: 2-2. This result also should be the most honest endresult, but referee Mazzoleni decided different. Let’s hope this was his last match in Serie A.

[youtube 9C3rQm5PFc8]  

Genoa with only 1 wingstriker against Juve

Genoa celebrated their 115th birthday in Luigi Ferraris stadium

On the highest level only a few teams play with 2 wingstrikers and a total of 3 forwards. This Dutch tactical system is used by Ajax, Barcelona and our Genoa. Mr. Gasperini has 4 wingstrikers in his selection, but 3 of them (Jankovic, Palacio and Palladino) are injured. Only Sculli can play in Turin against “The Old Lady” while also Giandomenico Mesto can play as a right forward, but he isn’t a real wingplayer. Because of the many injuries Mr. Gasperini selected the following 20 players including 6 youngsters:

GOALKEEPERS: Amelia, Frison, Scarpi

DEFENDERS: Bertoncini, Bocchetti, Dainelli, Fatic, Polenta, Sokratis

MIDFIELDERS: Criscito, Gucher, Mesto, Milanetto, Rossi, Zapater

STRIKERS: Acquafresca, Aleksic, El Shaarawy, Sculli, Suazo