Genoa Club Amsterdam

Today at 15.00 hours Genoa plays at home against number 7 Atalanta Bergamo. A difficult match, especially now because all supporters in Genova still are in 7th heaven because of the victory last week. The players have to be back on the ground to win this important match against a concurrent to reach European football.

Mr. Gasperini selected 19 players, including 16 years old striker of the Primavera-team Stephan El Sharaawy, who substitutes Olivera and Gasbarroni. The selection:

Goalkeepers: Rubinho, Scarpi

Defenders: Bocchetti, Criscito, Ferrari, Sokratis, Potenza

Midfielders: Brivio, Juric, Milanetto, Modesto, Rossi, Thiago Motta, Vanden Borre

Strikers: El Shaarawy, Jankovic, Milito, Palladino, Sculli 

Genoa has beaten Sampdoria by 0-1. The first victory in the derby since 5th November 2001 was decided by a goal of Diego Alberto Milito in the 50th minute. Genoa is now on the 6th place in the standings with 25 points, Sampdoria has only 16 points.

 

Mr. Gasperini started the derby in an unusual 4-4-2 system, but with the dream midfield: Rossi, Milanetto, Motta and Juric we already hoped last week during the hand over of our trophy to Omar Milanetto. Genoa was surely the strongest team in the field at the moment it was possible to play football, but mostly there was no space to play football. Referee Farina whistled 58 fouls and gave 11 yellow cards, 5 to Genoa and 6 Sampdoria players. The goal was a fantastic header of Milito out of a freekick of Omar Milanetto. After the goal Sampdoria scored 2 times in an off-side position which frustated Cassano and Co badly. Of course there was big happiness in Gradinata Nord, the visitors sector in the main stand and on the field at the moment referee Farina finally whistled after 5 minutes of extra time in the second half. Grazie Genoa !

Tonight the 81st derby takes place in Luigi Ferraris and hopefully again a peaceful one, because this makes the lighthouse derby the most special in the world. Idiots like Antonio Cassano try to create a violent atmosphere by saying stupide things in the media, but let’s hope the supporters of both teams have more brains than the ugly kid of Bari. 

Mr. Gasperini selected the following 20 players:

Goalkeepers: Scarpi, Rubinho

Defenders: Biava, Bocchetti, Criscito, Ferrari, Sokratis, Potenza

Midfielders: Brivio, Juric, Milanetto, Modesto, Rossi, Thiago Motta, Vanden Borre

Strikers: Jankovic, Milito, Olivera, Palladino, Sculli  

The following 8 players sure start in the line-up: Rubinho, Biava, Ferrari, Criscito, Thiago Motta, Juric, Milito and Sculli. The choice of the other 3 depends on the tactical system of Mr. Gasperini and his staff. Does he want to play with an extra defender (Sokratis), 3 or 4 midfieldplayers (Rossi, Milanetto, Van den Borre) and a real wingstriker (Palladino) or an offensive left midfieldplayer (Rossi) ? We all know it at 20.30 hours, Forza Genoa ! 

This morning the boss of the referees: Collina published the names of the referees for this weekend. The derby of Genova will be lead by the very experienced international referee Farina. The arbiter is born in Genova and lives now a little north in Novi Ligure. A few months ago Sampdoria player Cassano said that the players of Genoa have a white face of fear if they play against Sampdoria. It looks like he was wrong and mentioned his own supporters because Sampdoria supportersclubs this afternoon heavily protested against the choice of Farina. The referee should be a Genoa-supporter, which is usual if you are born in Genova, so we don’t see the problem. 

In the meanwhile it is almost sure that Genoa misses besides Matteo Paro also Giandomenico Mesto and Andrea Gasbarroni in the derby. Both are probably not healthy enough Sunday to play such an important match. Francesco Modesto is completely ready.

To most of the Genoa-fans it feels like this week will never end. Everybody is counting the days till the derby finally starts. The tickets to the derby are sold out and the club does not except public during the training these days. We read in the newspapers that Modesto is back in the team and ready to play, but on the other hand Gasbarroni got injured yesterday in the friendly match and probably he can not play Sunday. We also read that Genoa wants to play in the traditional red and blue outfit in stead of the white away-shirts, but the referee has to decide this one hour before the match starts.

Genoa-fans that are in the Amsterdam-area next Sunday can watch the match in the Satellitesportscafé (www.satellitesportscafe.nl/web/index.php?location=home) on the Leidseplein in the city-centre of the Capital of Holland.

Last Saturday, 1 day before his 33rd birthday, Omar Milanetto received our yearly trophy in the pressroom of the Pegli trainingsfield. The very friendly playmaker was happy with the trophy and thanked the Genoa-supporters from Holland and Belgium as an example of all Genoa-fans outside Italy for their support. We hope that Omar, who played a good match against Bologna the day after receiving the trophy, can stay in the line-up now the squalification of Thiago Motta is over. In our opinion both can play together in the heart of the midfield next Sunday in the lighthouse derby, but of course it’s in the hands of Mr. Gasperini, our last Genoa Club Amsterdam Genoano of the year.

  

The members of Genoa Club Amsterdam have chosen Omar Milanetto as Genoa Club Amsterdam Genoano of the year 2007-2008. Our friendly playmaker was surely one of the best players of last season and the only one who was impossible to substitute. In modern football there are not much traditional playmakers anymore that start almost every offensive action of the team, but we are lucky to have one of the best in Europe: Omar Milanetto. Saturday at the Pegli-trainingfield we hand over our trophy to Hannibal, who hopefully can return in the team Sunday against Bologna and one week later be a part of the dream-midfield in the derby: Rossi-Milanetto-Motta-Juric.