In the wake of a disappointing start of the season, Genoa have brought to Serie A its first Ukrainian manager. Andriy Shevchenko comes to Genoa with the reputation of an up-and-coming coach. The 45-year-old led his country to its best ever Euro finish in 2021 and is a well-regarded tactician.
The hire seemed surprising at first because it bucked the incestuous Serie A trend of rehiring the same 30 managers again and again. Shevchenko’s predecessor Davide Ballardini, for example, coached four stints with Genoa and three at Palermo. Italian clubs have the tendency to hire mostly Italian managers and can become star-struck by the prestige of the Coverciano, the Italian coaching academy. If Shevchenko succeeds in Liguria, he could inspire other low or mid-level clubs to look elsewhere for coaching candidates, rather than recycling the same worn-out managers. However, Shevchenko is a Milan legend, so he will certainly be familiar with the league.
Shevchenko’s Tactics with the National Team
Shevchenko’s time in Ukraine was a monumental success. He oversaw the development of a new generation of players that ultimately led to Ukraine’s best-ever performance at the 2020 Euro. He took his young team to the Quarter Finals, where they lost to England after several stunning wins. Significant competitive results included victories over Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, and two draws with France. Shevchenko proved his coaching acumen by turning Ukraine into a solid second tier European side.
Shevchenko employed a variety of formations while in Kyiv, but the 4-3-3 defined his tenure. The manager ran a modern system of football that featured frequent rotation and an overloading attacking style.
A typical attack for Shevchenko’s Ukraine started on the wings and looked to quickly progress vertically. Aggressive wing-backs and two center-midfielders complimented the wingers and provided rotating options that quickly freed space. Once in the attacking third, the ball arrived central, looking to exploit space between the lines. This style is best-illustrated by the fact that only 24% of attacks came from the center of the pitch, but 55% of shots were taken from the middle.
Counter attacks were the main weakness of Shevchenko’s system. Because of the overloading nature, wing-backs could find themselves too advanced, leaving the defensive midfielder and center-backs susceptible to fast breaks.
During his time managing Ukraine, Shevchenko helped cultivate a new generation of young talents. He gave players like Oleksandr Zinchenko, Vitaliy Myolenko and Viktor Kovalenko the opportunity to play early and often. At Genoa, he will have a fantastic opportunity to continue this approach with players like Nicolò Rovella, Andrea Cambiaso and Zinho Vanheusden.
⚽️ Artem Dovbyk
?? Ukraine confirm their World Cup play-off spot ✅@uafukraine | #WCQ pic.twitter.com/9c7tw2OHIg
— European Qualifiers (@EURO2024) November 25, 2021
The Importance of a Strong Winter Transfer Window
One of the new manager’s most pressing tasks will be to retool in the transfer window. While Genoa’s squad is composed of many well-known names, they have not performed well this season. Players like Domenico Criscito, Rovella and Salvatore Sirigu are assets that have underwhelmed so far.
Genoa had one of the best summer windows, so the club’s performance is especially concerning. Vanheusden, a €15 million Inter signing, has struggled to earn playing time while on loan. Hernani, another significant acquisition for the Rossoblu, missed over a month with a leg injury.
Another area of underperformance for Genoa has been at striker. The club brought in Caleb Ekuban, a former Leeds player, and Felipe Caicedo from Lazio, but the two have combined for just one goal on the year. Forward Mattia Destro and left-back Criscito have accounted for 64% of Genoa’s goals for, carrying the offense.
Under Ballardini, Genoa was stuck in the relegation zone because of archaic tactics. The Rossoblu ran a wide style of football that concentrated play on the wings, similar to Shevchenko’s Ukraine. The difference between the two is that the Rossoblu struggled to combine in the attacking third and lacked the dangerous final ball or shot needed to create goals.
Shevchenko makes unwanted history.
Since his arrival, Genoa haven’t scored so he becomes the 4th manager in the XXI century to see his side fail to find the net in each of his first 3 Serie A matches (after Somma in 2005, Longo in 2018 & Grosso in 2019).#GenoaMilan @OptaPaolo pic.twitter.com/pguD9C8cXe
— Sacha Pisani (@Sachk0) December 1, 2021
What to Expect from Shevchenko at Genoa
Shevchenko inherits a genuine mess at Genoa. Before his arrival, the club languished in possession, often passing the ball aimlessly around the border of the pitch. The players would either eventually concede possession or force a Route One-style long ball into the final third. The club failed to convert its talent into an attacking threat, with the fourth-least progressive passes, the fourth-least touches in the attacking third, and the third-least short-range passes completed.
The genius of the Shevchenko hire is that he runs a similar system, but one with the strengths to alleviate Genoa’s struggles under Ballardini. He can renovate and upgrade the system but keep its general principles the same.
However, the first three matches under the Ukrainian have not met expectations. The manager has continued to use the 3-5-2 rather than his preferred 4-3-3, leading to disastrous results. The club has conceded five goals and scored none in the three games, earning just one point against Udinese.
Even though results have been subpar, there is reason for hope. First, the injured Destro has missed five matches, and his return should rejuvenate the attack. Next, the quality of competition will drop in the new year. Genoa must face a murderer’s row of Juventus, Lazio and Atalanta over its next four domestic matches, but afterwards, their schedule becomes manageable. These difficult fixtures place importance on the Derby della Lanterna on 10 December. As Genoa will likely fail to win its other matches, a victory over rival Sampdoria is crucial for a successful season.
Only time will tell if Shevchenko will thrive, but the length of Ballardini’s stint suggests that he will have plenty of time. If the young coach can repeat his success with Ukraine, Genoa has a bright future ahead.