What a hectic week it has been for Il Grifone. From elimination in the Coppa Italia to sacking Serie A legend Andriy Shevchenko, to a 6-0 drubbing at Fiorentina, which made prospective coach Bruno Labbadia lose interest in taking the reins.
Yesterday, Genoa announced that their new coach will be Alexander Blessin. The German immediately came over from Belgian side KV Oostende to lead them to safety. The Rossoblù paid his 1.5-million-euro release clause, turning many heads with his arrival. But who is this German tactician, and what made Genoa bring him to the Morassi?
Former Player Turned Into Solid Manager
A former striker, Blessin played for several German clubs throughout his career, notably Stuttgart and Hoffenheim. Following his playing time, he coached Leipzig’s U17s and U19s for nearly a decade before taking charge of KV Oostende in the summer of 2020.
It was his time in the Belgian top flight where he made a name for himself. In his only full season with De Kustboys, he nearly led them to Europe. They finished just three points out of a guaranteed European place. Despite playing poorly in the European playoff, his ability to take a mid-table team and challenge for Europe already saw several clubs keep an eye on him. He was also awarded the manager of the year in the Belgian top flight as a result of his performance.
In the off season, rumors were circulating that champions Club Brugge were serious in bringing in Blessin. It was expected when then coach Phillipe Clement left, he would be the replacement. The Belgian left his post at the start of the year for Monaco, but the Blauw Zwart instead opted for Dutchman Alfred Schreuder, which seemed surprising.
What to Expect from Blessin
So, what will Blessin bring to Genoa? For starters, he does like to use Gegenpressing in his team. That was one of his standout qualities from his time at Oostende. His go-to formation in Belgium was 3-5-2, something that will already be familiar enough to Genoa. That very formation was used under Shevchenko and has been regularly used over the last couple seasons there.
As for Gegenpressing, expect the wide midfielders to press high and join the two strikers in pressing opposition defenses. Since he also opts for an attacking midfielder as part of the central midfield trio, expect that player to also press on the inside. That could cause problems for deep lying playmakers who like space and time on the ball.
Finally, Blessin likes working with younger players. Oostende has the third youngest squad in the Belgian top flight as per Transfermarkt. The average age is just a little over 23 years old. With Genoa’s average squad age of 27 years, expect the German to ask for some younger players to be brought in before the end of the transfer market.
Cause for Concern
While everything about this move so far seems to be positive, there is one negative that could make this switch quite troublesome. This season has not gone well for Oostende so far. While it is not as dire as the situation in Genoa, De Kustboys have not done much better.
He leaves the Belgian side 15th out of the 18 sides in the top flight, just 4 points off of the relegation playoff spot. Only Sint-Truiden and bottom side Beerschot have scored less than Oostende, while they have conceded two goals a game, a 7-1 thumping by surprise leaders Union playing a major role in that number.
The numbers are almost identical for Genoa, with new boys Venezia and Salernitana the only ones with less goals scored. The latter is also the only side in the Serie A with more goals conceded than Genoa. In saying that, moving from one struggling side to another could prove disastrous. The Rossoblù have already been through two managers this season. The patience showed throughout the first half of the campaign in Belgium might not be the same in Italy.
Time will tell to see if Alexander Blessin and Genoa will be a good fit. Expect better football to come from Il Grifone. Whether it will be enough to keep them in the Serie A will be another matter. This is a big opportunity for Blessin, so hopefully he will be able to rise to the occasion and save Italy’s oldest club from a first Serie B campaign in a decade and a half.