GENOA (ITALPRESS) – The break for national teams records another change in the Serie A bench. After Lecce (Giampaolo for Gotti) and Roma (Ranieri for Juric), just a few days before the challenge-salvation against Cagliari, scheduled for Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at Stadio Ferraris, Genoa announced yesterday the exoneration of Alberto Gilardino and then made official today the arrival on the bench of Patrick Vieira, former midfielder for Milan, Arsenal, Juve and Inter. For the 48-year-old French coach this is his first experience on the bench in Italy after having coached New York City in the Mls, Nice and Strasbourg in Ligue 1 and Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Gilardino had arrived at Genoa in the summer of 2022 to lead the Primavera team but was promoted to the first team bench in December of that year to replace the exonerated Blessin. Initially an interim solution, the former Azzurri striker had then earned confirmation by immediately hitting promotion to Serie A where, in his first season, he finished with an excellent 11th place and a record number of points. Last May he was renewed until 2026 but the start of the championship, after a turbulent summer in the market (Retegui and Gudmundsson sold), was below expectations, with the Grifone picking up just 10 points in the first 12 days. And so, almost two weeks after the draw against Como, the club opted for a change by focusing on Vieira to revive the team. The former French national team midfielder, who will lead the first training session after the formalization of the contract at the Villa Rostan headquarters, will find that very Balotelli with whom he had more than one rift in Nice: the goal of salvation, however, will be stronger than any rust of the past.- Photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
