With Andrea Pirlo recently appointed as Sampdoria‘s new head coach in Serie B, Stephen Kasiewicz explains what the Italian legend can offer and what he’ll need from the club to immediately return to Serie A.
It wasn’t quite the World Cup winner many expected when Andrea Pirlo was confirmed as the coach to manage the Sampdoria rebuild in Serie B.
Fabio Grosso had been widely touted as the man to oversee the Blucerchiati revival in the second tier. Yet the new Doria era will begin with the peerless former Italy legend in the hot seat at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Grosso had impressively steered Frosinone to promotion yet resigned ahead of the Lazio-based club’s return to Serie A. The 2006 World Cup-winning left-back had been in positive negotiations with new Samp owners Andrea Radrizzani and Matteo Manfredi. Talks broke down and his former international and club team-mate Pirlo was appointed on a two-year contract instead.
In a chaotic transfer window where seemingly all the star players are waiting in airport departure lounges across Italy as English and Saudi clubs splurge millions on new recruits, the return of a Calcio great cannot be easily dismissed.
The 44-year-old clearly relishes a challenge. Although he claimed the Coppa Italia and Italian Supercup in his first coaching role at Juventus, the 2020-2021 campaign was regarded as a failed experiment. A fourth-place Serie A finish was not sufficient for the Old Lady hierarchy who had taken a significant gamble by appointing the midfield genius in the first place.
Pirlo unexpectedly headed to Turkey last June yet left just before the season ended as Fatih Karagumruk placed seventh in the Super Lig. In a football culture of ludicrous hyperbole and sizzling hot takes, it can be said without exaggeration that bringing Samp back up to the top flight at the first attempt would be a remarkable achievement.
However, it seems fanciful considering Doria were saved from bankruptcy and a perilous drop to the fourth tier just a few weeks ago. Much depends on the ambition of Radrizzani and Manfredi. Is consolidation or promotion the aim? Pirlo can’t realistically be expected to navigate the club through one of the most demanding and competitive leagues in Europe with a threadbare squad assembled on the cheap. Whether the Qatar Sports Investments organization has any role to play in the club’s restructuring or not also remains something of a mystery.
In the latest rather depressing chapter of the football money game, any kind of cash injection could push the Blucerchiati to an altogether different level. Don’t expect any multi-million signings to magically appear at Marassi any time soon though.
The bar was set so low last season that it’s unthinkable Pirlo will do any worse than Dejan Stankovic. Under the Serbian coach, Samp claimed just three wins as they meekly limped to relegation in a term of unparalleled statistical ineptitude.
Scraping by in the second tier is unlikely to appease one of the largest and most vocal sets of supporters in Italy. The first step must be defensive solidity. Dependable mainstays are desperately required to shore up a leaky rearguard. The Doria backline was as scary as a Dario Argento Giallo in a season which led many to cover their eyes in horror. At least the former Milan midfield architect will have an experienced campaigner in attack.
Two icons of the modern Italian game will reunite as Pirlo joins forces with former Juventus and Italy team-mate Fabio Quagliarella. The 40-year-old vowed to stay on despite the drop to the second division and is the perfect candidate to assist the new coach in some capacity. Few are more equipped to teach the art of forward play than the brilliant striker who has a ready-made slideshow of jaw-dropping goals as evidence of his expertise.
Quagliarella’s mentorship will also be crucial in the continued development of youngsters Flavio Paloetti, Gerard Yepes and Lorenzo Malagrida.
The futures of Doria’s most sellable assets, goalkeeper Emil Audero, left-sided defender Tommaso Augello and forward Manolo Gabbiadini have yet to be decided. Many of those that underperformed in a miserable term, including full-back Nicola Murru and midfielder Mehdi Leris, will also have to be evaluated.
Only the return of shot-shopper Wladimiro Falcone, after a loan period at Lecce, and the departure of midfielder Filip Duricic to Greek side Panathinaikos have been confirmed. There are no easy solutions as Pirlo assumes the responsibility of overhauling a fractured player pool. Promotion is a big ask in just his third senior coaching position.
He brings a wealth of knowledge from the very highest echelon of the game and has ambitious ideas on strategy and tactics. Understandably his appointment has already captured the imagination of the Doria Tifosi. Yet it remains to be seen whether the Italy great is the correct choice to lead one of Calcio’s historic clubs back to where they belong.
pirlo would make a great coach if we we had players who could win games he would probly step down this is the status of the national team today agents going around looking for young talent in other countries 16 17 18 in ialy they have to mature maybe at 30 called
Great essay. I hope he gets them promoted as they have one of the best shirts if world football.