Inside Sassuolo: Grosso’s Tactics, Transfer Window and Best Performers

Domenico Berardi locked eyes with Mantova goalkeeper Marco Festa in a tense situation. It was the 89th minute of a fairly mundane Serie B fixture and Berardi had the chance to give Sassuolo all three points.

With the score 0-0, it was up to the 30-year-old forward to keep his cool and keep the club he’s been loyal to for over a decade apace with league leaders Pisa at the summit of Serie B. Of course, he didn’t disappoint.

Berardi rolled the ball past Festa with his trusty left foot to give the home side the advantage, and all three points. It keeps Sassuolo just two points behind Pippo Inzaghi’s Pisa and well in the promotion places.

Moreover, it was Berardi’s first goal of the season, and his first of any kind for 11 months. His return has been a welcome sight for Sassuolo fans.

Sassuolo had been part of the Serie A furniture for years and most accepted them as a stable part of the the Italian top flight. But a big reason for their slide into Serie B last season was Berardi’s campaign-ending injury in March, when he tearing an achilles tendon against Verona. 

His season was over and Sassuolo never recovered, winning only two of their last 10 games without their most influential player. This was also on the back of Berardi missing five games due to a meniscus problem.

In the end, Sassuolo’s decade-long run in Serie A ended, while Berardi missed Euro 2024 in Germany. “My world fell apart. I suffered for not helping Sassuolo, and I wanted to play at the Euros so much,” he said recently.

This season, Berardi had to wait until October before finally playing again. And his return will be a massive boost to manager Fabio Grosso in the Neroverdi’s push to return to Serie A at the first attempt.

In just four games, Berardi has produced a goal and three assists from 178 minutes of football. With Sassuolo suffering just one defeat from 12 games and looking good in the early months of the season, his return to full fitness will make Grosso’s side even stronger.

However, Berardi has stated that he could be open to finally leaving the club in the January transfer window, saying: “If I get back to my best shape with Sassuolo and an appropriate offer arrives in January, I’ll leave,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Yet Berardi also gave Sassuolo fans hope that he might stick around for the season, stating that should a suitable offer not arrive, he’ll “be the best version” of himself and “work to get in shape and stay at the club until June”. 

Grosso and the fans hope it’ll be the latter.

Transfers: Considering the Sassuolo side that went down didn’t lose any major talent in the summer, the squad was strong enough without the need for major investment. Yet some money was spent.

Right winger Nicholas Pierini arrived from Venezia for €2m, while centre-back Cas Odenthal was signed from Como for €1.2m. Central midfielder Edoardo Iannoni was also brought in from Perugia for €1m, as was fellow midfielder Fabrizio Caligara for €500k.

Best performers: Sassuolo have been thundering in the goals so far this season, with the likes of Kristian Thorstvedt, Armand Lauriente and Samuele Mulattieri all scoring regularly. 

Meanwhile, new signing Pierini has also settled in well, with four goals from 10 games, while Pedro Obiang and Scotsman Josh Doig have also been consistent performers.

Tactics: With the return of Berardi, Grosso has shifted formation slightly. The 2006 World Cup winner started the season off in a 4-3-3 system. This then morphed into a variation of a 4-2-3-1/4-1-3-2 depending on personnel. 

Since Berardi’s return in October, Grosso has continued to tinker, with the 5-2 away win against Brescia seeing him start with a 4-3-3, the win over Modena a 4-1-4-1, and the win over Mantova with a 4-2-3-1. 

No matter the formula, Sassuolo keep winning, and promotion looks very much on the cards at this stage of the season.