Stood motionless in the technical area, Leonardo Semplici wore the look of a man resigned to his destiny on Sunday evening.

The sentiment was reflected on the pitch, where there was no discernible reaction from the Sampdoria players after Spezia doubled their lead.

In a sparsely populated away end, a similar scene played out. 

Bar a brief barrage of insults for the club’s technical director Pietro Accardi, there was neither anger nor defiance, just silence. 

There has long been an eerie sense of acceptance surrounding Sampdoria’s inexorable descent towards Serie C for the first time in their history, the awkward feeling of a team looking to finally be put out of its misery.

The Blucerchiati aren’t going down swinging. They have barely thrown a punch all season. 

You get the feeling that if everyone connected with the club could follow Roberto Duran’s example, they would. “No mas,” indeed. No more.

At least then the crushing weight of inevitability may be lifted off their shoulders.

Relief came in the form of sacking for Semplici on Monday night, with the former Spezia manager replaced by Sampdoria legend Alberico Evani.

Semplici becomes the third manager to be sacked by Sampdoria in the past nine months after Andrea Pirlo and Andrea Sottil were shown the door. 

The club’s issues ran and still run far deeper than Semplici, but the Tuscan had patently overstayed his welcome. His appointment was a curious oxymoron to begin with as “Semplici” is the plural of “semplice”, the Italian word for “simple”. But there has been nothing simple about Sampdoria in the past four months.

The Blucerchiati won just two of the 16 games the 57-year-old took charge of since being appointed in December, losing five and drawing nine.

The dismal run leaves them 18th in Serie B, two points from safety and staring down the barrel of relegation to Serie C for the first time in their 79 years.

Chaos has permeated every aspect of the club this season. Described as “a key part of the project” by club owner Matteo Manfredi, Pirlo was sacked three matches into the season, just two months after taking Sampdoria to the play-offs.

Sottil, meanwhile, oversaw a win against Genoa in the Derby della Lanterna in Coppa Italia but was jettisoned in December after four wins in 14 matches

They now have only two more wins (six) than they have had managers this term, and just one more victory than the number of goalkeepers used.

Manfredi, meanwhile, has played a significant role in the decline – which also extends to the women’s and Primavera teams, who are bottom and second-bottom in their respective leagues.

The London-based financier took control alongside former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani – who has since sold his shares – in 2023 as Sampdoria faced imminent bankruptcy. 

Manfredi’s Gestio Capital and their investors hold 99.96% of the club and invested £45m last season in a bid to win promotion back to Serie A and Samp signed 27 players either permanently on loan over the past two transfer windows.

But throwing enough darts at the board in the hope of finding one that sticks is seldom a coherent strategy to run a football club and any goodwill Manfredi had with the fans has now evaporated.

Menacing graffiti has surfaced around Sampdoria’s training facilities in Bogliasco with warnings and threats aimed at players and at club officials.

So, Evani’s appointment can be seen as a calculated gamble and a desperate roll of the dice by a club drifting towards the abyss.

And why not? Having churned through three managers and with only six games left to save their season, Samp may as well turn to a “vibes man”.

Or vibes men, to be accurate as Evani’s assistant is Attilio Lombardo, with Roberto Mancini joining on a consultancy basis.

If nothing else, the trio should jolt into life a team that has been sleepwalking into the abyss.

Whether that will be enough to maintain their Serie B status is another matter. As Alan Shearer and Newcastle found out in 2009, vibes only go so far when trying to avoid relegation.

Evani’s managerial experience, after all, is limited to AC Milan’s youth teams and Italy’s Under-18 and U19 sides, both a world away from the high stakes of the next six weeks. 

“The work starts now,” Manfredi told Sky Sports Italia on Tuesday. “We’ve squandered numerous chances to show what Sampdoria stands for. 

“Mancini has been a constant support since this adventure began, especially during the challenging times, no convincing was necessary. 

“Roberto, along with the whole staff, will help us get back on track. His role isn’t official; friends don’t have to be constantly around, but his presence will be regular, and his impact will be felt.”

Thirty-one years ago this month, Mancini, Evani and Lombardo lifted the Coppa Italia, Sampdoria’s seventh major trophy in a decade and hitherto the last.

Mancini was present for all seven of them, while Lombardo won four and Evani one.

And yet, their presence over the next six weeks could leave an even bigger mark on Sampdoria’s history.