Spectacular Pisa Travel to Genoa to Face Struggling Sampdoria
Published on: December 28, 2024
A draw against Carrarese was hardly the result Sampdoria boss Leonardo Semplici wanted on Boxing Day, but it was the one he got.
The Genoese side have had a nightmare first half of the season, with the former SPAL manager now the third of the season, but any upturn in results is slow going.
Semplici’s first game ended in a respectable 0-0 draw with Spezia and most Blucerchiati fans expected an improvement against Carrarese, despite the visitors sitting above them in the table.
Yet the points were shared. In truth, Sampdoria could’ve won it but were wasteful, with Gerard Yepes dragging his shot wide after a good run into the box, while Massimo Coda and Pajtim Kasami (twice) spurned efforts to earn a Boxing Day win.
Next up for Semplici’s men is a daunting fixture against the ever impressive Pisa, with Pippo Inzaghi’s men producing a statement victory against Sassuolo in the marquee Boxing Day fixture.
Two goals from Matteo Tramoni and a Idrissa Toure strike saw Super Pippo’s side race into a barely fathomable 3-0 against the Neroverdi, a side who’d been decimating all before them leading up to the game.
It was a fixture between two 2006 World Cup winners, with Sassuolo boss Fabio Grosso on a run of 12 consecutive games without tasting defeat. In fact, Sassuolo’s only defeat in the league was at the end of August, when they capitulated 4-1 at home to Cremonese.
Since then, Sassuolo had scored some 40 goals, conceded 15 and raced to the top of the table.
The gap is now reduced at the top to just three points, and the win keeps Pisa just ahead of Spezia in the race for the second automatic promotion spot, yet it also keeps them on Sassuolo’s tail.
“We had to be perfect today and we were, or almost,” said Inzaghi in his post-game press conference.
“We don’t have the pressure [of gaining promotion] of other teams and we’re in line with our targets. We want to continue like this, entertaining people.”
Yet whether Inzaghi likes it or not, Pisa are now in the running for promotion to Serie A for the first time since 1992.
Semplici, meanwhile, now has to welcome a Pisa side full of confidence, and minds will race back to the last meeting between the pair in early November.
Sampdoria, then in the Andrea Sottil reign, were torn apart by Pisa at the Stadio Romeo Anconetani. Alexander Lind, Samuele Angori and Tramoni all got on the scoresheet that day, and Sottil’s days as coach were numbered.
If the home side are going to get anything from the game, Coda needs to start scoring goals again. One of the more experienced men in their squad, Coda hasn’t scored a goal at the Marassi for three months, and wasted a glorious chance to secure a win against Carrarese.
His last goal at home came in the 2-1 home defeat to Juve Stabia in early October. Since then, the 36-year-old has failed to find the net in the last five games. How Semplici could do with a goal from Coda against the Tuscan side on Sunday.
With Sassuolo at home to struggling Cosenza, a win is surely inevitable. Therefore the pressure is on Pisa to win in Genoa. For Samp, this time a draw would be a very good result, and something to build on going into 2025.
