The last few years have been tough on Genoa and Sampdoria. They may be two of Italian football's proudest clubs, but both have had a difficult time of late, with the former flirting with relegation and the latter having a full-on fling. Sampdoria were relegated to Serie B for the first time in over a decade back in 2011, and only returned by means of the second-tier playoffs a season later.
It looked like both clubs were gearing up for more arduous relegation struggles early this season, with Genoa firing coaching rookie Fabio Liverani back in September after winning only one of his six games in charge. A couple of months later, Samp replaced Delio Rossi after three consecutive defeats left them in the relegation zone.
The chosen replacements were hardly reassuring, either. Gian Piero Gasperini returned to the Genoa job he was relieved from back in 2010, having had disastrous spells at Inter Milan and Palermo since.
He lasted less than three months at the nerazzurri during a period of chaotic transition, before being hired and fired twice by the notorious coach-eating rosanero president Maurizio Zamparini in Palermo's relegation season. The Turinese tactician had come to earn a reputation of tactical stubbornness, unable to deviate from his attacking 3-4-3. At a team struggling near the bottom of the table, that didn't exactly bode well.
Neither did Sampdoria's appointment of Siniša Mihajlović, for which he left his post as Serbian national team coach after an extremely disappointing few months. He'd been in charge of a string of other Serie A sides since his first post in 2008; leading Catania to an impressive mid-table finish in 2010, but was sacked by both Bologna and Fiorentina during relegation scraps.
With Mihajlović, the concerns were less tactical and more mental. To put it mildly, he's a rather divisive figure, from allegations of racism and spitting in his playing days, to dropping the talented Adem Ljajić from the Serbian national team for refusing to sing the national anthem. When things get tough near the bottom of the table, it's logical that you'd want to steer clear of a troublemaker.
However, president Edoardo Garrone felt the team needed a shakeup. And Mihajlović was certainly the man for that. Finding inspiration from an unexpected source, the new blucerchiati coach rallied the troops by paraphrasing John F. Kennedy. "I will ask of my players the same thing [as Kennedy]: ‘Do not ask yourself what Sampdoria can do for you, but what you can do for Sampdoria'," he said in his first press conference, before going on to mention some of the greatest names to wear the famous blue shirt.
"Kennedy said at the Berlin Wall ‘Ich bin ein Berliner'. Today I am proud to say: ‘I am Sampdoriano.' That's why I returned," he concluded. It was a remarkable address, but Samp's instantaneous improvement soon quietened the derisive snorts. It was a baptism of fire; Samp facing Lazio, Inter and Parma in Mihajlović's first few games. They took points from all three, as well as crucial wins over fellow strugglers Catania and Chievo Verona. Since November, they've only been beaten in the league four times. Most importantly, they won the Genoa derby.
But, while Samp currently have the derby bragging rights, it's Genoa who are currently a place higher in the table. Indeed, a similar renaissance was in full swing at the grifone even before Mihajlović took charge of their bitterest rivals, with the rather more reserved Gasperini showing why he earned a move to Inter in the first place. And yes, he's done it playing the famed 3-4-3.
The veteran tactician led Genoa to four wins in his first six matches, and presently a position only five points off the Europa League places. For now though, he's happy enough to be comfortably in mid-table. After the 2-0 win over Catania last weekend, Gasperini happily declared that safety had been reached -- despite them currently sitting five points short of the 40-point Holy Grail. With 12 games still to play, he knows his side will have no problems guaranteeing survival -- and that, after all, is the goal of this season.
Sampdoria are currently four points further back, but their excellent win away at high-flying Torino this round has also edged them ever closer to guaranteeing their position in Serie A for another season. Two of Italy's most storied footballing institutions have been secured after a shaky few seasons, and the reputations of their respective coaches rebuilt. How far the restorations will go, remains to be seen.