Another season of instability and uncertainty for Genoa who once again survived by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season.
The Grifone stayed up on goal-difference ahead of Empoli last season and club president Enrico Preziosi decided to appoint their coach. Aurelio Andreazzoli came in as the new manager for this season having drawn plaudits for his attacking style of play despite Empoli's relegation. There was immediate evidence on the opening day of the campaign as the Grifone came from behind three times to draw 3-3 at Roma. A 2-1 win over Fiorentina followed but that was to be as good as it got for Andreazzoli. His side picked up just 1 point from the next 6 games. They took some thumpings along the way and a 5-1 defeat at Parma was enough for Preziosi's notorious impatience to kick in.
The inexperienced Thiago Motta came in with big ideas and he couldn't have made a much more impressive start. With the Grifone trailing 1-0 at home to Brescia, Motta made three second half substitutions who all ended up scoring and turning the game. That would prove to be the manager's only win. Motta's teams continued to play nice football but couldn't pick up results. 8 games without a win and the President had seen enough after a 4-0 drubbing at Inter.
Genoa were bottom of the table when Davide Nicola took charge. He'd done an amazing job to keep Crotone up a couple of seasons ago and showed he was up for the fight again. 14 points from the next nine league games left the Grifone in a much healthier position heading into the Coronavirus lockdown period.
When football returned Genoa were inconsistent. 3 wins from 4 games in July looked to have all but secured their safety but they made a complete meal of it. A 3-0 home defeat to Inter was followed by a 5-0 pummelling at Sassuolo - meaning they were forced into a tense final day with their Serie A status in the balance. They managed to pull it together with a 3-0 victory over Hellas Verona but it was too close for comfort.
Genoa had some exciting young players in the squad with the likes of Andrea Pinamonti, Antonio Sanabria and the departing Cristian Kouame all adding goals but it was the experienced heads that got them through a difficult season. Domenico Criscito was a leader at the back and chipped in with 10 goals, making him top scorer across all competitions. Most of them were penalties but he still required the bottle to score them. Mattia Perin returned to the club on loan after failing to break into the Juventus side and he reminded everyone of what an excellent goalkeeper he is, far too good to be a Number 2 anywhere.
The main plaudits go to the oldest outfield player in the squad, Goran Pandev. The Macedonian veteran made around half of his appearances off the bench but would often come on to change games with his extra quality and nous around the box. The 37 year old was the club's top scorer in the league with 9 goals.
What next for Genoa? Who knows?! It seems to depend which side of the bed the president wakes up on. Will Nicola still be there? There is currently talk of a takeover. The uncertainty goes on...
