Genoa

The agent of Genoa forward Krzysztof Piatek has said there has been contact with many clubs but no formal offers yet for the Poland international, amid rumours linking him with Napoli and several Premier League clubs.

The agent, Szymon Pacanowski, spoke to CalcioNapoli24 (h/t Football Italia) to address the speculation:

"Many clubs have contacted us over the last few weeks, but I won’t name them.

"However, there has been no formal offer from any club, including Napoli.

"His value has certainly risen over the three months in Serie A, but right now we are happy to remain at Genoa."

Per the report, he's been linked with a number of clubs, including Juventus, Roma, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Lee Wilmot of Football.London added Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool to the list.

Piatek only moved to Italy in the summer, but he's been a smash hit in Serie A, scoring a remarkable nine goals in seven matches.

The 23-year-old continued his scoring in the UEFA Nations League against Portugal, and Bleacher Report's Alex McGovern thinks the next stretch of matches will truly test his abilities:

Piatek: 13 goals in 8 Genoa games and linked to half of Europe.

Next 6 games might show us how ready he is for that level:
Juventus, Milan, Inter, Napoli and then the big derby against Samp. #SerieA pic.twitter.com/vv9R7HFajc

— Alex McGovern (@AlexMcGovern11) October 16, 2018

Per the report, Genoa paid €4.5 million for his services, and his price tag may have already risen to €50 million just a few months later.

Piatek is a classic poacher around the box with tremendous aerial ability and great positional awareness. He always seems to pop up in the right place at the right time and also has the short-area quickness needed to create space for a shot.

Here's a look at some of his best moments in Italy's top division:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVysoGrlGt0

Clubs aren't expected to throw money at Piatek in January because of the small sample size of his play in Italy, but all it takes is one team desperate for scoring to pull the trigger. The likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid are desperately lacking a star striker and have the budget to convince Genoa to sell.

Piatek won't keep up his current scoring rate, as it's unsustainable, but if he can keep converting good looks and show interested clubs he's not simply a product of Genoa's system, a top transfer could well be on the cards in the near future.

January seems too soon, but don't be surprised if Genoa turn a nice profit on their ace in the summer.

Genoa would reportedly be open to selling Krzysztof Piatek in January as part of a deal that would see their star striker return to the club on loan for the rest of the campaign.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia), the Serie A side would consider a move that would see them keep the Poland international for the rest of the season after his blistering beginning to 2018-19.

It's added that Juventus, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are all interested in the 23-year-old, who has already scored 14 goals for club and country this season.

Piatek only arrived at Genoa this summer, having impressed during his time with Cracovia. The step up in standard in the Italian top flight doesn't appear to have daunted him, as he's scored in every one of the seven games he's played in Serie A.

Per Gracenote Live, the only forward to have matched that sequence is Fiorentina icon Gabriel Batistuta:

Genoa's Krzysztof Piatek has now scored in all 7 Serie A matches of Genoa. The best run since Batistuta's all-time record of scoring in first 11 matches in 1994/95 (for Fiorentina).

— Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) October 7, 2018

There isn't any player in European football's top five leagues who can match his goal return:

Krzysztof Piątek (13) has scored more goals in all competitions than any other player in Europe's top 5 leagues this season.

Phenomenal start to the season. pic.twitter.com/atVR5aZNej

— Squawka (@Squawka) October 8, 2018

While it is still early days for the Poland international in the Italian game, the start he has made to his Genoa career is immensely promising.

Forwards often fail to show their best against the canny defenders in Italy, but Piatek has been razor-sharp in his play. He comes alive in the penalty area, and he's already shown he can finish with both feet and that he is strong in the air too.

It will be a huge challenge for Piatek to maintain these levels throughout the campaign and during his time at Genoa. But all the signs are that the Rossoblu, who sit in 11th place despite their star forward's form, have a special talent on their hands.

With that in mind, they will not want to lose him at all during the campaign, and it appears the club is adamant he will be sticking around:

Genoa director Perinetti:”We should absolutely exclude possibility of Piatek being sold in January. He can improve even more so it’s hard to imagine the parameters & set his valuation now” to Radio Sportiva

— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) October 12, 2018

A January deal may be to the benefit of all parties if Genoa are resigned to losing Piatek at the end of the campaign.

Although Genoa took a chance in bringing him to the club this summer, interest from teams like the quartet mentioned would give them an opportunity to make a quick and substantial profit on the player.

Piatek would also surely jump at the chance to join one of Europe's elite clubs. If he can continue to set extraordinary standards in front of goal, the list of teams tracking his progress will surely expand.

Having recently dispatched Everton in the UEFA Europa League, there has been lots of praise lavished upon Serie A side Atalanta. That 3-0 win highlighted the impact that coach Gian Piero Gasperini has made upon the Bergamo-based club, giving playing time to an array of talented young players since arriving in the summer of 2016.

Mattia Caldara, Franck Kessie and Roberto Gagliardini have earned big transfers as a result of the boss putting his faith in them, but Gasperini also deserves credit for recognising another wonderful prospect during his time with previous club Genoa.

As the 2015/16 campaign was drawing to a close, the Grifone were playing a midweek friendly against Casale and won comfortably. Ahead 5-0 and with a crowd of just 500 people watching this clash with a lower-league side, the veteran coach took the bold step of sending a 15-year-old striker into the fray.

Pietro Pellegri came on in the 33rd minute to replace Goran Pandev, and he would score seven minutes later, making sure those in attendance would not forget his name. Gasperini considered giving him a full debut the following week, but his final game in charge of Genoa was viewed as being too soon for the forward.

Pietro Pellegri—Serie A's next big thing?

(🎥 IG/iampellegri) pic.twitter.com/fvegr3f4KE

— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 21, 2017

While the coach was cautious, club owner Enrico Preziosi was, as he tends to be, much more bullish. "I've got the next Lionel Messi here, and I just hope it doesn't go to his head," he said during an interview with Mediaset Premium (h/t ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell), yet it would be a number of iconic Italian players who would instead soon find their names forever linked with the youngster.

In December 2016—aged 15 years and 280 days—he would make his full debut against Torino, tying AS Roma legend Amedeo Amadei as the youngest player ever to take the field in Serie A.

Pellegri would then go back to playing for the Genoa youth team, only to be recalled by new coach Ivan Juric in April, playing almost 30 minutes against Chievo after being an unused substitute in a number of other games.

Then came the final game of the season, away against Roma. The Stadio Olimpico was packed for the last match of Francesco Totti's career but, just as the idol of the Italian capital was waving farewell, Pellegri stepped up to steal the spotlight.

16-year old Pietro Pellegri started one Serie A match for Genoa last season. It was against Roma & he scored in the 3rd minute. pic.twitter.com/qntPVsvurQ

— Tarek Khatib (@ADP1113) August 24, 2017

He was handed a start for the first time and responded by scoring in the third minute. Fans would pay homage to Totti after the final whistle, but they witnessed history as that goal (shown above) was the first in Serie A to be scored by a player born in 2001.

The smart, composed finish brought yet more hyperbole from club owner Preziosi, who demanded €60 million for Pellegri after being informed of interest from Inter Milan and Roma.

"If you think the price is too high, then I could reply by saying what others are worth," the Genoa president told ANSA (h/t ESPN FC's Gladwell). "People are paying hundreds of millions for players and everybody puts a value on negotiations which they feel is suitable."

Preziosi has remained quiet on Pellegri so far this season, but when he next speaks about his young striker, the price he demands might well have risen even higher. Facing an in-form Lazio side who had demolished AC Milan a week earlier, Juric used a strikerless formation with Adel Taarabt as a false nine, but just 33 minutes into the game, the Genoa coach realised he needed to make a change.

He once again called upon Pellegri, who scored in the second half after a comedy of errors from opposition defenders Stefan de Vrij and Stefan Radu. Ciro Immobile restored Lazio's lead, only to see Pellegri sprint free to slot home another equaliser as he turned Ervin Zukanovic's deep cross into the net.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A_K3a47ST4

Genoa would still go on to lose 3-2, but after the final whistle, the talk was all about the 16-year-old prodigy. "We're working a lot with Pellegri, he played like a real centre-forward tonight," Juric told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia) shortly after the final whistle, while the player's own post-match interview took an incredible twist.

Talking live on television, Pellegri became emotional when he was shown images of his father Marco crying while he celebrated his goals. What made this scene (shown below) even more surprising is that the older man is employed as Genoa's team manager, responsible for liaising between the club and their players.

Among his duties are filling in teamsheets and setting up the substitution board for the fourth official, meaning that every time Pietro is sent on from the bench, he stands beside his father on the touchline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJLh_RW7CHY,233

He was thankful to Marco for enrolling him in the Genoa academy as a youngster and loves the club, explaining what it meant to score at the Gradinata Nord end of the stadium, where the club's Ultras stand.

"With the two goals at Marassi, under the northern end, I've fulfilled a dream," Pellegri told the Associated Press (via the Daily Mail). "One goal I'm dedicating to the fans, because I'm Genovese like them. And one for my dad."

"My father has been following my career since I was little and it's wonderful that he was so moved," he told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia). "He always took me to training, even in the cold and rain. He's the one who keeps me on the right path in football, while my mother makes sure I study at school."

Now fully part of the first-team squad, he joked with La Gazzetta dello Sport (link in Italian) that he can't even be "the cool guy at school" as a private tutor visits his home each day after morning training sessions finish.

1 - Pietro Pellegri (16yy 184dd) became the youngest player to score a brace in Serie A history. Wonder. pic.twitter.com/1HZPQVXJnG

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) September 18, 2017

No longer an ordinary schoolboy, the 16-year-old is instead looking to replicate a long list of attacking players who have come to prominence at Genoa—Italy's oldest club now home to the country's brightest young talent.

Pellegri told Mediaset Premium that his idol is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, labelling him "the best striker in the world," and there are some obvious parallels with the Sweden star's playing style.

He is already 6'3" (1.9 metres) tall and weighs around 80 kilograms, a physique that allows him to bully defenders who get too close. Pellegri is excellent with his back to goal and links well with Genoa's midfielders in their counter-attacking style, creating chances for others and working hard for the team.

There is, of course, much work to be done if he is to succeed, with his tactical awareness and passing both areas in need of rapid improvement, but Genoa have a long history of churning out impressive forwards.

Diego Milito, Giovanni Simeone, Stephan El Shaarawy and Immobile are among those tohave worn the Rossoblu shirt, and each were sold on for a major profit when a bigger club came calling. Pellegri could be their next big star.

That is almost certain to happen again now as his exploits gather more and more attention. Local newspaper Il Secolo XIX (h/t Football Italia) has listed Milan, Juve and Inter as potential suitors, while noting Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United have also expressed interest.

He told reporters (per Il Quotidiano, link in Italian) that his team-mates still see him as "a puppy," but Pietro Pellegri has already inspired tears and transfer rumours, broken records and threatened to spoil Totti's curtain call. He might soon become the big dog if one of Europe's more powerful clubs chooses to bite.

Recent weeks have been difficult for Genoa fans. They have had to watch as the team that brought them to the brink of an expedition into European football has been pilfered of its finest talent, leaving a mere carcass of what was before.

Shreds of hope do remain, primarily due to the fact that this sort of thing has happened to other clubs who have survived to tell the tale. Indeed, Genoa can find particular light in a story coming from English shores.

Last summer, Southampton sold Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert to Liverpool, Luke Shaw joined Manchester United and Calum Chambers left for Arsenal. Coach Mauricio Pochettino also jumped ship, defecting to Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite the tumult, the south-coast club spent well and rejuvenated their decimated squad, improving their performance and even flirting with the prospect of Champions League football.

The first part of that story is something Genoa can identify with but the second part remains alien, at least for the time being. The player flight is well underway, but no one knows how this latest chapter in Genoa’s story will ultimately unfold.

Going through the exodus essentially feels like reading out Genoa’s starting line-up for much of last season: Facundo Roncaglia; Luca Antonelli; Edenilson; Andrea Bertolacci; Iago Falque; M’Baye Niang; all of them are gone and unlikely to return.

Roncaglia was an integral part of the Grifone’s backline last season. Arriving on loan from Fiorentina, the Argentinean made more tackles and interceptions per game than any other player in the team, playing as he did on the right of Genoa’s three-man defence.

Antonelli left midway through last season for AC Milan on a loan deal that recently became permanent. An Italian international, he was inspirational as the flying left-wing-back and was second behind Roncaglia in tackles and interceptions.

While not a standout, Edenilson was versatile and quietly effective in Genoa colours while on loan from Udinese. He appeared on either flank and contributed five assists while also making 1.2 dribbles per game, the second highest total in both categories.

Bertolacci is perhaps the most notable sale of Genoa’s summer. His silky left foot and creativity were of huge value to the team, especially considering the fluid, passing playing style coach Gian Piero Gasperini seeks to promote.

The statistics show how crucial Bertolacci was to this style. No one made more passes per game than he, nor did anyone come close to matching his eight assists last season.

Roma bought out Genoa’s half of the central midfielder’s contract before selling him to AC Milan for a fee of €20 million. As James Horncastle states for epsnfc.com: “No Italian player has gone for more money…than he has in the past 15 years.” The fee shows just how highly Bertolacci is rated in Italy and how hard he will be for Genoa to replace.

Another major loss came in the departure of Iago Falque. The nippy left-footed winger was Genoa’s top scorer with 13 league goals last season in what was his one and only campaign with the club. He also made more key passes per game (1.5) than anyone bar Diego Perotti.

Falque signed for Roma on July 1 for an initial €1 million loan deal that can be made permanent for €7 million. He added a clinical air to Genoa’s front three, and given no one else reached double figures for the club last season, his exit is a blow.

M’Baye Niang hit the net on five occasions in 14 appearances after arriving on loan from Milan in January of this year, but he has since returned to the Rossoneri, where he has agreed to a two-year contract extension.

Perotti looks set to be added to the list of attacking losses, with the Argentinean heavily linked with a move away. He completed 3.6 dribbles per game for Genoa last season, more than anyone else, while also picking up the highest average rating—7.48—for his performances.

The versatile attacker played as a left winger and a false nine during the course of last season and his trickery, craft and guile were a perfect fit for Gasperini’s aforementioned philosophy. His inevitable sale would leave a gaping hole in Genoa’s forward line.

What makes this exodus worse is that, unlike Southampton’s last summer, Genoa’s appears to be predicated on financial difficulties. Genoa should be competing in European competition in 2015-16 thanks to their sixth-placed Serie A finish last season, but they have been excluded by UEFA for alleged financial irregularities, per ANSA.

If these allegations are true—and the player sales appear to point to that conclusion—then it will be far harder, if not altogether impossible, for Genoa to do what Southampton did and reinvest the proceeds from the sales into building a more competitive squad.

There are, however, green shoots amid the prevailing despair.

In defence, Slovenian Luka Krajnc impressed while on loan at Cesena last season, while Armando Izzo was part of Italy’s squad for this summer’s European Under-21 Championships. Both could help in filling in the void left by Roncaglia’s absence.

In midfield the sale of Bertolacci can be compensated for by the return of Panagiotis Tachtsidis, the continued presence of Tino Costa and the further development of Rolando Mandragora.

Tachtsidis obtained a higher rating than anyone else—including Luca Toni and Jacopo Sala—on loan at Verona, and the Greek midfielder could finally be ready to live up to his early promise. Costa, like Bertolacci, is extremely technically proficient and has a wonderful left foot. As such, he may be the most obvious choice to replace the new Milan man.

Mandragora is lesser known, but at just 18 years old, he shows immense potential. He is similar to Bertolacci in that he is a left-footed central midfielder, and he dealt well with being thrown into the deep end on his debut: a home game against champions Juventus. He could well be the long-term replacement for Bertolacci.

Further forward, Genoa brought in Serge Gakpe and Darko Lazovic—the latter of whom scored 10 goals for Red Star Belgrade last season—to add to their options on either side of the three-man forward line. The experienced Goran Pandev has also been added, while Leonardo Pavoletti’s loan has been made permanent after he scored six goals in 10 appearances.

The most important business of Genoa’s summer concerned the renewal of Coach Gasperini’s contract (per Sky Sports), however. His tactics and squad-management acumen were the true force behind Genoa’s resurgence last season, and with him continuing on at the club, Genoa will at the very least attempt to play good, if not successful, football.

Even with Gasperini’s staying on, it’s hard to predict the future for Genoa. Will the renowned coach work his magic once again to keep the club at the top end of the Serie A table, or will the exodus of players spark a decline?

Realistically, the end result will probably be somewhere in between those two outcomes. Gasperini is good, but he is not a miracle worker. His distinctive style, combined with what remains of Genoa’s squad, should be enough to keep them safe. But at the same time, last season’s concerted push for European football is likely to be rendered a relatively unique experience.

All performance statistics provided by WhoScored.com

Involved in an unconventional three-team transfer, Maxime Lestienne not only has to cope with the pressure at Serie A club Genoa, but he is trying to meet the considerable expectations of his Qatari investors.

Possessing a wand of a left-foot and the drive to bolt past opposing full-backs, Lestienne is another Belgian young gun who was set to be one of the most coveted free agents of 2014.

Nation	Position	Age	Height	Weight
Belgium	LF/RF	22	5'9"	139 lbs

But Club Brugge persuaded Lestienne not to exercise his Bosman right to a free transfer by extending his expiring contract last January. 

"We are very happy to announce this prolongation," Brugge sporting director Arnar Gretarsson said, per the club's official website. "Even though he's [Lestienne is] still of tender age, he's an important asset to Club Brugge."

Indrukwekkende statistieken over Maxime Lestienne in 2013 #goudenschoen pic.twitter.com/5rzJcP5vSH

— Club Brugge KV (@ClubBrugge) January 15, 2014

The imperative phrase being "important asset." 

In the last four decades, Club Brugge have successfully negotiated large transfer fees when putting an "important asset" on the market. 

• 1976, per UEFA's official website: "It was a foreigner who became the first player to command a one million Deutsche Mark fee when FC Koln signed Belgian Roger van Gool from Club Brugge."
• 1989, per UEFA's official website: Marc Degryse moved from Brugge to Anderlecht for a "record €2.25 million [fee]."
• 1994, per Trevor Haylett at The Independent: "Everton move for Nigerian World Cup striker [as Mike] Walker agrees a £3 million club record fee for [Daniel] Amokachi."
• 1999, per BBC Sport: "[Eric] Addo was signed by PSV Eindhoven from Belgium's Club Brugge at a cost of £3.7 million ... Addo tops a list of transfer flops compiled by Dutch magazine Voetbal International."
• 2011, per UEFA's official website: "[Ivan] Perisic is reported to have cost [Borussia] Dortmund a fee of around €5.5 million [from Brugge]."
• 2012, per Hannover 96's official website: "Nabil Dirar, the club's [Brugge's] prized asset, was sold for a club record fee of €7.5 million to AS Monaco last month."
• 2013, per UEFA's official website: "Sevilla FC have signed Colombian international forward Carlos Bacca from Club Brugge for a fee reported to be in the region of €7 million."

Like Koln going all in for Van Gool 38 years ago, Al Arabi offered a landmark fee—€10 million, according to Transfermarkt—to Brugge for Lestienne.

So Lestienne is on his way to Qatar. Quite shocked really, he's fallen away in recent months but not sure it's the best move for his career.

— The Belgian Waffle (@TheBelgianWffle) August 24, 2014

Money talks, just ask Standard Liege's former Belgian Pro League star Imoh Ezekiel.

"This transfer [to Al Arabi] came from nowhere," Ezekiel said, per Oluwashina Okeleji at BBC Sport. "This deal is also good for me and my family and I couldn't say no."

Unlike Ezekiel, Lestienne was not receptive to the idea of playing against Qatar Stars League clubs such as Al-Shamal, Al Shahania and Al Wakrah. 

"Big clubs were looking for me, including AC Milan," Lestienne said, per Football Italia. "[But] I was sold to an investment fund, then Genoa got me [on loan]. It was a crazy summer."

Lestienne referring to Al Arabi as an "investment fund" indicates he is beholden to a group of investors, as opposed to the Qatari club (hence why he is not playing alongside Ezekiel in the QSL).

A Qatar fund wants to acquire Lestienne and then loan him: the situation http://t.co/3129WAni50 #dimarzio @dimarzio

— Enrico Passarella (@Guardalinee) August 24, 2014

The suits investing in Lestienne could be using Al Arabi as a holding club, possibly inspired by Juan Figer's Machiavellian ways, per Alex Duff and Lucia Baldomir at Bloomberg:

FIFA will investigate an arrangement in which Brazilian players including the Porto striker known as Hulk are traded to European clubs via a Uruguayan team [Club Atletico Rentistas] for which they never appear.

...

Player agent Juan Figer arranges for Rentistas, one of Montevideo's smaller teams, to sign his clients and then loans them to a higher-profile club.

...

The transfer fee when the player is traded is redirected to a company owned by Figer called Lamico.

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/242907727662297089

This is the convoluted context behind Lestienne's move to Genoa. 

Despite having bullet train acceleration, fast twitch fibers and outstanding technical ability, Lestienne has completed the same amount of successful dribbles as Udinese goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis (two).

Idolising Bayern Munich's Dutch right winger Arjen Robben, Lestienne played like a quasi-defender in a 2-1 win over Chievo Verona, while right wing-back Edenilson showed more ambition and looked like a right-forward. 

Starting on the opposite flank, Lestienne was anonymous on the left wing in a 2-1 win over Parma. 

Dragging a shot wide in a 1-1 draw against Cagliari, Lestienne's deplorable shooting continued (only 25 percent of his shots are on target, per Squawka).

Having played 286 minutes in Serie A, Lestienne has yet to score or create a goal.

The end game for Lestienne is him performing like a world-class footballer on loan at Genoa, which will lead to a wealthy European club lodging a transfer fee in the vicinity of €20 million plus. 

At this present moment, Lestienne's rich and influential backers won't break even, never mind making a profit. 

Lestienne may move freely on the field for Genoa, though the second he controls the ball, his shoulders are probably weighed down by restless Qatari investors. 

@allanjianga

+allanjiang

When not specified, statistics via WhoScored 

Genoa were the dominant force in the early days of Italian football, winning six of the first seven league championships. They will not add another title this year, but the Grifone have made an excellent start. With bigger clubs such as Milan, Inter and Fiorentina all faltering, Genoa are right in the hunt for Europe.

Four wins in the last six have lifted Gian Piero Gasperini’s side to sixth. They have beaten leaders Juventus and lost just twice all campaign.

Their form is down to doing the simple things well and playing like a team with a coherent approach. Cynics may argue that these are the minimum requirements of any side. However, many other Serie A outfits are showing that it is easier said than done.

Gasperini’s thoughtful, well-targeted signings have contributed hugely to Genoa’s recent success. Just €5.6 million was spent in the summer to bring in 15 new faces. Alessandro Matri, captured on loan from Milan, has scored five goals and assisted three. His finishing and penalty-box presence have been major plus points.

Fellow striker Mauricio Pinilla has also been excellent. According to WhoScored.com, the Chilean wins 5.4 aerial duels on average per game, more than any other player in Serie A. His prowess in the air is perfect for a team who play with width and focus on crossing: Pinilla’s goal against Lazio is typical of Genoa’s attacks. Pinilla cost €2 million but already looks like a bargain.

Winger Diego Perotti was another smart addition. The 26-year-old possesses brilliant pace and trickery. At just €400,000, the Argentine was a steal. He has fitted seamlessly into the team.

The squad has a great blend of youth and experience. Stefano Sturaro, aged 21 and on loan from Juventus, has impressed. Andrea Bertolacci, who turned 23 this week, has just won his first Italy call-up. Mattia Perin, meanwhile, has been in sensational form in goal. Even at the tender age of 22, he seems to be the complete package.

These youngsters are supplemented by a strong group of older players. As well as Matri and Pinilla, Luca Antonini, Nicolas Burdisso and Giovanni Marchese are in their 30s. Their experience is vital in terms of guidance and leadership. The mix between young and old has created a terrific balance.

The other primary reason for Genoa’s promising start is their clearly defined style.

The entire squad knows how to execute Gasperini’s tactical plan. The former Inter coach has a clear philosophy and way of playing. His 3-4-3 is unique in Italy’s top-flight, and has created numerous problems for opponents.

Genoa are dangerous when attacking down the flanks, particularly on the counter-attack. They focus on overloading wide areas and getting crosses into the box.

The Grifone tend to create good chances. Their average of 10.5 shots per game is the third lowest in Serie A but, as 4.5 of those are on target, they have the division’s best ratio of on-target efforts to total attempts. 

Every player knows exactly what is required of him. This has allowed Gasperini to rotate his squad while maintaining positive results. Genoa have not fielded the same line-up in consecutive games at any point this season. This is even the case in defence, where conventional wisdom suggests continuity is vital. Burdisso, Marchese, Sebastian De Maio and Facundo Roncaglia have rotated in the three slots ahead of ever-present Perin in goal.

Genoa’s ability to do the basics well has helped them attain a lofty position. Shrewd signings at a low cost have given the team a great balance. Gasperini’s charges are also able to carry out his tactical strategy well, no matter who is selected in the starting line-up.

Many bigger clubs have failed in both of these regards. Some did not have good transfer windows and others lack a distinct, precise style. If Genoa continue to do the simple things well, a return to Europe could be on the cards.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be profiling some of world football’s more overlooked players in a series called the Under-the-Radar All Stars. Some will be names you’ve heard of, but may not yet fully grasp how great they are, while others may be totally unfamiliar. Established star or up-and-comer, each Under-the-Radar All Star has been unassumingly building a strong career and the hope is that this series brings some of football’s underrated players into view.

Though his summer transfer wasn't a blockbuster move, Maxime Lestienne will be taking his talents to Genoa and the Serie A, where he looks to stake his claim as the next star of Belgium's Golden Generation. 

Capped at every Belgian youth level, the 22-year-old is yet to earn his first senior cap. Even with the elite talent in front of him, it shouldn't be long before Lestienne breaks into Marc Wilmots' team, giving the Red Devils yet another exceptionally talented youngster. 

Lestienne is a product of the now defunct Mouscron academy and debuted for the senior team in 2008. He signed with Club Brugge in 2010 and, per Transfermarkt.com, has proceeded to register 30 goals and 26 assists in 110 appearances for the Belgian giants. 

A left-footed player, Lestienne has predominantly featured as a traditional winger for Michel Preud'homme's side. 

He exhibits tremendous control and composure on the ball, displaying his eye for the killer pass on numerous occasions last season. Because he dribbles like the ball is on a string, Lestienne draws a ton of fouls, an innate and useful talent. 

He's a one-man counter, capable of carrying the ball swiftly up the pitch before finding a teammate.

Lestienne is great in tight spaces and has a penchant for catching the opposition unaware with a dink over the top or a defense-beating, flighted cross to the back post. The winger isn't over-infatuated with panache and step-overs and is a very direct player, always looking to run at a marker or play an incisive forward pass. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyqiltwvVFk

Per Football Italia, his rights were purchased by Qatari outfit Al-Arabi before he was immediately loaned to Serie A side Genoa. With the Rossoblu, Lestienne has a massive opportunity to prove his talent in one of Europe's top leagues. 

Gian Piero Gasperini's side labored to a 14th-place finish last season, managing just 41 goals in 38 league matches. With obvious room for offensive improvement, Lestienne should have the opportunity to stamp his place in the starting XI. 

Gasperini favors a three-centre-back system and, per WhoScored.com, utilized multiple permutations last term including the 3-4-3, 3-5-2 and 3-4-2-1. 

Because the 3-5-2 calls for two centre-forwards and two wing-backs, Lestienne's favored winger role is absent, and therefore it'd be difficult for the young Belgian to fit into that particular formation.

The good news is that the 3-4-3 and 3-4-2-1 both have positions in which Lestienne can excel.

Fielding him on the left flank most closely parallels the role he occupied with Club Brugge, while his playing style also makes him a fit on the right. 

Though Lestienne will always look to play in a teammate, he has an eye for goal himself, as evidenced by his 10 strikes last season. More shooting lanes are open to a left-footed player who attacks from the right, and that should bolster his already impressive scoring rate. 

He orchestrated the Club Brugge offense, and Gasperini should give the agile Belgian free reign, as it's when he picks up possession and explodes forward that he's at his most dangerous. 

Entering the 2014-15 campaign, Lestienne could immediately replace Giuseppe Sculli, who returned to parent club Lazio on the left wing. Former Sevilla winger Diego Perotti, another new Genoa signing, should slot in on the right, transforming Genoa's wing duo and giving the Rossoblu a massive upgrade on both flanks. 

In terms of who Lestienne compares to, the player himself likened his playing style to that of Arjen Robben, according to a report by Football Italia.

That comparison isn't too far afield, with the biggest differences being the Belgian is pass-first where the Dutch star is shoot-first, though Robben's positioning on the right flank encourages his trigger-happiness. 

Other than that, Lestienne's directness is very akin to Robben, who too won't string together a series of step-overs simply for effect, while both are singular counters and adept set-piece practitioners.

Left-footed, technically excellent with brilliant acceleration, Lestienne's best-case ceiling is Robben, whereas Dries Mertens, another player who Lestienne commented on, represents a more realistic comparison. 

Over the past few years, Serie A has seen a number of wingers with world-class potential announce themselves on the European stage. Erik Lamela, Juan Manuel Iturbe, Domenico Berardi and Stephan El Shaarawy are just a few, and it may not be long before we add Maxime Lestienne to that list of young superstars. 

Previously: 

Roberto Firmino, Hoffenheim's Engine

Ricardo Rodriguez, Swiss Savant

Getting a tattoo as a record of an important moment in your life is not unusual, but representing every club you've ever played for in the way Genoa's captain Daniele Portanova has chosen to do definitely is.

The Italian defender, now 35, rejoined Genoa for the second time in his career last year, and he has celebrated by revealing a tattoo that shows his long journey through football.

What it doesn't explain, however, is the choice of childlike stick figures, and even a queen in a little crown, to represent that journey:

Eccola!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/kPPaADBpq7

— danieleportanova78 (@portanova78) March 17, 2014

"Eccola" broadly translates to "Look!" or "Here it is!" and it's certainly quite something. Eurosport shed a little more light on its significance:

The tattoo represents the teams he has represented, in this order: Fermana, Messina, Napoli, Bologna, Genoa, Siena.

What is not entirely clear is why one of the caricatures is of a woman with a crown on her head or why one of the men is wearing a cap while playing football—but hey, a touch of creative license is surely to be allowed.

Genoa are currently midtable in Serie A as the season heads into its final months.

[H/T Eurosport]

What a difference a day makes. Genoa's Fabio Liverani will be forgiven if he can't stop humming Dinah Washington's classic right now, because before Sunday's game his side hadn't won this season. 

Ridiculous as it might seem after only three games, he looked like being the first manager on the Serie A sack list. 

Then along came the weekend's game with Sampdoria, and all is changed. 

The like a good derby in Italy.

There are five local rivalries in Serie A this season, and if that wasn't enough, there's the Derby d'Italia between Juventus and Inter, and the Derby del Sole between Roma and Napoli. The port city of Genoa's Derby della Lanterna is always among the most anticipated, however. 

The Grifone are the country's oldest professional football club; the Blucerchiati the youngest. They share a crowded and passionate city and an atmospheric home ground.

And for 2013-14's first local derby, the Luigi Ferraris Stadium was packed to the rafters. 

Before kick-off, Liverani's name was top of every journalist's list for liking sacking candidates. The former Lazio midfielder was promoted from the youth set-up by club owner Enrico Preziosi, but after two defeats in the league's opening games, the common consensus was that the president was considering a change. 

Those plans will be put on hold, following a sublime display from Genoa. 

The Grifone were by far and away the better side on the night, putting Samp to the sword in front of their own fans with a 0-3 mauling. An early strike from Luca Antonini set them off, before Emanuele Calaio doubled the lead just after half time.

The icing on the cake then came in the form of a perfect free-kick from the master, Francesco Lodi. 

Preziosi has always been a man of little patience—and that's a bigger problem for Genoa than whoever is currently occupying the bench.

He's hired eight managers since 2010, when he fired the affable and dependable Gian Piero Gasperini for failing to maintain a high-standard after he'd lost his best players to bigger clubs. 

Gasperini had brought the Rossoblu back to Serie A and gotten them into Europe only to take the blame for the club's lack of vision and long-term strategy. And the fall guys have gone down like dominoes ever since. 

They're a better side then their 17th place last season suggests. Yes, losing your first two games in a league campaign isn't ideal, but it shouldn't be taken out of context. Liverani didn't lose to other mid-table teams—he lost to Inter and Fiorentina.

Clearly, he won't be the last to do so, either.

If you're a cynic—I am—you could suggest that Liverani only got the gig in the first place because of Preziosi's lack of imagination. The Serie A has had a number of young manager success stories of late, and he figured Genoa could have a go as well. Promote a former player from the youth to the big time. After all, it worked out well for Vincenzo Montella. 

But however he got the job, the man now deserves a decent chance to do it. There's a good squad in Genoa, and with the right man at the wheel they could do well in the league and make a good run in the Coppa Italia. 

Alberto Gilardino has shown his class since returning from Bologna, and though his fans will always lament the fact he never reached the career heights he might have, the fact he's still called upon to wear the Italy shirt is evidence enough that he still has plenty to give. 

Gila was superb against Samp, creating chances and playing teammates into space in the way that only the best strikers can. 

Lodi dictated play perfectly and took his chance from a free-kick—won by Gilardino—with a shot that should give keepers nightmares. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MKPWj0cIFA,2

Other players like Matuzalem, Sime Vrsaljko, Davide Biondini and Calaio all have much to offer and would not be out of place at bigger clubs. It's a decent bunch of players, and one that Liverani seems to understand and be able to shape into a functioning unit. 

With the crisis over for now, momentum is crucial. Up next, the newly promoted Livorno followed by a trip away to the stuttering Udinese.

Livorno have won both their games since losing to Roma on the opening day, while the Zebrette have been in lacklustre form. Having lost to Czech side FC Slovan Liberec in the Europa League's qualifying round, they've had a loss, a win, and a draw in the league. 

Six points is a possibility for Genoa. And if they get them it might inspire some heroics for the following trip to Napoli, where a draw would seen as success.

The slow start is now behind them, but Liverani's Genoa need to keep the results coming and develop into a side with something resembling the potential hinted at by their team sheet. If they can do that, who knows?

Maybe their boss can even keep his job. That would be a real achievement.