Embarked in the fight to maintain its position, Genoa achieved major media success in three weeks. On October 28, Il Grifone acquired a certain Mario Balotelli (34 years old), then on November 20, Patrick Vieira succeeded Alberto Gilardino on the sidelines at the Luigi Ferraris stadium. The arrival of the French coach then raised a lot of questions. Not necessarily on his ability to save Genoa, but because of the presence of Balotelli in the squad.
Vieira uses it little
Indeed, the two men have not really maintained a good relationship in recent years. And the last time Vieira coached the Italian in Nice, the latter chose to leave the Gym because of his repeated quarrels with the Frenchman. A problem that had not escaped Genoa. “Balotelli is an intelligent person and I’m sure the new coach is also an intelligent person. They’re going to kiss in front of me. I’m sure they will get along very well“, indicated President Zangrillo at the time of Vieira’s signing.
Scrutinized from all sides, Mario Balotelli had also played the appeasement card. “We had differences on certain footballing ideas, but on a personal level we always got along well. We played together at Inter and City: he was calm, but he was a bit of a nuisance“. But since then, the fears aroused by this reunion seem to have been confirmed. The Italian media have not reported the slightest outburst between the two men, but Balotelli is clearly not a priority for his coach.
Balotelli has a clause to leave early
Since Vieira took charge of Genoa, the 98 world champion has managed four matches (3 draws, 1 defeat). The 2012 European vice-champion was used three times, but never as a starter. He only played 27 minutes, not even 10 minutes per match. And last December 15, Patrick Vieira did not even bring him off the bench during the reception of AC Milan (0-0). The Frenchman prefers the young Andrea Pinamonti (25 years old) and this is what he said when the media asked him why Balotelli did not play this prestigious match.
“Why didn’t Balotelli come into play? The stability and balance of the team are very important. I thought we didn’t need another striker. » Balotelli must have appreciated it. Since then, the transalpine media have explained that the physical condition of the player, who remained without a club for many months, still leaves something to be desired. And the Republic adds that the rumors of an early departure of the striker barely two months after his arrival (Balotelli is under contract until June 2025, editor’s note) are intensifying, especially since the star has a clause in his lease which allows him to leave prematurely. To be continued.
