From hell to paradise, there were only a few months for Fabio Grosso. The 47 -year -old Italian coach had made a choice of heart on September 18, 2023 by joining Olympique Lyonnais, a club where he had evolved between 2007 and 2009. Wanting to help a Lyon team last Ligue 1, he will finally have held 7 small matches where he will have won only one match. A failed passage marked above all by shocking images, those where he had been seriously injured on the sidelines of a match against Olympique de Marseille and of which he had been hit near the eye by a glass bottle. “The Marseille Ultras had launched a bottle against our bus just when I turned to lower the curtain. And it may have saved my life because otherwise the bottle would have reached me the temple. Instead, she touched me under the left eye, and I got away with 15 stitches. On this occasion, I understood what it means risking “dying instantly”: it is the story of a moment, of a situation which takes a turn rather than another “he recently entrusted to The Repubblica.
Staying free for a few months, he had been approached by Sassuolo in February but preferred to wait this summer despite the descent of the club in Serie B in order to join the Nerovedi. A daring choice on his part even if he was able to count on a group that has remained competitive. Despite the losses of Matheus Henrique, Martin Erlic, Ryan Flamingo, Nedim Bajrami, Georgios Kyriakopoulos, Maxime Lopez or Grégoire Defrel, Sassuolo was able to keep certain executives as his offensive trio composed of Laurian Armand, Domenico Berardi and Samuele Mulattieri. Players like Cristian Volpato, Jérémy Toljan, Josh Four or Kristian Thorstvedt also stayed despite the descent and helped Sassuolo in his mission. The Transalpin club was also able to count on two precious loans with the Romanian goalkeeper of Atlético de Madrid Horațiu Moldovan and the Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic from Juventus. With good equipment for this division, Fabio Grosso had to find the right formula. It has arrived well.
Fabio Grosso convinced
If the beginning required a few weeks of adaptation, the formation of Fabio Grosso appears in the first two places (synonyms of direct promotion) since the 10th day and have become the leader in the 15th day. Multiplying the convincing results, Sassuolo finally crushed the competition with 9 points ahead of Pisa and 16 on Spezia Calcio when there are still 5 days of the championship. A nice tour de force for Fabio Grosso and his men who will finally have succeeded in their direct promotion bet. “”I am very happy to have obtained this result. We have shown that we had the qualities to reach the goal in a difficult championship where balance reigns supreme. At the start of the season, we experienced some difficulties, then we created the right combination within the team to reach the summit. The whole team got involved from the start and that is what made our strength“Said Fabio Grosso in particular just after learning the news.
With the explosive season of Armand Laurienté (15 goals and 6 offerings) and Captain Domenico Berardi (6 goals and 12 assists), Sassuolo could boast of having an advantage over competition thanks to its individualities. With a rather cut workforce for Serie A, Sassuolo has nevertheless been able to go directly, a performance only achieved by the Genoa and Cagliari over the last 5 years. For Paolo Cannavarro former defender of the Italian club, the choice Fabio Grosso was important in this return from Sassuolo to Serie A as he declared to La Gazzetta dello Sport : “Everyone has worked in the same direction. Entrust the group to an experienced coach as roughly, promote a master with young players like Palmieri to the post of sports director: the right choices made the difference. A revolution was essential, and it took place. Roughly was the first coach contacted by the club. He had already been promoted with Frosinone in 2023; He was the ideal person to have on the bench. The goal is now to stay in Serie A.»With important means for Serie B and retaining a solid team, Sassuolo will now have to reinstall himself in Serie A as between 2013 and 2024. Under contract until June 2026, Fabio Grosso has also set the tone for next year: “A future together? We have time to discuss it: the categories are different and it will require a lot of reflection. The contract is there, the will also, if the club agrees, we will go ahead. ” The galleys of OL are now behind Fabio Grosso who has found joy in Italy.
