Blessin’s impact at Genoa cannot be disguised, but wins must follow soon

Kelvin Yeboah (right), one of Genoa’s January arrivals, pressures Atalanta's José Luis Palomino during Sunday’s goalless draw – the club’s fifth such result in their last seven matches. Photograph: Spada/AP

Genoa needed someone to steady the ship. By mid-January, the Rossoblù seemed to be disappearing beneath the waves of the Ligurian Riviera, having collected more managers than wins through the first 22 games of this Serie A season. Davide Ballardini was fired in November with the team in 17th in the table. In two months under Andriy Shevchenko, they sunk a further two places.

Alexander Blessin arrived promising “high velocity” football, “made of pressing and mentality”. Supporters did not know what to expect. The newspapers promised a disciple of Ralf Rangnick – one who had coached youth teams at RB Leipzig for eight years before taking his first step into management in Belgium with KV Oostende.