Gasperini shocked at Genoa dismissal

(GSM) – Gian Piero Gasperini admits his shock after being sacked from his job as manager of Genoa following the team’s away defeat to Palermo on Sunday night.

The 52-year-old tactician had been at the club for five seasons, but the team’s slow start for the season proved to be the manager’s downfall.

Genoa find themselves in 14th ten games into the season and have lost three of their last four games.

Despite the negative results, Gasperini has voiced out his bitterness at receiving the sack.

“I didn’t expect it,” Gasperini said.

“I prefer not to say anything, at least for today, also because I am waiting for it to be made official.

“Naturally there is great bitterness,” he concluded.

Meanwhile former Lazio manager Davide Ballardini has been appointed as Gasperini’s replacement.

Genoa owner Enrico Preziosi is happy with Ballardini and says that the tactician’s experience with difficult club owners as Lazio’s Claudio Lotito and Mauricio Zamparini of Palermo makes him the right man for the job.

“He’s the right person, I like him a lot, maybe because he has already had to put up with difficult presidents like Lotito and Zamparini.

“I don’t need a phenomenon at the moment, just something simple.” Preziosi said.