What is ailing Genoa in Serie A?

Andriy Shevchenko might be heading into the final days of his managerial tenure as Genoa recently suffered an upset against newly-promoted Spezia.

It was the Reds and Blues' third defeat in five games which saw the club crumble to nineteenth in the table, five points off safety.

Poor recruitment in the summer for Genoa

Despite finishing one place outside the top ten last season, the club failed to bolster their squad in the summer. They failed to replace two of their key players - forward Eldor Shomurodov and veteran Cristian Zapata.

The Red and Blues made only a handful of investments as they roped in wingback Silvan Hefti from Switzerland and Mexican centre-back Johan Vasquez. However, the signings were made on the basis of a long-term dividend for the club. Unfortunately, it is hurting the club's survival in the short run.

Defensive frailties

Zapata's absence has been a critical factor behind the club emerging with the second-worst defense in the league, only behind newly-promoted Salernitana.

Mattia Bani has struggled for form as they opted for a back-three this season. His loan spell at Parma seems to have only made him more inconsistent. Head coach Andriy Shevchenko was forced to substitute the stopper in their last outing against Spezia.

Vasquez and left-back Andre Cambiasso have also failed to muster strong performances. The lack of coordination and communication among the back-three has been a major factor behind their defeats to lower-ranked opponents.

This was very much evident in their September's Serie A game against Hellas Verona. The lack of defensive coordination allowed Verona to score an equalizer in the 91st minute of the game.

Such has been the inconsistency of the back-three that Shevchenko, as well as their former manager Davide Ballardini, had to constantly rotate their defensive personnel. As many as eight centre-backs have already played more than five games for the club across domestic competitions.

Shevchenko to Genoa was a poor move

Following the departure of Ballardini after a poor start to the season, the club appointed former AC Milan star Andriy Shevchenko as their new head coach.

Shevchenko's arrival was a massive step-up for the former forward given that his only previous coaching stint came with the Ukrainian national team. He was also given the reins to take the club out of the plight of the relegation battle.

Given his inexperience at this level, the union was a mismatch. As things stand, their Serie A survival looks rather bleak.