Thiago Motta who 1st introduced 2-7-2 formation sacked as Genoa boss

Thiago Motta has been sacked as manager of Serie A club Genoa after just two months in charge at the west port side.

In an official statement released by the club, former player Nicola Davide will take over from the former Italian international in the New Year.

Genoa were thrashed 4-0 by league leaders Inter Milan before the winter break and the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was shown the door.

The 37-year-old has won only one match, recording five defeats and three draws since taking over from Aurelio Andreazzoli in late October.

In a statement released by the club, Genoa said: “The club would like to thank Mr. Thiago Motta for his abundant dedication.”

Motta who famously revealed he would adopt the 2-7-2 formation revealed how it will work out.

“My idea is to play offensively. A short (compact) team that controls the game, high pressure and a lot of movement with and without the ball. I want the player that has the ball to always have three or four solutions and two teammates close by to help. The difficulty in football is, often to do things simply but to control the base, pass and get free. I don’t like the numbers of the field because they trick you. You can be super offensive with a 5-3-2 and defensive in a 4-3-3. The goalkeeper counts as one of the midfield seven. For me, the attacker is the first defender and the goalkeeper is the first attacker. The goalkeeper starts the play, with his feet and the attackers are the first to put pressure to recover the ball.”

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Genoa are currently languishing at the bottom of the Serie A table after 17 games. They are just four points away from safety with their next game against Sassuolo at home on January 5.

New manager Nicola started his footballing career at Stadio Luigi Ferraris where he made 166 appearances over nine seasons.

The 46-year-old’s coaching career includes spells with Udinese, Bari, and Crotone.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that Arturo Vidal has taken legal action against Barcelona for £2million unpaid bonuses, reports in Spain claim.

The Chilean international was eligible to the bonuses based on minutes played and performances when he signed from Bayern Munich.

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