Genoa coach Alexander Blessin has admitted he avoided starting life at the club, managing from the stands, as Ralf Rangnick did at Manchester United.
The German coach took charge of the Serie A side in the middle of January, making a surprise exit from KV Oostende to make the move to Italy.
He’s been a big hit at the club so far, averaging just over a point per game, although only one of those has been a win, with seven draws and a defeat in the other eight games.
Still, 10 points from nine games has been a nice turnaround for a side who are struggling at the bottom of the table, currently three points from safety.
It was immediate immersion for the German coach, who took charge of his first game, a clash against Udinese, just three days after arriving.
He could quite have easily sat that one out but says he elected not to follow the path taken by his compatriot Rangnick at Manchester United.
“The past months have been very exciting. I transferred from KV Oostende to Genoa on 19th January in a night-and-fog operation,” he told Sport1.
“That’s something you don’t do every day, to change clubs at the drop of a hat. Then I only had two days to prepare for the first game.
“Rangnick had coached his first game at Manchester United from the stands, but we didn’t want that; we wanted to be active right away. The time so far has been incredible.”
While wins have not been forthcoming for Blessin so far, there is far more positivity about the club since his arrival.
Indeed, his tactics have been earning praise from far and wide, with Italian legend Fabio Capello recently claiming that Italy should look to the German as the way to develop moving forwards.
Blessin has so far stuck rigidly to a 4-2-3-1 system, something that appears to be getting something out of the squad at his disposal.
The same cannot be said of Rangnick at Manchester United, something Blessin hinted at when questioned on tactics.
“I think in Italy, they are just coming to terms with why things didn’t work out after the European Championship,” he added.
“It’s clear that a statement like that from Capello sharpens the senses, which is something you might have to pay attention to in the future.
“But of course, you also have to look at which players you have available for your tactics. Ralf Rangnick can tell you a thing or two about that at Manchester United.”
