Genoa coach Davide Ballardini looks at the 3-3 draw with Hellas Verona as ‘a point earned’ and admits departing President Enrico Preziosi ‘made life difficult’ for him.
The Grifone have become the comeback kings of this Serie A season already, as they scored three goals in eight minutes to go from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 this evening.
Nikola Kalinic eventually snatched an equaliser for Verona in stoppages.
“We have to be honest here and admit that Verona are a better squad than Genoa,” Ballardini told Sky Sport Italia.
“They proved again this evening how good they are, while we struggle to play smooth football, but we do have heart, determination and will go the extra mile to fight it out with anyone.
“Genoa have a long way to go, Verona are at a more advanced level than us, so we look at this as a point earned.”
This was a very special night for Genoa, as it was the first under new owners 777 Partners after Preziosi ended his 18-year tenure.
The rapport between Ballardini and Preziosi was famously fractious, as this is the tactician’s fourth different stint at Marassi and the pair clashed many times.
“I have profound gratitude to the President, because he called me here many times. On the other hand, he also made life difficult for me several times and was rarely particularly helpful,” said the coach.