Genoa appoint De Rossi as manager to replace Vieira

Genoa have named Daniele De Rossi as manager after sacking Patrick Vieira, the Serie A club said on Thursday as they bid to climb out of the relegation zone.

Genoa sacked Frenchman Vieira after a winless start to their campaign which included three draws and six losses that had left them rooted to the bottom of the standings.

Domenico Criscito stepped in over the weekend to oversee Genoa's first league victory of the season, a 2-1 win at Sassuolo that lifted them to 18th place, level on six points with 17th-placed Pisa who are in the safety zone.

"Genoa CFC announces that Daniele De Rossi has been appointed head coach of the first team," the club said in a statement.

"The new coach has already met with the players and will lead the afternoon training session scheduled at the Signorini Sports Centre."

The 42-year-old De Rossi, who spent nearly two decades at AS Roma as a player, took over as head coach at the capital club in January 2024 after Jose Mourinho was fired.

He guided Roma to a sixth-place finish in Serie A and the semifinals of the Europa League before signing a contract extension until 2027.

However, he was sacked in September last year after a winless start to the new league season, with his final game ironically ending in a 1-1 stalemate at Genoa.

Genoa's next fixture is at home to Fiorentina, who themselves are in turmoil after sacking Stefano Pioli on Tuesday following a dismal winless start that has left the Tuscan side bottom of Serie A.