Andriy Shevchenko facing sack just two months into club management career

Andriy Shevchenko is facing the sack as Genoa boss after just 10 matches at the helm and without a victory in the league.

The former Ukraine international striker was appointed just 64 days at the struggling Serie A club but has managed to oversee just one win during a troubled stint.

Prior to his appointment, the struggling club had won just one of their opening 12 matches in the Italian top-flight and he was tasked with reviving their fortunes and steering Genoa clear of the drop zone.

Genoa are now without a win in their last 19 league matches and are five points adrift of safety with Shevchenko's position now under threat.

Sunday's defeat at home to lowly Spezia has piled the pressure on the former Ukraine boss, who was not on the sidelines for the game having tested positive for Covid.

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The most damning statistic of Shevchenko's stint at the club is illustrated by their attacking struggles, which has seen the side net just four goals across his 10 matches - two of which came in separate 3-1 defeats.

Genoa's only victory under Shevchenko was in last month's slender Coppa Italia victory at home to Salernitana - the sole side below them in the standings.

Despite respectable draws against Udinese, Sassuolo and, most notably, Atalanta - six defeats and a clear lack of firepower have put the Ukrainian's position under threat.

The 45-year-old coach was previously in charge of the Ukrainian national team and he guided the team to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 last summer.

As highlighted by Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, the former striker's position at the Rossoblu is now less than certain and he could be axed this week.

Shevchenko is preparing his beleaguered side for a Coppa Italia trip to Milan this midweek but it remains unclear if he will stay in the dugout for the trip to his former club.

It comes just over two months after Shevchenko's appointment following the club's takeover by US investment firm 777 Partners, as he replaced Davide Ballardini at the helm.

The club's confidence in the Ukrainian was highlighted by agreeing a two-and-a-half year contract through to the summer of 2024.

Two weeks after his arrival, Shevchenko lost his opening game in the dugout 2-0 against his former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, now in charge at Roma.

Shevchenko's Genoa have also fallen to defeats against Milan, Juventus, city rivals Sampdoria, Lazio and, on Sunday, Spezia.

He made his name as one of the most prolific strikers in the late 1990s and early 2000s with blistering spells leading the line at Dynamo Kiev and Milan, before an unsuccessful switch to Chelsea in 2006.

Shevchenko's post-playing career has been eventful, overseeing 52 matches as Ukraine boss following an unsuccessful move into politics.