Genoa midfielder Tommaso Baldanzi contributed to a comeback victory over Ascoli on August 17 that sent Daniele De Rossi's side into the Coppa Italia round of 16, with Marcandalli, Colombo, and Havel also on the scoresheet as the rossoblù overturned an early deficit to advance.
The result matters less as a trophy ambition and more as a barometer. Genoa finished 16th in Serie A last season with 41 points from 38 matches — a side that won ten, drew eleven, and lost seventeen — and De Rossi needs early evidence that his squad can compete with purpose rather than merely survive. Baldanzi, at 23, is precisely the kind of player whose development determines which direction this club moves.
His season numbers are modest in volume: two assists across eight appearances, no goals, an average rating of 6.80. But the Coppa Italia run has offered something the league table cannot yet reflect — a chance to build rhythm and confidence before the Serie A campaign intensifies. The goal against Ascoli adds to a small but growing body of work, and the pattern of contribution matters as much as the raw totals at this stage of the season.
The AI assessment places Baldanzi at 70 out of 100 overall, with a projected ceiling of 76. That gap between current output and potential is not a criticism; it is the space where a player either grows or stagnates. De Rossi's Genoa, with their next Coppa Italia fixture against Südtirol standing between them and a potential round of 16 meeting with Inter, will need Baldanzi to close that gap sooner rather than later.
Genoa are also pursuing reinforcements, with a loan move for a Brighton striker reported to be advancing. If that deal lands, Baldanzi's role as a creative link between midfield and attack becomes more defined — and more consequential.
The Südtirol match is the next test. How Baldanzi performs in it will say more about his trajectory than any single statistic.