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Pioli concentrating on safety despite topping table

ROME - Chievo coach Stefano Pioli insisted he is focussed on avoiding relegation despite his team being the surprise early pace-setters in Serie A.

Chievo followed up their opening 2-1 win over Catania with a shock 3-1 success at Genoa on Sunday, leaving them top of the table.

But such a lofty position has not got Pioli changing his outlook.

“We need to get to 40 points as quickly as possible, that’s our aim,” he said.

“Genoa created problems for us but we knew how to make the difference, I’m very satisfied.”

Mattia Destro gave Genoa a sixth minute lead but Davide Moscardelli replied on the stroke of half-time.

Goals from Michele Marcolini and Sergio Pellissier in the second period settled the affair in the Veronese club’s favour.

“After we conceded the early goal it was important not to become disjointed but to know how to struggle through a moment of difficulty.

“Our team-work paid off, we managed to hold on in the beginning and then create some things to do well.

“If I do have to criticise the team it was in being too passive in the middle in the first half.”

This is not the first time Chievo have led Serie A having topped the table for six consecutive weeks in their top flight debut season in 2001/02.

That season they secured their highest ever finish of fifth place and became known as the ‘Chievo miracle’.

However, a seventh placed finish in 2005/06 saw them eventually promoted to a new record fourth after Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina, who all finished above them, among others were deducted points in the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal and dropped below the Flying Pigs.