Genoa striker Goran Pandev (right) failed to live up to his billing at the Stadio Marassi this season.

Bologna continued to show signs of recovery last weekend as they left it late to beat struggling Genoa thanks to a Luca Rossettini goal to record their third away win of the season.

Bologna have now collected 13 points since Roberto Donadoni took over the reins of the team from Delio Rossi late in October.

Surely, no mean feat for a side that lacked spark and seemed heading straight back to the Serie B before the club bosses decided to change coach.

However, Genoa’s season is taking longer than expected to take off.

So far, they only managed 16 points from 16 matches and are currently fourth-bottom, two points above the relegation zone. Such a bleak run in Serie A transformed Genoa from potential Europa League berth challengers to mere struggling relegation-battlers.

Things look increasingly complicated for Genoa considering they collected just three draws from their first eight away fixtures

Saturday’s home upset to Bologna was Genoa’s eighth of the season – the third setback at their own backyard.

Before last weekend, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men were already coming from two straight defeats after finishing on the losing side against Carpi (1-2) at home and away to league leaders Inter (0-1).

Before the Christmas recess, Genoa have a tough fixture coming up as they travel to title challengers Roma in what promises to be a game that will most likely increase their agony rather than alleviate it.

Things look increasingly complicated for Genoa considering they collected just three draws from their first eight away fixtures, scoring a mere six goals in the process.

Last weekend it could have finished even worse for Genoa as third-bottom Frosinone were heavily beaten by Palermo (4-1). Had Roberto Stellone’s side left Sicily with the three points in their bags, Genoa would have found themselves in the drop zone.

Last season, Genoa were the surprise package in the Italian league and finished a creditable sixth with 59 points.

They lost 11 games all season and finished higher than more-quoted sides like Sampdoria, Inter, Torino and Milan. However, the club was deprived from playing in the preliminary stages of the Europa League this summer as they did not qualify for a UEFA licence.

The same thing happened to Parma last year. It now seems that Genoa’s exit from Europe has triggered their freefall.

In the close season, Genoa lost a few key players among whom Iago Falque (Roma), M’Baye Niang, Andrea Bertolacci and Juraj Kucka (all Milan).

The notable departures left a huge gap which the relatively-unknown newcomers failed to plug. The fans had big expectations on striker Goran Pandev but the much-travelled Macedonian has failed to score in eight appearances.

Genoa – the oldest Italian club – scored a modest 15 goals in 16 games. One-third of that tally was managed by the 27-year-old Leonardo Pavoletti – their signing from Sassuolo in January.

Diego Perotti has been a pale shadow of himself. Last year, he was among Genoa’s best performers all season and attracted interest from several top-rated clubs.

But this year is a different story as Perotti only managed one goal in 13 appearances. On Saturday, he was introduced as a second-half substitute but got sent off on 81 minutes for elbowing an opponent, clearly showing his frustration.

Genoa could still save their season though with 21 matches remaining until May.

The January transfer window is just behind the corner and that is an ideal opportunity for them to make some signings of note and ease their relegation worries.