Genoa, which finished second in Serie B last season, is 14th.
Promoted Frosinone earned a 1-1 draw at Salernitana, which remained winless.
Simone Romagnoli put Frosinone ahead early on with a towering header before Jovan Cabral equalized for Salernitana after the break with a low shot.
Frosinone, which has lost only once in five matches, moved up to fifth place. Salernitana is 18th
The Salernitana coach spoke after his side-s 1-1 draw with newly-promoted Frosinone, during which summer acquisition Jovane Cabral notched his first goal for the club in Dia’s absence.
Dia has not featured for the Granata since the international break having picked up an injury while away with Senegal, before failing to report for training with Salernitana upon his return. Instead, the 26-year-old took a leave of absence in France without approval from the club.
However, having accepted his punishment, which included a significant fine , both parties have now moved on and Sousa is eagerly awaiting the return of his top goalscorer last season.
“He is working hard to return as quickly as possible,” Sousa said on Friday evening. “We are starting to do things that give him confidence in us and makes us hopeful that he wants to stay with us.”
Breaking down his team’s performance against Frosinone, Sousa added: “I’m proud of what the boys did. The match was complicated right from the start, but there were many moments of quality. Thanks largely to Candreva and Cabral, we managed to break through in central positions.
“They were good at denying us several crosses. Jovane Cabral is trying to fit in and is doing well. He brings us depth in attack and he has understood what the team needs.”
Salernitana are, however still winless in Serie A this season and currently find themselves in the relegation zone with three points from their opening five matches.
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Chris
