Giampaolo hails team effort: “We deserved to win”

It is still early days, but Sampdoria are playing as a team. Marco Giampaolo knows how he wants his players to operate, in unison with one another.

Speaking after Samp’s 2-1 win over Atalanta, the coach said: “The team put a lot into the game tonight. We still need to improve in all areas, but what I’m interested in is the group as a whole and not individual players.”

“We have to keep on putting that idea into practice and work as a collective unit,” he added.

The Blucerchiati were tested during the game, especially having to deal with going 1-0 down, but the players dealt with what was put in front of them and emerged victorious.

“We used up a lot of our energy in the first half and Atalanta are a team that never gives in. It was a hard-fought game, but we deserved the victory.

“When you’ve been through difficult times, there can be a fragility that remains, but we did really well to hold on to our lead. We still have a lot to learn about our qualities as a team, so we can’t ask too much from the boys at such an early stage.”