Giampaolo: “Second phase of the season begins now – we must continue working hard”

Marco Giampaolo called for Sampdoria to move on from their memorable win over Juventus last Sunday and switch their focus to the next phase of the season – starting with Bologna on Saturday – as he met the media on Friday afternoon.

“Last Sunday was the end of the first third of the season, but we still have another two thirds to play so we need to continue working hard,” said the Doria boss. “The team is motivated and I’ve seen no drop in concentration this week. They want to try to stay in the position they’re currently in – if we replicate what we’ve done in training then we’ll produce a good performance.”

Giampaolo was keen for his team to keep their feet on the ground following an impressive start to the season, with Samp having won eight of their first 12 games of the 2017/18 campaign.

“We know we’re up against a tough team to face – they deserve respect,” said the coach. “It’s important we don’t get too caught up in the Juventus result, because the points up for grabs tomorrow are worth just as much as the three we won last Sunday.”

The Blucerchiati manager also spoke about the importance of not piling too much pressure on the team’s shoulders, but insisted that Samp are extremely motivated for the road ahead.

“Taking one day at a time doesn’t mean not having objectives – it’s about ensuring the work we put in during the week is as effective as possible,” he said. “Our biggest motivation right now is the league table. Nobody here wants to drop off, but if we play with freedom then we’ll enjoy ourselves much more.”