Giampaolo: “No excuses, we need a reaction to get back on track”

Marco Giampaolo called for his Sampdoria team to show a reaction after they were beaten 1-0 by Sassuolo at Marassi on Sunday.

“Sassuolo were livelier than us today – they were fresher,” he said, speaking after the game. “We felt the effects of our efforts in the Coppa Italia: it’s not easy to play every three days if you’re not used to it. We’ve lost a bit of our vibrancy, which might explain the late goals we’re conceding. The pitch didn’t help our way of playing either, but I don’t want to look for excuses.”

Giampaolo urged Doria to bounce back in the remaining three games before the winter break.

“We need to get back on track,” he said. “We have plenty to work on. We need to prepare well for the next three games before the break.”

Alarm bells are being rung in some quarters following Samp’s fifth game without a win, but Giampaolo was quick to dismiss talk of a crisis.

“A bad spell is part and parcel of every season,” he said. “It can’t all be rosy for the whole year. We need to show we can react and get back on track. We’ve certainly not been lacking in terms of our effort.”