Giampaolo: “This victory is priceless, we were at our best”

When the going got tough, Samp got going. “It was a priceless victory,” Marco Giampaolo began in the press conference after the match. “I kept a lot of players out today for one reason or another and I’m glad with the results. Our team deserves respect. One week we stumbled: the one of the Inter and Crotone games.”

Novices, afterthoughts and rejects: yet in the face of all adversity the fourteen lads who took to the pitch on Tuesday made the difference for their team. “It was a great response by all involved,” continued the Samp manager. “We were all in. We must carry on playing with commitment like this, and do our best to keep on doing well. On Saturday we didn’t play badly, despite the defeat.”

At Bergamo Joachim Andersen, 21, ran out with the first team for the first time in his career. His manager had this to say: “He’s been training away in silence for eight months, but over that time he’s come on leaps and bounds. This was his moment: the pressure was on. There’s no point coming on in the last minutes, that’s not what makes you become a great player. Capezzi was ready when we needed him with Torreira out.”

After the equaliser at 1-1, the team showed no fear. It was as though the team could still hear their manager’s words from the dressing room ringing in their ears.

“If you play your game you draw attention to your opposition’s weaknesses, if not you show them your own”, concluded Giampaolo, “We played without fear. The derby is an emotional game for us. Both teams are going into it in the best possible way, with a victory in their last match. We’ll see them on the pitch on Saturday.”