Giampaolo: “A great final half hour but we need to improve”

After a difficult period for the city of Genoa, it was a shame Sampdoria were unable to kick off this league season with a victory.

Speaking after Sunday’s 1-0 loss away at Udinese, coach Marco Giampaolo said: “Living in Genoa, you get the sense of pain and tragedy. But those affected by the collapse of the Ponte Morandi bridge have shown nothing but the utmost dignity. Since the funerals that have taken place, we have seen the pride that exists in the city.”

Turning attentions to the match at the Dacia Arena, he added: “We struggled with their intensity to start with. They were in better shape than us – sharper and stronger. We on the other hand couldn’t find our range or our rhythm.

“But in the last half hour I saw a side I’ve not often seen – we barely gave the ball away and showed great character. The problems will be ironed out with more game time.”

The turnaround in performance from the first half was substantial and the coach believes the performance can be built upon by his team.

“We stayed in our opponents’ half and created a lot – the last 30 minutes leave me with hope. I liked what I saw from the team, although I’m annoyed by the result. A draw would have been fair. Udinese have come out on top against a team that I hope and believe can improve,” he continued.

“The players have some excuses. This is our first league match and we’ve not had a consistent run of matches in the lead up. Some players had to adjust to different positions and some weren’t fully fit. As I said, I’ve seen a good 30-minute period from the boys. So we can look at the glass as being half full.”