Di Francesco: “It’s been a tough start, we need a positive result”

At the end of the match against Napoli, Eusebio Di Francesco analysed Sampdoria’s third defeat of the season, with the team yet to get a point on the board. “This evening’s performance was better than the previous ones. In terms of our attitude, it was the best since I’ve been here. Despite losing, we struck a better balance and were more compact. Just like against Sassuolo, there was a five-minute period when we were disorientated after going 1-0 down, but we took far fewer risks today. We deserved more considering the team’s overall performance, particularly in the 20-minute spell leading up to half-time. You can’t waste key chances during a period in which you’re conceding so many goals and that’s what we did.”
Previously unseen tactics came into play at the San Paolo and there were some positive aspects that the coach noticed: “There’s better cover in this formation. That’s why I thought of a type of 5-3-2 formation, but with Rigoni who has different attributes as a forward. The result is that there were good things, but in many situations, the last pass was rushed. I understand the boys are going through a tough time. It’s been a difficult start and we need a positive result. If we’d had luck on our side, that could’ve been the case tonight.”
The Doria coach added, “We’ll take the performance away with us and will approach the next game with the same attitude, while making different final choices. This developmental process has to continue. We have to work hard to increase our conviction and learning. You know you’re going to get 1-v-1s playing this formation and you need a bit of guile. Otherwise, you’ll struggle. We have to improve a lot. It should be said that Napoli deserve credit as well. They’re a very talented team with fantastic individual quality.