Ranieri: “Derbies like that aren’t nice, we would’ve done better with our fans”

A derby quite like that one had never been seen before and not even Claudio Ranieri, who has been part of so many, was able to hide his disappointment at seeing the empty stands. “Playing like that without fans is the worst. If our supporters had been there, maybe we would’ve found that extra something. We played our game and went toe-to-toe with them, so I can’t fault my players. You have to give Genoa credit for scoring two goals and they were a bit sharper. They had added motivation given their league position and the small details in a game like this make the difference.”

Sampdoria’s target of reaching safety was already secured despite this backward step. The boss was keen to remember how hard the team has worked in recent weeks. “We have to thank the players for what they’ve done, for training during the pandemic and since we resumed. They’ve been wonderful and have made so many sacrifices over the last few months. I don’t have a bad word to say about them. We want to finish the season playing with battling spirit, a desire to do well and focus. We have two of the best teams in Italy up next and then Brescia.”