Ranieri: “My players have given every ounce of energy”

“The players have given everything. They’ve used up every ounce of energy. All I can do is compliment them and give them all a hug,” was how Claudio Ranieri began his analysis of the 4-1 home defeat by AC Milan. “At the start of the second half, we had a chance to equalise. I didn’t think we could produce that sort of performance. We arrived back here on Monday morning, while Milan have had five days since their last game. It’s been non-stop. This is now our 12th game in a row and it’s not easy to play every three days.”

Samp’s goalscorer is the symbol of the next generation: “Askildsen is our future. He’s a player we’re counting on.” The immediate future, however, is on Saturday at the Rigamonti against the bottom team in Serie A 2019/20. “We still have the Brescia game to finish off a season in which we clinched safety with four fixtures to spare. I optimistically felt it’d all be on the line in our last match.”