Ranieri tells side to maintain focus after deserved win

Sampdoria overcame Parma at the Tardini on Sunday thanks to first-half goals from Maya Yoshida and Keita Balde, taking the team to a tally of 26 points after the first round of fixtures.

Speaking after the match, Claudio Ranieri was pleased with the dogged nature of his team’s performance, while also highlighting areas that can be improved.

“I placed emphasis on consistency, which we’ve too often lacked, and also asked the players to try and limit the number of goals conceded,” the coach said.

He added: “There were some mistakes in the first half and that’s not acceptable – I’ll talk to the boys during the week.

“I am proud of my team. When the boys are behind you, the coach does good work and enjoys himself. But now let’s stay on the ball: our primary objective is still safety and to achieve it we have keep on playing with determination and focus.

“We’ve got Juventus on the horizon – a great team in excellent form. We’ll have to try and compete but without giving away all the chances we gave Parma.”