D’Aversa: “We should’ve finished it before switching off”

There was disappointment for Roberto D’Aversa after the home defeat against Cagliari – a veritable bogey team for Samp in recent years.

The coach expressed his feelings after the game: “After we took the lead in the first half, we had five more chances to push on and we didn’t do so.

“In Serie A you can’t afford to let these opportunities pass; you have to make them count. There were some moments which contributed to the change of momentum in the match, namely Yoshida Maya’s injury, Albin Edkal’s booking and the equaliser after a foul at the start of the move on Ekdal himself.

“I’m not looking for excuses but that’s what brought them back to life. After the first half there was nothing to suggest it would pan out the way it did. That being said, we’ve got to hand it to Cagliari for wanting it more and having more determination to take home a good result.”

D’Aversa continued: “The difference was the attitude of the two teams in the second half.

“We switched off and I can’t explain why. We will look at it so it doesn’t happen again. We had a chance to pull away from Cagliari and instead we lost a six-pointer to a team that are struggling.

“We weren’t able to make things go our way. As a result the responsibility for what happens lies with us.

“As for [Manolo] Gabbiadini, I’m sorry he wasn’t able to finish the game.

“Now we need to work and focus on Napoli.”