Giampaolo: “Beating a direct rival is a big boost”

In his press conference ahead of the showdown at the Stadio Penzo, Samp boss Marco Giampaolo stated that while it wasn’t a season-defining game, it was certainly a very important one.

Having clinched a 2-0 victory in Venice on Sunday, Sampdoria have taken a big step forward and now find themselves sitting on a seven-point cushion above the drop zone.

“We’ve beaten a direct rival,” explained the boss happily. “These points are worth double. The three points give us oxygen and breathing space so that we don’t run low on breath towards the end of the season.

“I believe we still need to fight, but this win gives us a big boost.

“I selected [Abdelhamid] Sabiri, [Stefano] Sensi and [Francesco] Caputo from the start because I wanted to attack the space in behind and play the sort of game that we wanted. We needed to stretch our opponents, which is just what we did.

“As for [Fabio] Quagliarella, he was great in the last half an hour and did a brilliant job when he came on. The team is working hard and following my guidance.

“You can lose games as well, but if I get angry, it’s because this squad has so much quality to unlock.

“Having over one thousand fans follow us away from home makes us feel proud. I know how passionate and committed our supporters are. They’ve travelled in their droves and we needed them today. They’re a real asset and they showed that by coming here and also at Brignole station before we set off.”