Montella calls for composure: “We need to play with more determination”
Vincenzo Montella urged his Sampdoria side to have greater belief in their ability after they were beaten 3-1 at Marassi by Sassuolo on Sunday evening.
“It’s not that the lads are not applying themselves,” began Montella after the match. “But at the moment we’re fragile. I don’t think there’s any point in us calling a training camp. We need to play more freely – we were very tense at the beginning. It was only after we went 3-0 down that we started to play with more abandon.
“That said, we’re implementing a playing style. And I think the time has now come for them to show that they are footballers, for me to show that I’m a coach and for us all to show that we’re a good side.
“Sassuolo are further along than us. They’re more organised, more of a team. But in football all you need is something to go in your favour and everything can change. If Zukanovic’s goal had come with the scores at 0-0 I’m sure the team would have played more freely and with more conviction. Maybe we would have still lost, because Sassuolo played well, but we would have played in a different manner. Regardless of that, we have to keep our composure. There’s a lot of work to do and I’m ready for that,” declared Montella.