Giampaolo: “Sampdoria comes before everything else”

In his final pre-match press conference of the season, Marco Giampaolo revealed one of the secrets behind what has been a successful campaign for the Blucerchiati.

“One of the targets we set ourselves when I came here was that Sampdoria should come before everyone’s personal interests because that’s fundamental if you want to be a great team.

“When the players arrive they’re just a group, then you need to shape them into a team.”

The boss went on to laud the work done by the club behind the scenes to provide staff and players with all the tools they need, following the launch of Samp’s new academy centre this week.

“Great teams need top facilities. I’ve always said that I’d rather have top-quality pitches, medical centres, accommodation and gyms than an extra player because you need those things if you want to grow. The club has done a great job in that sense.”

Doria sign off the Serie A season against high-flying Napoli, but Giampaolo remains adamant his side can match Maurizio Sarri’s side – especially at home.

“Our last game is against the worst opponent possible but my players can make a game of it – as they did in the reverse fixture.

“We must be grateful to our fans because there have been games they’ve won for us almost single-handedly.”

Asked for his personal highlights of the season, Giampaolo said: “There are five or six games which stand out in particular: the derby, Roma, Sassuolo…”