Giampaolo on being the opposition: “We know what we want”

Sadly there’s no time to bask in the glory of Saturday night’s five-goal rout of Crotone. That’s because Samp are off to Milan tomorrow night to face high-flying Inter at the Meazza.

“We haven’t had any time to prepare this match,” said Marco Giampaolo at the start of his pre-match news conference. “The same goes for our opponents though. They’re looking like a strong side who know what they want. They’re unbeaten and have the best defence in the league. Traditionally they’re a prestigious club with a lot of ability but this time they’re organised too. Luciano Spalletti has been brilliant. They’ve improved a lot and now they’re in the mix in the title race.”

“The opposition are a tough proposition,” continued the Doria coach. “We’ve put our recent win out of our minds. The future starts tomorrow and we’re focused on this fixture. I will show the lads some footage of the Nerazzurri. We know what we want but Inter are on another level to us. Everyone has their own price bracket in terms of the suit they can afford and mine fits me down to the ground. I’m very fond of the Blucerchiati.”

Spalletti has said Sampdoria could finish as high as sixth this term. “He likes me and he tends to overdo it at times,” joked Giampaolo. “It’s a long old season and we can’t afford to do anything other than take things one game at a time.” Samp won the corresponding fixture at San Siro 2-1 around six months ago. “We’ll meet a different team to last season’s match,” stressed the coach. “They really are a better side now in terms of their self confidence and organisation. The coach is on the same page as his players. The group is made up of players who have bought into his vision.”

After much talk over the weekend, the Serie A cabinet reshuffle shows no signs of abating. If Maurizio Sarri is minister of the economy and Spalletti minister of defence, what does that make Giampaolo? “I’m part of the opposition just like Sampdoria as a whole,” replied Giampaolo. “There’s definitely no office for me.”