Giampaolo rues incomplete comeback: “We must stay true to our philosophy”

Marco Giampaolo couldn’t hide his disappointment after Sampdoria came within a whisker of completing a famous comeback from three goals down against Inter on Tuesday night.

Giampaolo also praised the Nerazzurri, who were in scintillating form as they raced into a 3-0 lead inside 54 minutes.

“Inter produced what might be their best first-half performance in four or five years, though that might be pushing it a bit,” said the Doria coach after the final whistle. “We made too many errors in the transitions, which allowed them to break and left the pitch open. We didn’t win the ball back high up the field enough and that’s largely down to how good our opponents were.”

Yet Samp were a different proposition entirely after the break, scoring twice and threatening to complete a stunning comeback.

“The pace of Kownacki and Caprari allowed us to win the ball back a lot more in the second half,” explained Giampaolo. “I’ve told the team that we need to stay true to our playing philosophy for the whole 90 minutes – we didn’t do that at the start of the game. I don’t mind us losing, but we have to do it my way.”

Giampaolo also explained his reasons for taking Zapata and Ramirez off early in the second half.

“Playing with three forwards is a vital part of our game,” he said. “Zapata and Ramirez joined late in the day and they’re still a little way behind, but they can make a huge contribution.”