Praet: “Genoa didn’t try to win”
There was praise aplenty for Dennis Praet after he turned in another impressive performance against Genoa on Saturday night.
Speaking on Sky Italia after the derby, he was compared to Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey while Marco Giampaolo described him as “world-class”.
“It’s nice to receive compliments,” he began. “I used to see myself only as a trequartista but since I joined Sampdoria the boss has convinced me to play in central midfield.”
The Belgian then commented on the derby itself, which ended goalless despite Samp’s best efforts to break the deadlock.
“Genoa didn’t set out to try and win the game. They battened down the hatches and made things even more difficult. Derbies are hard enough as it is.”
Things may have been different if the referee had awarded the 23-year-old a penalty.
“I appealed for it because he pulled me and I couldn’t stay on my feet. But the referee didn’t answer when I asked him why he didn’t give a penalty.”
The result also means two points dropped in the race to qualify for European football but Praet remains confident: “There’s still a long way to go and we’re up there.”