Giampaolo: We can round things off in Ferrara, then we’ll look to the future

“Tomorrow’s game will be a test, of character and professionalism. It will round off the season and it will help clarify my ideas before I speak to the club.” Marco Giampaolo spoke ahead of Sunday’s match in Ferrara, which he sees as a crucial test which will tell him much about which players deserve to be part of the team’s plans for next year.

“90 minutes won’t change my evaluation of a player from a technical perspective,” continued the coach, “but what I want to see is the lads’ character in the way that they respond, and their team spirit. They must honour the Samp shirt.”

The coach hinted that he will meet with the club administration in the coming days: “We need to discuss the technical staff, apart from anything else, because our athletic trainer Rapetti has been offered an unmissable opportunity and will be leaving. I’m happy for him and I wish him the best of luck.”

There have been plenty of great moments for the Samp team this season, but when asked which was his favourite Giampaolo admitted: “It’s hard to pick just one, I can only say that I was happy with the team on lots of different occasions. There weren’t many disappointments. Of the best moments I would pick out our wins against Milan and Roma, but also our loss to Napoli. Winning isn’t everything.”

Giampaolo concluded: “We were lacking somehting extra which would have allowed us to qualify for Europe, and we need to figure out what that is. If you ask me if I’m happy now then I say no, I’m not: we’ve hung around the same place all season. We need to raise the bar and improve the quality of the team.”