Giampaolo: “I have a good relationship with the club. We’ll take stock together”

Marco Giampaolo acknowledged that Samp’s 0-0 draw with Chievo Verona on Sunday was a “classic end-of-season game” as he spoke to the media after the match.

“It’s not worth analysing it from a technical perspective or in terms of character because despite the fact that both teams wanted to win, neither had anything to play for,” he said. “We shouldn’t write this season off though – it’s been an important one. We’ve improved, our away form was better and we achieved safety with two months to spare.”

Giampaolo also addressed the issue of motivation.

“When you don’t achieve your objective, you’re caught between two places,” he said. “It’s right that you take stock with regards to the future – first the club, then the coach. My motivation is going out to the training pitch every day and seeing that we’re good enough to go toe to toe with anyone – I’ve felt that at times this year.

“You need to be competitive in the long term, because ordinary is bad for everyone – not just Samp. I’ll make a few points to the club, but there won’t be any ultimatums because I have a good relationship with them. I’ll take stock with the directors, just like Allegri and Juventus did.”