Ranieri asks Samp to bounce back: “We need to fight; I want a response”

“My anger after the defeat in Turin has passed. I’m a positive person and I want to believe that the mistakes we made against Juventus will motivate us to do well on Saturday against Benevento.” Claudio Ranieri spoke of his desire for his charges to produce a much-improved performance than they did a week ago and called for them all to remain focused during the opening home game of the campaign. “We’ll be up against a side that won Serie B at a canter and are full of confidence, but we’ll have to show how much the defeat at the hands of the Bianconeri hurt us and bounce back.”

While the league campaign has only just begun and there is no need to be down in the dumps, there is plenty of room for improvement, particularly mentally, as the coach wanted to highlight: “Regardless of the system and the players that take to the pitch each week, I want my team to battle and fight for every ball from start to finish.”

Filippo Inzaghi’s troops will head to the Ferraris on Saturday evening for their opening game of the Serie A TIM 2020/21 campaign. “Inzaghi’s Benevento play in a 4-3-3 formation, with the wingers able to cut in and use their stronger feet to finish off moves, their midfielders get forward and they’re a very compact side. Having said that, I expect my players to show the right reaction on the pitch.”