Ranieri: “Good to see us fight back twice”

Claudio Ranieri’s Sampdoria took another small step towards their 52-point target against a highly motivated Spezia outfit looking to stave off the threat of relegation and the boss was keen to underline his own players’ motivation.

Speaking after the 2-2 draw at the Stadio Ferraris, Ranieri began: “It was a very strange game. We played well at times but were a bit slow moving the ball around – that’s why I told them to up the pace.

“I was happy with the way we reacted twice to going behind. It was an enjoyable game that both sides wanted to win. We had noting to play for except our pride and our desire to win, and we kept trying till the end – the lads deserve praise for that.

“Overall I’m pleased with our performance, although we made a few mistakes. We pegged them back in the second half but then they hit us on the counter. We were a little naïve on the second goal but we have to accept the result.

“I asked the lads to repeat out points total from the first half of the season and at this stage we’re exactly level with two games to go.”