D’Aversa: “Commitment and sacrifice weren’t enough”

Roberto D’Aversa asked his Sampdoria players to overcome the difficulties affecting them at present, but those issues ended up multiplying in Naples. First of all, Emil Audero had to be replaced between the sticks, which the boss touched upon in his post-match interview.

“It’s a shame to concede a goal in circumstances where the goalkeeper wasn’t fit. It’s also true that we were a bit naïve for their opener and we could’ve done better. In the first half, we made too many mistakes when bringing the ball out. We had more chances early on, but we didn’t do enough as the game wore on.

“In the second half, we made it a more even contest without creating too much danger. It was a tough game, but in terms of our commitment and sacrifice, we gave everything, but it wasn’t enough.”

A positive to take from the disappointing defeat on the road was Tomas Rincon’s debut, which the coach found pleasing: “He injected the team with energy and settled straight in like someone who’d been here for years, but he only got here yesterday and it wasn’t right to start him. [Albin] Ekdal wasn’t fully fit for the game. As for the three-man system, you need to have three forwards to play three in midfield, but we’re short of wide players. We only had [Riccardo] Ciervo today, who’s a young prospect for the future. He has real quality, but he has a long way to go. Having said that, he did play well today. As a young player, I can’t ask more of him.

“In terms of the transfer window, the club knows where action is needed to improve the squad.”