So much bitterness in the mouth for Alberto Gilardino. After the derby lost against Sampdoria on penalties, the Genoa coach spoke at a press conference: “There is bitterness, great disappointment. I felt it on the faces of my lads, myself and the staff. We were in the game until the end, we were ahead. It was a dirty game, on duels but we were there. We should have had more clarity in certain situations, in controlling the game. And at this moment we are conceding goals that are too easy. It is a step that we must improve. It happened with Verona, in Venice and tonight. Since I have been here it is the first moment of difficulty. It is a clear thing, I am aware of it. We need to turn the page and we need to get back to having the right positivity because in three days we play again. Losing the derby like this hurts. We need to have a step in maturity for the goals conceded and in managing the game and certain situations. And here we need to grow quickly. I cannot blame the lads for having fought in the game and for having played on duels. At this moment what we have is this, I’m talking about what we have in our soul. With some mistakes, however, at this moment this is the truth”.
The company must intervene and not only think about the January market.
“But we have to be very careful in these types of evaluations. If they stayed home there must be a reason. Going to find the right men at this time, perhaps we should have thought about it before. The truth is that. These were predictable things but at this time taking for the sake of taking doesn’t make sense. If we have to make evaluations we will do them but we have to trust these guys and not abandon them. The only way is work”.
Miretti is back, can he clean up some balls you go to tear up?
“Fabio has been training with us for a week. After the problem with his foot he did some re-education with the trainer separately. It’s normal that he came in and struggled. He’ll have to be more incisive in the goal area.”
How is Sabelli?
“He had some fatigue, we’ll evaluate it tomorrow. Playing in three days becomes demanding but, as I said, we have to swallow the bitter pill, carry the anger but we have to react. It’s a mental aspect because the boys played the game. I think of Thorsby, he fought for every ball but everyone ran. Pinamonti found the goal again. We have to work and give energy to these boys, show up on Saturday to do our part”.
The few corners taken?
“In our characteristics, we have to give credit to Sampdoria, a well-built and physical team. We haven’t beaten many placed players without quality.”
The choice to play with just one striker?
“Vitinha and Pinamonti played almost the entire match. Vitinha couldn’t take it anymore, I brought Ankeye on with Miretti underneath. The choices were quite limited. In the substitution blocks I had to think about a bit of everything”.
Are you afraid of another mental blow?
“Gentlemen, these are all things that I planned for at the start of the season. The team has changed significantly and in the change there are these moments. You have to be clear-headed to transform these moments into something that gets us out there. I will have to be good at transmitting the right concepts.”
Whoever came in didn’t have minutes in their legs.
“Matturro is training with us, it was right to give him minutes. Miretti, I said before, Ankeye is training with us. It was right to give them opportunities. They are young players, they should be waited for and made to make mistakes”.
In these months we have always seen you serene. Are you a little more worried now than a few weeks ago?
“They must be solvable through the work of the team and the boys, through commitment and enthusiasm, the first thing that must not be lacking. Through this we are obliged to turn it around. This type of championship today will keep us where we are now perhaps for several weeks. So we must be ready for this type of eventuality”.