Genoa suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Sampdoria in the Coppa Italia round of 16, losing on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time. Following the match, Genoa manager Alberto Gilardino spoke to the press about the team’s current struggles.
“This is my first moment of difficulty since I’ve been here,” Gilardino admitted. “However, we need to turn the page and have the right positivity because we play again in three days. Losing a derby like this hurts, but we need to take a step towards maturity that we must grow quickly. I can’t fault the players for not battling.”
Despite leading for most of the match, Genoa conceded an equalizer to Fabio Borini in the 83rd minute. When asked if he was more worried now than a few weeks ago, Gilardino responded:
“These situations must certainly be resolved through work, commitment, and enthusiasm. Through this, we will have to turn this situation around. This type of championship will keep us there for several weeks, and we will have to be ready. The work and integration of players who have been out until now will help us grow.”
Regarding the possibility of signing free agents, Gilardino cautioned: “We need to be careful in these evaluations. If they’ve remained unsigned, there must be a reason. Finding the right men now, perhaps we should have thought about it before – that’s the truth. Signing just to sign doesn’t help; we need to trust these boys.”
Speaking to Italia 1, Gilardino added: “There’s bitterness and sadness. We knew how much this meant. We’re conceding goals too easily, but I can’t fault the boys in terms of commitment and competitiveness. Let’s maintain clarity in our judgments; we’ve changed a lot this year.”
Addressing the departures of key players in recent months, Gilardino explained: “Important players have left, and the new ones need to integrate better. We played our game, sometimes we were a bit too frantic. But I will have to transmit positive energy in these two days since we face Juventus in two days.”
The defeat in the derby and elimination from the Coppa Italia have put additional pressure on Gilardino and his squad as they prepare for their upcoming Serie A match against Juventus.
