Alberto Gilardino says he is happy with Genoa’s performance in their 1-1 draw with Inter, and suggests the club doesn’t want to ‘disrupt’ the team in January. I Grifone have continued to surprise this season, having being promoted back to Serie A last summer, climbing to 13th in the table while taking points off Juventus and Inter in recent weeks.
Speaking to DAZN in the post match, Gilardino explained why he was so happy with the performance from his players and underlined the desire to not disrupt the team too much in the upcoming transfer window:
“I am happy. Tonight was a tough match, but a sumptuous performance at times from the lads. Thanks to their approach, application and desire to go and play the game against a great team. And I’m not just talking about the starters, but also about those who came in from the bench. We put Inter in difficulty at times, also knowing how to suffer”.
“Tonight Retegui and Messias were returning from injury. I asked Messias for his availability to play as a ‘5’. I know he prefers to be more inside the pitch, but he gave me a lot of availability. Retegui can’t be 100 per cent, he couldn’t start from the first minute. But if you have quality players, who can solve your game, you have to find the right balance. Having good replacements on the bench is important and I am happy that those who come in also feel at the centre of the project. Serie A is tough. I always try to transmit certain mental values. At home we do very well, away we have struggled more but we are working on it.
“Tonight, at the start, we only had De Winter and Martin as new players. The rest of the team was the same one that earned promotion last year. We carry on a way of playing and thinking, an attitude that this team has acquired over the months.
“Next month will be a special month, the month of the market. Our desire is not to upset the team, because I work very well with these guys. It is normal that there are players who are playing little and have had few chances. Those who will stay must be inside the project, I want harmony during the week, smiling players. For the good of the group we have to make these sacrifices.”
