The Coach on the eve of Samp v Milan: “They have strong players and a great coach”


SAMPDORIA
“We’ll be facing a side that have caused us problems this year, both in the league and in the cup. They’ve got good players up front with good movement and concede few goals. Furthermore, they have a great coach. We’ve trained well this week despite the great disappointment after the Derby game. We have ten finals in front of us and are playing for something important. We can’t lose our heads. I want to see an AC Milan side that we’ve become accustomed to seeing – one that doesn’t give anything away to the opposition. We need to return to being the side we’ve been in the past few months.”

DERBY
“I got it wrong in the Derby by asking the lads to press high up the pitch. We played over 48 metres and not over 22, as we are used to playing. It was my mistake, but I think the most important thing is understanding where it went wrong. We lost a game that was the most important one we’ve played in recent years. It was a blow to lose, but it’s our duty to look forward and achieve Champions League qualification. We’ll do everything we can to achieve this objective.”

KESSIE
“I discussed things with him. I don’t hold grudges, but my players know how much I care about certain values. You need to respect everybody in the changing room. I was disappointed, but I won’t hold a grudge against him. During my playing career, I also got it wrong, as can be seen with what happened with Jordan. I’ve always faced up to it and paid a full price for it by taking full responsibility for my actions. The Club also always let it be known that I had done something wrong. After AC Milan v Tottenham, Galliani wanted to take the armband off me to send out a message, but the team opposed this.”

INDIVIDUALS
“Paquetá also played in the mezzala position in midfield while at Flamengo. When he plays for Brazil he does less defensive work, but the way he’s playing is not surprising to me. Suso? I don’t know if he’ll be out on the pitch tomorrow. We need someone who’s always involved in the game. He can give us a lot, and I think we need to continue to show confidence in him.”