Sampdoria-Ternana, Pirlo: “Let's raise the bar and try to give the fans a great dream”

Genoa – After the trio of victories, Andrea Pirlo looks for poker. After a long chase, Sampdoria has earned an Easter in the playoff zone but on Easter Monday we start again, on Monday evening at Marassi there is Ternana (8.30 pm). “We raised the bar where we wanted. Now it's up to us to stay there – said the Blucerchiati coach in the press conference in Bogliasco – and want to do something more. We already knew from the beginning that this stop would be the crossroads to understand where we would arrive. We are at the point where we have wanted to be for a long time. Now it's time to stand there and raise our bar to compete with all the other teams. Another championship begins, a mini-tournament with many direct clashes, the important thing is to stay attached to the play off train. We have to play our games, try to win them and continue the positive streak that has been giving us serenity over the weeks.”

The crowd at Samp City for De Luca and Esposito testifies to the great enthusiasm with which the Blucerchiati fans are experiencing this season of rebirth: “The fans have always helped us even in the most difficult moments – acknowledges Pirlo – Their enthusiasm infects us, when the results arrive everything becomes more beautiful. People are smiling more and want to see the team go beyond the performances at the beginning of the season. If we can give him a great dream, it would be an added value for us and for them.”

Injuries affected the season a lot of Samp. Pirlo takes stock of the situation in view of the match against Ternana: “Pedrola can be called up. He has trained well with the team in these two weeks. If there are no problems, he should be able to be called up. Let's evaluate Piccini tomorrow, he hasn't trained yet with us, I don't think he can be part of the match. Verre and Murru are available. Esposito not yet. Borini is fine, he has had these days to improve his condition and gain more confidence with certain movements that he was afraid to face after the surgery: he's available, I don't know if from the start or during the match, he's an important player for us on the pitch and in the locker room we know it, since he came back his positivity has infected the team, it's important that he's there.”

In midfield, in addition to Vieira, Ricci and Benedetti are still out: “Ricci is fine. He did a separate training session today, he has a check-up on Tuesday but is on the road to recovery. Benedetti has always had some problems, he never recovered well from his first knee injury, he dragged on a few things. He struggles to find continuity.” While in defence, without the suspended Gonzalez, it will be the captain Murru's turn.

Pirlo warns his players about possible dangers against Ternana, starting with the young center forward Raimondo: “Raimondo is doing very well, we also saw it in the first leg. He had entered with a good spirit, he had impressed us. Perspective player, we studied it. But we have to be careful not only of him but of the whole Ternana, a team that is doing well especially with the new coach (Breda ed.). They are a fairly aggressive team, who try to give medium pressure, I think it will be that type of match. They will play on transitions, we have to be careful in the possession phase, not to make mistakes in playing technically, give space to counterattacks there, we will have to be very good in the construction phase.”

Finally, a joke about the words of praise received from president Matteo Manfredi in recent weeks: “I thank him, we talk every day, there was no need to say it publicly. We know what we're doing. There were a lot of things to sort out at the beginning of the year but if we are here it is because we believe in the project. We work with many young people with perspectives. And if the results arrive we will be even happier.”