Gian Piero Gasperini has slammed the ‘negative’ mentality of a ‘minority’ of Genoa supporters and also criticised the referee Empoli” data-scaytid=”5″>post-Empoli.
Gian Piero Gasperini has slammed the ‘negative’ mentality of a ‘minority’ of Genoa supporters and also criticised the referee post-Empoli.
The Rossoblu have endured an indifferent start to the season and sit 10th after seven rounds of action, but for their Coach, focus after Monday’s draw at home was aimed at supporters.
“Here at Genoa, there is too much negativity, it's a different environment from that of years ago,” Gasperini told reporters after Monday's 1-1 draw with Empoli.
“The fans have lived through difficult times, but this is a team that deserves to be supported and not only attacked.
“Some people don’t deserve to support a team, because they’re incompetent and ditch players of a good standard to promote others who haven’t played.”
Gasperini was talking after more dropped points in front of those fans this evening.
“We are a team that are appreciated by most of our fans, but we have to raise our voice against a minority.
“I hope that anyone who loves Genoa has a better attitude, because anyone who wishes to destroy a team should not follow football.
“In recent years, Genoa became more famous for their jerseys being delivered to fans during matches.
“We're doing a lot to add value to this team. The President has worked through many obstacles. I think that even our most ardent fans deserve better.”
Gasperini also reserved contempt for referee Andrea Cervellera following the controversial nature of Lorenzo Tonelli’s equaliser – which appeared to strike his hand – but he also praised his team for refusing to back down in the face of adversity.
“According to the referee, he didn’t see the Empoli goal. If he had seen it, he would not have given the goal.
“It's been a difficult start to the season, and we’ve been denied a few points. This evening, we also had to contend with various injuries.
“In the first half, we had a number of opportunities. We are still trying to improve our end product, but the team played well, and I think they deserved to win against a good team like Empoli.
“The match was played at a high pace, but the conditions of the pitch were not optimal, despite all the work that has been done to rectify it after recent events.”