Pippo Inzaghi admits he ‘expected a very different’ Salernitana performance in the defeat to Empoli, but although he now seems on the verge of dismissal, he asks the team to ‘keep believing.’
The visitors had taken the lead at the Stadio Arechi with a stroke of luck, as the Niccolò Cambiaghi cross-shot took a huge deflection off Alessandro Zanoli to loop in.
Shon Weissman nodded in the equaliser on his Serie A debut, but Marco Pellegrino first gave away a penalty converted by M’Baye Niang, then lost the ball cheaply for the Matteo Cancellieri counter-attack.
“After the equaliser, Empoli were pinned back in their own penalty area, we were in control and I did not sense that we could concede at that point,” insisted Inzaghi on DAZN.
“It’s disappointing, because since January every shot on target against us seems to go into the net. I am sad because the fans, the President and club deserved a different result. Having said that, there are many points still up for grabs and we must keep believing.”
That is becoming increasingly difficult, as Salernitana are now at least five points adrift at the foot of the table from all the other teams, which could expand further over the weekend.
While some mid-season signings like Jerome Boateng have been a boon, today Zanoli scored the own goal and Pellegrino – on loan from Milan – was at fault for two Empoli goals.
“I will admit, I expected a different performance today, but I am the first person responsible for it. We all have to step up and do something more. We’ve got to roll our sleeves up and try to turn this situation around, because the fans deserve to be in Serie A.
“We are not doing what we expected so far and had done better in other matches. I am disappointed, as I expected to win tonight. Our goalkeeper practically never touched the ball.”
Kostas Manolas also signed on this week as a free agent and was in the stands watching his new team, so could be available for the next match away to leaders Inter – and Pippo’s little brother Simone.
It remains to be seen if Inzaghi will still be the coach of Salernitana by then, as President Danilo Iervolino is fast losing patience.
“We have some strong defenders now and other players are returning, so with a complete squad we can compete for the victories we need. My staff and I are fired up, we have to keep believing.”
If he is sacked, that would be the third change of management at Salernitana this season, as Paulo Sousa was fired in early October.
Since taking charge, Inzaghi has overseen three wins, four draws and 10 defeats, scraping one point from the last seven rounds.
#SerieA | @OfficialUSS1919, #Inzaghi: "Abbiamo recuperato giocatori importanti, rientreranno difensori forti. Con la squadra al completo possiamo portare a casa delle vittorie fondamentali" 👉 https://t.co/Q9U1HOU3N3 pic.twitter.com/a6SKDWAUhe
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 9, 2024