Claudio Ranieri claims Atalanta deserved to beat Sampdoria and explains why he benched Keita Baldé: ‘I didn’t like him against Lazio.’
Sampdoria suffered a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Sampdoria in the lunch-time match on Sunday.
Claudio Ranieri claims Atalanta deserved to beat Sampdoria and explains why he benched Keita Baldé: ‘I didn’t like him against Lazio.’
Sampdoria suffered a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Sampdoria in the lunch-time match on Sunday.
“We played well in the first half. Their first goal was not due to our mistake, but a great play by Atalanta’s champions. We played our game, trying to do well and press high up the pitch,” Ranieri told DAZN.
“In the first half, we managed it. Not quite in the second half and that’s when Atalanta’s quality emerged. When you don’t press them, they blow you away. The result is fair.
“We played on par until we lowered our determination and aggressivity,” Ranieri expalined.
Keita Balde started on the bench and entered the pitch after 60 minutes to replace Valerio Verre.
“Keita didn’t seem in shape against Lazio. Therefore, he was benched today. I didn’t like him against Lazio.
“La Gumina played in his place. He is one of our strikers. He runs into open spaces, he sacrifices for the team, once I replaced him, we suffered more.”
According to reports in Italy, Mikkel Damsgaard has attracted interest from the Premier League.
“Damsgaard has quality and personality. He is still very young and needs more experience. He can play various roles and has room for improvement,” Ranieri said.
“He is very much focused on the offensive phase and the defensive phase on the flanks. He must improve his defending in the middle of the pitch, but it’s a pleasure to coach him.”
Sampdoria face Genoa in the derby della Lanterna on Wednesday.
“It’s a significant game for our fans. Both Genoa and us are hovering above the relegation zone.
“We earned 27 points in the girone d’andata and my target is to do the same in the second part of the season, let’s see how close we get.”