The mood in the Salernitana camp is dire after a 2-0 home defeat to Monza, as director Maurizio Milan admits the club ‘feels let down by the squad.’
It was hoped that the arrival of Fabio Liverani as their third coach of the campaign would shake things up a bit, following the dismissal of Paulo Sousa and Pippo Inzaghi.
Instead, they lost 4-0 to leaders Inter on Liverani’s debut and this evening were beaten 2-0 at the Stadio Arechi by mid-table Monza.
Guillermo Ochoa made several big saves and Milan Djuric had thumped the upright in the opening minute, but it was only in the closing stages that Daniel Maldini and Matteo Pessina got it in the net.
“We all saw the match, we are very disappointed, the directors and the owners,” Milan told DAZN.
“We expected a stronger reaction from the team, at least psychologically, instead they were sluggish, especially in the opening minutes.
“It is a pity, because we had so much still to play for. We feel let down by the squad, truly.”
Salernitana are now so isolated at the foot of the table that it would be a miracle to avoid relegation, picking up just two victories, seven draws and 17 defeats.
The team was jeered off the pitch at the final whistle and stood in front of the Curva while the fans chanted ‘Shame on you’ at them.
“The root cause is in the 11 people who step onto the pitch, then after that those on the bench and behind the scenes. We made some wrong decisions, tried to make up for them, but there is immense disappointment,” added the director.
“The season is not over and we’ll start to figure out what to do next. The reaction from the squad was not up to the task, but at least there was something.
“We expected the team to fight more. We will make that clear to the coach and then again to the players.”
There are discussions as to whether Salernitana will go into a training retreat, although even those in charge are starting to admit the situation is beyond hope.
“We have everything needed to turn it around, or at least honour the jersey, which we did not do this evening. The President is very let down by the players, by the promises they made, by their agents who had prospected very different situations.
“The over-riding sentiments are bitterness and disappointment.”
With only 13 points from 26 games, Salernitana are now seven points adrift of the safety zone.