Spezia are relegated to Serie B after losing the play-off 3-1 to 10-man Verona and coach Leonardo Semplici admits it ‘reflected the season.’
The Liguria outfit had been mid-table for much of the campaign, but started to slide down the standings and that was when Semplici was brought in to replace Luca Gotti on February 23.
He oversaw just two wins, six draws and seven defeats in the regular season before losing the play-off too.
“Looking at my 15 games in charge, I think this game reflects the season,” Semplici told DAZN.
“We created many opportunities and did not convert them in the second half and that sums up Spezia’s campaign. It’s disappointing, we can only apologise to our fans.”
Verona were already leading 3-1 with Marco Davide Faraoni’s goal and a Cyril Ngonge brace when Faraoni was sent off for punching the ball off the line.
However, what should’ve been the turning point for Spezia proved to be a final blow, as M’Bala Nzola saw his penalty saved by Lorenzo Montipo.
“The key incident was the penalty, as we could’ve closed the gap and had time to seek out the equaliser, but it wasn’t the case. I admit the team could’ve done more in the 15 games where I was here, there is no point seeking alibis or excuses.
“A play-off like this hadn’t happened for many years, these are the rules, we should’ve done better. We were missing nine players today between injuries and suspensions.”