Sinisa Mihajlovic is a very angry man.
He is known to be a fiery character but after seeing his Sampdoria side lost 3-0 to Atalanta on the weekend, he can’t be blamed for being furious with his players and their performances against La Dea.
Prior to the match, he made references in interviews to Dante’s “The Divine Comedy”, claiming that him taking Sampdoria from relegation to safety is like Dante going from hell to purgatory and then to paradise.
The Blucerchiati’s loss provoked an angry reaction from Mihajlovic, going as far as to question the integrity of his players. Samp’s performance against La Dea showed how inconsistent they can be and it was only last week that Doria overcame a two-goal deficit against Livorno and recorded a stunning 4-2 victory.
The Blucerchiati attacked in the first half but the Orobici did too and they had possessed more of a threat in the final third. That didn’t mean that Atalanta goalkeeper Andrea Consigli wasn’t tested. He made some excellent saves throughout the match, particularly in the first half, when he made a double-save from Roberto Soriano and Vasco Regini.
Unfortunately Samp left too many gaps in defence and La Dea punished them. Aside from the defence being open, Nenad Krsticic was uninfluential in midfield, Manolo Gabbiadini had little space on the right-wing, Stefano Okaka was well shut down and Eder made poor decisions with his shots and passes.
Maxi Lopez came on at half-time and he put in a gallant performance, holding up the ball well and linked-up well with his teammates. Atalanta’s defence was too hard to penetrate though and even when they went 3-0 up, the Orobici only counterattacked when necessary and could have scored a fourth goal.
If Mihajlovic didn’t say the comments that he did, more scrutiny might have been placed upon Atalanta’s second goal. Giacomo Bonaventura scored after a corner but while it was taken, Yohan Benalouane had elbowed Sampdoria defender Vasco Regini in an off the ball incident.
Angelo Cervellera, who had only refereed three Serie A matches prior to Sunday’s game, ignored the foul and paid the goal to Bonaventura. Perhaps he showed a lack of experience refereeing at the highest level in Italian football despite being a regular match official in Serie B.
That second goal knocked the stuffing out of Samp and although they tried to pull a goal back, La Dea were more composed and organised.
Mihajlovic was blunt and clearly not diplomatic in the post-match interviews, going as far as to question the bravery and masculinity of his players.
“[I saw] a squad without balls”, Mihajlovic told Il Secolo XIX. “I could have changed six or seven of them.”
He then said to Sky Sport Italia: “In the first 15 minutes we tried to play and were then just satisfied and for that, it is my responsibility because I have to provide the motivation.
“We have to play first as men and then as players. We must return with our feet firmly on the ground and not think of ourselves as if we’ve become stars.”
AC Milan coach Clarence Seedorf has been shifting some of the blame for the Rossoneri’s failures on his predecessor Massimiliano Allegri. Mihajlovic didn’t go down that path but one could assume that the current Samp coach was criticising his predecessor Delio Rossi.
“Using Dante’s language we would now be in the fifth circle of the Inferno, together with the wrathful, the ones who are pissed off, just like I am now, and with the wimps, like my players today,” Mihajlovic told www.sampdoria.it after the game.
“I suffered, I saw Samp as it was five months ago, playing with no ill intent, with no technique, with nothing. Nothing.
“Clearly, the team is not able to change aims during the race, and that’s exactly what happened last season.”
Mihajlovic said nothing about Regini not receiving a free-kick after he was elbowed and focused on the attitude of the team in general.
Judging from his comments, he wants his players to have self-belief and not go into the half-time break with a deficit. Regardless of who Sampdoria play and where both teams are on the ladder, they should always take the game to their opponents.
As for going as far as to question the manhood of his players, Mihajlovic is trying to cause a real stir or really fire up his players. He has many players who are yet to hit their prime so this might be his way of saying that this is make or break for their careers. This is not a youth competition but a professional league and they are playing against some of the best players in Europe, if not the world.
Sampdoria face Hellas Verona next and Mihajlovic would probably like to see the Doria side that emerged victorious in the Coppa Italia in December last year, not the Samp side that lost 2-0 to the Gialloblu under Rossi.
Verona have lost three of their last five Serie A matches and have not scored a goal since their 3-2 win against Livorno in Round 25. Mihajlovic will be hoping that his players don’t hesitate like they did against Atalanta but show some spirit like they did against Livorno.
He would want his players to show calcio fans who are the real Sampdoria and the Doriani faithful would like to see what the true Doria-style is.
FORZA DORIA!
Follow Vito Doria on Twitter: @VitoCDoria
