Palermo coach Walter Novellino said his team gave their all despite falling to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of title-chasing Napoli.
Gonzalo Higuain got the winner from the penalty spot following a foul committed by Sinisa Andelkovic, leaving the Rosanero just a point above the relegation zone.
“The boys gave their all today,” Novellino told La Domenica Sportiva.
“I am convinced we can get out of this situation.
“Certainly it is not easy to justify such comments when things go wrong but I believe it.
“I’m sorry for the unfortunate debut, but we have to start again next time around.
“Sarri had eight months to prepare his side, with a bit of time I will also be able to cover positive results for Palermo.”
With Novellino the seventh coach to have managed the Rosanero this season, there is much debate over what the new man will bring to the club.
“My job is not to bring great new tactics, but rather to work on the mental level,” he added.
“I have full confidence in the quality of my players.
“We have some important players like [Robin] Quaison and [Franco] Vazquez. The results will come soon.
“I’ll try to bring something of my own, such as Vazquez as a false attacker. It is an interesting idea.”
