Marco Giampaolo’s Sampdoria proving that collective strength trumps individual brilliance

Date: 22nd November 2017 at 2:00pm
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Sampdoria sprung a surprise in Serie A by winning against Juventus in round 13 but the performance from the Doriani was an example of how the reliance of the collective is more important than the reliance on a group of individuals.

The 3-2 victory over La Vecchia Signora was Il Doria’s sixth consecutive home win for the 2017-18 season and the performance was another tactical masterclass from Blucerchiati coach Marco Giampaolo.

His Bianconeri counterpart Massimiliano Allegri rotated his squad in preparation for their Champions League clash against Barcelona on Wednesday night but the Doriani played with organisation as well as spirit and they had the ability to play some excellent possession football whenever possible.

Juventus created an abundance of chances but they were wasteful and the Sampdoria defence made a plethora of blocks, tackles, and clearances throughout the match.

The first half was dominated by La Vecchia Signora and the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Juan Cuadrado should have given the away side the lead before half-time but they failed to convert their chances.

Whenever Juventus did not have possession in the first half, they were able to apply pressure on Samp and that meant that the home side were not able to pass the ball in their accustomed style.

Midfielders Dennis Praet and Lucas Torreira had to deal with some tough challenges in the first half, and while the creative Belgian starlet had to be substituted early, the diminutive Uruguayan battled on and finished the match.

Federico Bernardeschi started in the trequartista role ahead of Paulo Dybala, and despite showing flashes of brilliance, it was evident that the Juventus attack was missing its usual sharpness.

Cuadrado found himself with an abundance of space to run into on the right-wing but he was not able to produce effective crosses and finish clinically like he regularly does. On the opposite wing Mario Mandzukic was able to sacrifice himself for the team but he did not provide a dangerous enough threat going forward.

Sampdoria’s defence were playing the games of their lives, especially the central defence pairing of Matias Silvestre and Gian Marco Ferrari, and the midfield of Edgar Barreto, Torreira, and Karol Linetty provided great support as well, which left Juve’s attacking quartet as well as the Bianconeri central midfielders Sami Khedira and Miralem Pjanic devoid of ideas.

In the second half, the Doriani were able to play with greater fluidity and confidence than in the first, with Duvan Zapata, Gaston Ramirez and Fabio Quagliarella causing headaches for the Juve defence by providing great movement and combination play.

Zapata, Torreira, and Ferrari found the back of the net for Sampdoria but Valerio Verre and Linetty could have added to Il Doria’s tally before Higuain and Dybala scored in the dying minutes of the match for La Vecchia Signora.

Despite the late rally from Juventus, this was a game dictated on Samp’s terms. The Bianconeri had 54 per cent possession compared to the Blucerchiati’s 46 per cent but the home side were able to defend better and also used the ball with more flair and purpose.

Juventus still have a great squad while Sampdoria have a squad predominantly consisting of youngsters but Allegri was not able to use that depth to his advantage and his star players surprisingly lacked the guile to unlock the Blucerchiati rearguard when the game was on the line.

Giampaolo was better at creating the better unit and no individual quality from Juve was able to break down the collective brilliance of Il Doria.

 

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