Gilardino: ‘I have nothing to be angry at the boys for’

Genoa coach Alberto Gilardino says he has nothing to be angry at his players for, despite their 1-0 loss to Lazio in the Coppa Italia. The Grifone gave a good account of themselves in the match but an early Matteo Guendouzi goal was enough to see Lazio progress to the next round. Speaking in the post-match, Gilardino shared his thoughts on the match:

“The penalty that wasn’t given? I don’t want to comment, I think it’s visible. Paritta? I’m satisfied, a lot of guys played who hadn’t played for a long time, and Retegui put in minutes. I’m sorry to lose, but the performance was there, I have nothing to reproach the players for.”

“Retegui? I have to think about the team’s balance. Tonight I wanted to see certain types of players who have played little, to understand if I can count on them in the future. Many gave an answer. Mateo had two shots on goal, although we didn’t create so much as a team”.

“Retegui’s substitution was planned, I can’t afford to lose him again. I had to make the evaluations for Sunday’s match, which is fundamental for us. It’s always better to have plenty of quality players, then it’s up to the coach to know how to put them on the pitch.”