It was consolidation for Sampdoria this season as they again finished in 10th place but they continued to display "Jekyll and Hyde" tendencies, particularly when it came to their contrasting home and away results.
Only the top two in Serie A had a better home record than Samp, who won 12 of their 19 league games at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. There were some memorable performances too, not least the excellent 3-2 victory over Juventus - a result which actually flattered the champions in the end. Juve lost three times in Serie A this season but Marco Giampaolo's men were the only ones who really bullied them, leading 3-0 going into stoppage-time before two late goals made the scoreline look respectable. With a home record like that, it would seem logical that the Blucerchiati would at least be in contention for Europe but it was their away form which really let them down. Only the bottom three and Chievo had worse fortunes on their travels.
Fabio Quagliarella continues to defy age and his critics as he produced another stellar season in attack with 19 Serie A goals. He was only bested by Ciro Immobile, Mauro Icardi and Paulo Dybala. "Quagligol" was able to flourish more after the arrival of Duvan Zapata who is often happy to do the ugly work up front but he also chipped in with 11 goals of his own. They were one of the best strike partnerships in the league. In midfield, Lucas Torreira was the standout performer with displays which combined tenaciousness with outstanding technical ability. He is growing into a complete midfielder at just 22 years of age and it will be hard for the club to hold onto him.
The biggest challenge for Giampaolo next season will be to identify the issue with the team when they go away from home and try to improve on it because there is certainly enough talent in the Sampdoria squad to be challenging for Europe.
