Legendary midfielder Pirlo tells former Remo stars which areas of midfield they need to improve after Sampdoria debut

Ebenezer Akinsamiro made his debut for Italian Serie B side Sampdoria over the weekend as they begin their quest to earn promotion to the Italian Serie A following relegation two seasons ago, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Sampdoria were relegated from Serie A for the first time in more than a decade following a 2-0 defeat at Udinese in May 2023 with four games remaining; their aim of an immediate return to the top flight was unsuccessful last season.

Now under the tutelage of legendary Italian midfielder Andrea Prilo, they began their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Frosinone on Sunday, despite playing a man down for the final eight minutes of the game following the sending off of Nicholas Ioannou.

Nigerian midfielder Akinsamiro, 19, who joined the team on loan from league champions Inter Milan, lasted 84 minutes in what was his first professional start.

The Chelsea manager, who played on the bench, had a game that earned him praise and criticism from Pirlo, a legendary midfielder in world football who was described as one of the best in his role during his time as a player. “The team as a whole did what it was supposed to do, uncertainties are part of the game and we have to limit them,” he said after the match.

“Akinsanmiro has qualities, but sometimes he likes to have the ball too much and that needs to be smoothed out. If you have too much of the ball with players with structure in Serie B, you can’t afford it,” concluded the coach.