Gambia National Football Team’s vice captain Omar Colley and his Sampdoria will be ready to fight for their goals when the Italian new top flight season gets underway in three weeks.
These were the words of Coach Eusebio Di Francesco who was speaking in an interview with the club’s official website after the Italian Football Federation released the fixture list for the 2019/20 season. The Samps will begin their campaign at home to Lazio on the weekend of 24-25 August before travelling to Sassuolo a week later.
“The start of the season is never easy regardless of your opponents. We have two tough matches against two solid teams before the first international break but we’ll keep working away over the coming weeks and make sure we’re ready for the big kick-off,” he said.
Di Francesco was appointed by the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris outfit as its new coach on a three-year contract in June. He replaces Marco Giampaolo, who joined Milan having guided the club to a ninth place finish last season. Di Francesco was sacked as Roma manager in March following the club’s exit in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League and this is his first managerial role since his unfortunate departure from the Stadio Olimpico.
Defender Colley, 26, had a successful debut campaign in the Italian Serie A following his big money summer move from Genk. He played in 21 of the club’s 38 matches in the league in the 2018/19 season, representing an average of 55% and would be hoping that in his second season, following a first year of adaptation, he will play more.
Thus, Di Francesco’s assertion that all players will be given fresh opportunity to claim their positions in the team would serve as a welcome boost for the former Wallidan prodigy who is never the one to shy away from competition. Looking at his career path from the domestic Gambian league to Italy via Finland, Sweden and Belgium, Colley is a player set for international stardom.