Pioli to Sky: “We had many opportunities to score before the fourth goal”

Stefano Pioli spoke to the microphones of Sky in the post-match Inter-Fiorentina:

“We had many opportunities to score before the fourth goal. Fiorentina have kept their players in the field of quality. The suffering helps us grow. We have done so many positive things, we are working on others. The decline stems on many factors: The team needs trust, we must keep the team short, and occupy the field well. As soon as we stretch we are risking exposure in the defense.

“The balance comes from the work you do together on concepts and positions. It’s unthinkable not to give credit to a quality team like Fiorentina. In the second half, we could not hold possession in the midfield despite the numerical advantage. You have to find awareness and stay compact for 95 minutes, then the results will come. I removed Kondogbia because he was already booked and did not want to frustrate the referee. I inserted a technical player like Joao Mario to move the ball and give many solutions.”

“There is also a bit of fear in managing the advantages: We hold the ball longer and maintaining stamina becomes difficult. The win is important, we came from a bad game. 3-2 players were concerned, but we are working both on physical condition. There is so much for improvement and reach the point at which the players will manage to play well for 90 minutes. Zhang gave me a great impression: he spoke to me first and then to the team, with great clarity.”

Source: Sky Sports