Stefano Citterio, assistant coach of Fiorentina who replaced Palladino in Bologna, absent due to mourning, spoke at the press conference after the 1-0 defeat: “It’s not easy to play so many close matches. I don’t think our problem is on a physical level. We played a first a great time. The match had been well prepared, while in the second half we went ahead a bit and there we gave way to Bologna. We lost the distance and gave them this advantage. The boys held the field until the end “.
Did you like Gudmundsson and Beltran together?
“They had an excellent first half. When they play together they talk to the ball and make it fun. It’s definitely a repeatable experiment, then we also have other weapons. Today we wanted to keep the ball inside and Beltran helped us do this.”
How did you see the match?
“Ferguson’s entry increased Bologna’s physical impact and put us in difficulty. As real chances we had Richardson’s header, then we always missed the last pass. The amount of play is there However, it was also in the second half.”
Can Fiorentina always play two-man in the middle of the pitch?
“It is undeniable that Edoardo Bove had a great championship until he was employed, he was an important player for us, he gave us solidity when not in possession. Now we have to find other solutions, we are looking for them. If we manage to be short and compactly we support the two-man midfield, while when we stretch out we suffer.”
Did you expect more from the replacements?
“Sottil made his contribution, he had a couple of important ideas, also Ikone and Kouame. It’s not easy to take over when you’re down. They certainly made their contribution, we could have done more but like the whole team in the second half” .
Did the light come on?
“It’s clear that someone played more than others. Tiredness comes to everyone, but I repeat, it’s not a physical problem. We went badly at the start of the second half. We created a lot then, we were missing something in the last sixteen meters”.