Alessio Dionisi fully admits Fiorentina ‘deserved’ their 2-2 draw, but hails Sassuolo for their approach. ‘Not everyone will play with this courage in Florence.’
The Neroverdi are kicking themselves after fumbling a 2-0 half-time lead through Gianluca Scamacca and Davide Frattesi.
Fiorentina came out fighting for the restart, getting it back on track with Dusan Vlahovic and Lucas Torreira, but Cristiano Biraghi’s red card left the hosts down to 10 men.
“Maybe we were a little sluggish after the restart. I’ll be honest, the 2-0 first leg lead was frankly a bit harsh, as Fiorentina created plenty too, so the draw is a fair result,” Dionisi told Sky Sport Italia.
“I am half-happy, because we came to Florence, got a point and had the quality to win it, but we didn’t, and that’s something we need to analyse.
“This is a young squad, we need time, but I don’t think everyone will come to Florence and play with this courage. So I want to take the positives and work on the issues that still need to be addressed, such as us losing a 2-0 lead.”
Scamacca and Giacomo Raspadori had been initially considered rivals for the same role, but now they are working well together either in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 formation.
“They are in the positions now where they feel most at ease. The team needs a certain balance, especially as we don’t have much physicality in midfield, but Giacomo and Gianluca are getting better the more they play together and really developing that rapport.
“I am a little cross with some of our players, are there are those who make a big difference and need to move the ball quicker. We were against 10 men and didn’t speed up the tempo, instead we continued to pass it slowly and wait for their press.”
This was a particularly special game for Dionisi, who is from Florence and was a Fiorentina ball-boy during Claudio Ranieri’s era in the early to mid-1990s.