Vincenzo Italiano is ‘angry’ after Fiorentina‘s defeat against Roma and insists Dusan Vlahovic must be motivated to make the difference.
La Viola lost 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in their Serie A debut.
“I was satisfied until they were 2-1 up, we played on par despite being down to ten men,” Italiano told DAZN.
“We made a huge mistake by dropping the intensity we had had before the draw, it’s a pity to lose a game played with this mentality.
“I had told the lads it was important to leave this stadium with our heads held high, we did it, but I am angry because the points and the table count now, so we must be careful at every moment.
“Perhaps we thought we had the game in our hands before they scored the second goal,” the former Spezia coach continued.
“They are a strong team, we conceded some spaces and they made the most of it, we could have done better at the back and be more clinical up front. It’s a pity because we showed the right spirit after the red card.
“We lost the ball before they scored the second goal. There was, maybe, a little foul on Pulgar. We are sorry because we showed personality inside a difficult stadium. We must work on the good things we did. This must be the mentality.
“The lads must know that, despite the defeat, we can’t lose self-esteem. We are receiving the praise and we must be happy for it.”
Before the game, Fiorentina director Joe Barone had claimed Vlahovic would stay at Fiorentina in the summer.
“There has never been a problem about him,” Italiano said.
“Now, he must be focused on scoring goals. He had a couple of good chances today. We know his worth, he knows he is admired, everybody is helping him to make the difference, he can make it. A motivated Vlahovic can be an added value for us.”
Nico Gonzalez made his Fiorentina debut this evening.
“He gave everything. He is fully committed and a quality left-foot, I believe he can give us satisfaction this season,” Italiano said.
“He is always focused, he trains hard and I think it was a great signing. He can score many goals this season. I think he played well today.
“Nico has quality and he can play in every part of the pitch.”
The biggest mistake italiano made is using maleh and callejon on this big game rather than using castovilli and sottil.. so lack of creativity on this game..