Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade has admitted that the Viola’s 5-0 aggregate defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League was hard to watch.
The Spanish side emerged 2-0 winners at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in the semi-final second leg on Thursday, giving them a handsome aggregate win.
But Prade believes that there is still much to be positive about in Florence and urged fans to consider the context of their disappointing evening.
“It was a tough night, you feel really better when you lose like that,” he said to Viola Channel.
Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade has admitted that the Viola’s 5-0 aggregate defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League was hard to watch.
The Spanish side emerged 2-0 winners at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in the semi-final second leg on Thursday, giving them a handsome aggregate win.
But Prade believes that there is still much to be positive about in Florence and urged fans to consider the context of their disappointing evening.
“It was a tough night, you feel really better when you lose like that,” he said to Viola Channel.
“Now the whole group must pick themselves up again in the right manner. In the morning you consider that we’ve played 57 games: the maximum of all three competitions in which we participated.
“On the one hand there is great positivity, because being amongst the top four teams of the Europa League was a huge success – a victory would’ve been a blessing.
“It's a shame, but not everything has to be thrown away: this group is serious and works hard.”
Prade also responded to the boos and whistles that arrived from the club’s supporters after the demoralising defeat to the Europa League’s defending champions.
“The identity, empathy and unity that exists between the ownership, the fans and the team doesn’t have to end,” he said.
“Let’s go forward together, why stop? Firstly we must focus on qualifying for Europe, which is a very important objective.”
The Viola sporting director also attempted to put a positive spin on the club’s semi-final exits from Europe and the Coppa Italia this season.
“We got to the semi-finals of the Europa League and lost to Sevilla, a team in great form,” he said.
“In the Coppa Italia we lost an incredible game against Juventus, who are in the Champions League final and won the Scudetto.
“We have to clear our heads before judging certain situations. We are still the same, our identity is something beautiful and it’s difficult to find togetherness as great as ours.”