Paulo Sousa is “proud and had fun watching Fiorentina play tonight” despite a 3-1 defeat to Juventus.
The Viola had been unbeaten in six games and took an early lead through Josip Ilicic’s penalty, but capitulated 3-1 in Turin.
“It’s difficult to attack with pace when all the spaces are closed down, because Juve pressed us early every time,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
Paulo Sousa is “proud and had fun watching Fiorentina play tonight” despite a 3-1 defeat to Juventus.
The Viola had been unbeaten in six games and took an early lead through Josip Ilicic’s penalty, but capitulated 3-1 in Turin.
“It’s difficult to attack with pace when all the spaces are closed down, because Juve pressed us early every time,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“The lads did well to control possession and take the initiative, but when you face a side with such defensive quality then it becomes difficult.”
Does this defeat change Fiorentina’s Scudetto dreams for this season, even though they remain joint second with Napoli?
“Our dreams must always be the same. Playing in this stadium with such a strong attitude is not easy. We’ll have to see who we are facing and how we react. We played with all the quality we had tonight, but Juve are very solid.
“I am happy and proud and I had fun watching my team play football tonight. We encountered a dynamic defensive line that played aggressively.
“The distances between the lines were so small that we had to anticipate every movement and make each pass at precisely the right time. Juve did very well defensively.
“I think of all the sides we’ve encountered this season, Juve are the most mature. They have now achieved a clear system, have strength in depth to keep the quality level up throughout.
“Collectively Juve defend very well, but also on an individual level too. In terms of collective, I feel Napoli and Roma will become very impressive.”
Sousa spent some of his playing career at Juventus, so was it emotional being back in Turin as a Coach?
“I am always experiencing strong emotions with this line of work. Being a part of football means emotional moments are at every turn.
“It is always a pleasure to revisit places and people who I shared important moments with.”