Vanoli proud of Fiorentina’s performance against ‘strong’ Milan: “We deserved to win”

Fiorentina head coach Paolo Vanoli believes that his side deserved to beat AC Milan at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday afternoon.

Milan were held to a 1-1 draw for the second consecutive game against a side battling relegation, this time by Fiorentina. For a second straight game it needed a late leveller from the Rossoneri to even get a tie and keep their unbeaten run going, with Christopher Nkunku the man to get it on this occasion.

Four points dropped inside four days against a team inside and just outside the bottom three is not the form of a team that are serious about winning the title. That being said, Fiorentina are better than their position suggests in terms of quality on paper, and they look to be rapidly improving.

Vanoli was interviewed by DAZN after the game to give his thoughts on what was a bittersweet match for his side, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.

What did you tell your boys after that?

“I’m happy, in inverted commas, that there’s disappointment. They understood they put in a great performance; we’re a team that never gives up until the 90th minute. I told them I’m proud of them. We knew how to suffer and then we went out.

“Today we faced a team that was strong individually. We need to become a little more composed in front of goal. Even though they had a great chance in the first half, we need to improve with these 1-2 home defeats we’re conceding. We deserved to win.”

Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

You found numerical superiority out wide today…

“I prepared for that flanks because on the left they would build out with the midfielder and the plays could start from there, on the other side Gosens was free to shoot many times.

“In my opinion they played a great game, as did the others. We’re becoming a team, everyone available for something important. We need to step up and improve what we’re doing.”

The support at the Franchi was loud…

“We know how important it is to play at home and have the fans on our side. We knew that through our performances, fighting for this jersey, they can help us. We just have to keep quiet and stay humble.

“The solution is to keep playing football. I liked the reaction after the goal, when we wanted to win it at all costs, even if sometimes they make me a little angry because you risk losing it. We need to be a little more clear-headed.”