Sousa: "We must return ourselves"

Fiorentina coach Paulo Sousa tries to shake up the team after the home draw against Verona: third place is receding. “We have always felt like intruders in the fight for Champions, but it is also true that in the past we have done better than today: we are going through a delicate moment, which began with the defeat against Roma. Today we were not close to our usual quality of play: we paid for this deficit with two points. Maybe we also lack a bit of luck, but the sure thing is that we have to work to get back to ourselves,” he explained to Mediaset Premium.

The initially revolutionized lineup: “As a coach, I definitely have to think about the result, which gives the dimension of our work, but I also have to think about improving the players, getting them to integrate in order to increase the value of the team and the individual: that’s why I made choices today, initially leaving out Kalinic, for example. Today I thought we would win by fielding Babacar and Zarate. We can give more speed to our game, the few times we have done so our opponent has been in trouble. Head problems? It’s a combination of factors: sometimes, having certain players on the field takes us a thread away from our playing principles.”

“But we know that and we have to behave accordingly: today we were very far from our characteristics. The fight for third place? We always want to be competitive, I am interested in increasing the character and mentality of this group: we have to keep working and believe in it. To create a culture we have to go through these moments as well.”