Stefano Pioli insists the Inter that lost 5-4 to Fiorentina “cannot be my team. It was an inexplicable black-out and we are psychologically fragile.”

The tactician’s job was already under threat after a series of poor results and fumbling a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Milan, so collapsing from 2-1 up to 5-2 down and eventually losing 5-4 in Florence tonight only intensified that pressure.

Stefano Pioli insists the Inter that lost 5-4 to Fiorentina “cannot be my team. It was an inexplicable black-out and we are psychologically fragile.”

The tactician’s job was already under threat after a series of poor results and fumbling a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Milan, so collapsing from 2-1 up to 5-2 down and eventually losing 5-4 in Florence tonight only intensified that pressure.

After the game, Pioli stayed in the locker room for almost an hour with several directors who were at the Stadio Franchi, including Piero Ausilio and Steven Zhang.

“Clearly we had to make some evaluations and understand why what happened in the second half effectively happened,” the Coach told Mediaset Premium.

“Unfortunately what we saw in the second half cannot be my team. It cannot be the team that did well up until last week, even if in the derby we were pegged back at the last second, the side still had the right mentality and approach.

“Tonight we did that for 45 minutes and then had an inexplicable black-out. It was too bad to be true. We’ve got five games left this season and will try to do our best.

“I am responsible for this performance, as are my players.”

With Atalanta beating Bologna 3-2 today, it looks increasingly unlikely that Inter will qualify for Europe.

Remarkably, Inter have plummeted with just two points from five rounds since they crushed Atalanta 7-1 at San Siro.

“We haven’t had the right consistency of mentality or tactical structure that you need in Serie A. After the defeat to Sampdoria, we struggled to deal with seeing the dream of third place disappear, but we cannot put in performances like this.

“In the second half we hit rock bottom and need to prove that this is not the real Inter. My focus and desire is only on the present. I know full well that in football things can change from one day to the next and we all depend on results, so while a month ago I was considered a great Coach, now that judgment has changed.

“I have to motivate my players, make them realise we are part of a prestigious club, that the season is not over yet and we cannot repeat a performance like that.

“I wish I knew why we keep playing well for 45 minutes and then losing it, or doing the other way round. We seem psychologically fragile and struggle to react when we run into problems and that’s a huge issue, because there are always going to be problems that we have to overcome.

“When we run into an obstacle, we become a small team.”

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