Stefano Pioli praised Fiorentina for their determination and “defensive solidity” to earn a 1-0 win away to Cagliari, but told off match-winner Khouma Babacar.
“It’s an important victory and one that I think was absolutely deserved. Obviously, if you don’t take your chances, then you risk losing a game that had been under control with situations that can be unpredictable,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
Stefano Pioli praised Fiorentina for their determination and “defensive solidity” to earn a 1-0 win away to Cagliari, but told off match-winner Khouma Babacar.
“It’s an important victory and one that I think was absolutely deserved. Obviously, if you don’t take your chances, then you risk losing a game that had been under control with situations that can be unpredictable,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“We did well to keep pushing and eventually found the breakthrough. Keeping another clean sheet means a great deal, as we must work off the ball with solidity and I saw Vitor Hugo and Milenkovic prove themselves, so we’ve got plenty of defenders that we can rely on.
“Our plan was always to fight hard in order to win the ball back as soon as we lost it, but now we are doing that with more belief and consistency.
“It’s a young team, but I am so happy at the effort they’ve put into every training session and are now reaping the rewards for that work.”
While Babacar came off the bench to score the winning goal late on, Pioli had harsh words for the striker.
“Babacar can provide a little more weight in the penalty area, but if you want to be unpredictable, then using the midfielders to swarm the box can be more dangerous than packing the box with traditional strikers. The best chance before then was by Milan Badelj with his header on a Cyril Thereau cross.
“I know that Babacar has immense potential, but the problem is that he sometimes rests on his laurels and thinks that if he doesn’t play, it is the fault of someone else. He ought to work harder and earn those chances for himself.”