Stefano Pioli defended Federico Chiesa from accusations of diving and confessed Atalanta “played better” than Fiorentina today.
After the midweek defeat to Inter, the Viola continued to protest at the use of VAR and refereeing decisions, yet today Chiesa seemed to go down very, very easily under Rafael Toloi pressure to earn a penalty.
It remained 1-0 until stoppages, when Cristiano Biraghi’s free kick went over the line before Pierluigi Gollini could palm it away.
Stefano Pioli defended Federico Chiesa from accusations of diving and confessed Atalanta “played better” than Fiorentina today.
After the midweek defeat to Inter, the Viola continued to protest at the use of VAR and refereeing decisions, yet today Chiesa seemed to go down very, very easily under Rafael Toloi pressure to earn a penalty.
It remained 1-0 until stoppages, when Cristiano Biraghi’s free kick went over the line before Pierluigi Gollini could palm it away.
“It certainly wasn’t the best Fiorentina performance, we weren’t sharp and I probably should’ve made a few more changes, as they were tired,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.
“It was a victory of tenacity, determination and suffering, a sign of real growth for such a young team.”
There was tension after the final whistle, with Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini furiously storming over to Pioli and the pair were dragged apart.
“I went to salute him, he shouted at me that the penalty was non-existent. They gave a penalty against us with Inter for a fingertip, so this time they gave one in our favour for light contact.
“We were tenacious, a little lucky, but it’s the first time we haven’t played well. That’s a good sign, because it proved character and pride in front of our fans.
“I admit Atalanta played better than us, but I would’ve admired our attitude even if we hadn’t won. Atalanta moved Papu Gomez from centre-left to centre-right, so that surprised us and we got too deep to be dangerous.”
Pioli was urged to have a word with Chiesa to ensure this talent doesn’t get a reputation as a diver.
“Believe me, Chiesa has improved a great deal in terms of tenacity and physicality, but he is not the kind of player who goes down at the slightest whiff of air.
“I thought he was very intelligent and sharp to cut inside and slow down his run, as Toloi had no real choice at that point. Whether it was enough to contact to send him down is another matter, but it was an intelligent run and what you should do in the circumstances.”