Stefano Pioli believes Luis Muriel is reaching the peak of his career and Fiorentina showed “such heart” to earn a 3-3 draw against Sampdoria.
It was a spectacular match with Muriel and Fabio Quagliarella braces, Edimilson Fernandes sent off in the first half and a last-gasp German Pezzella equaliser.
“We should’ve scored more goals before the red card, as we had the opportunities, but that dismissal changed the match,” the tactician told Sky Sport Italia.
Stefano Pioli believes Luis Muriel is reaching the peak of his career and Fiorentina showed “such heart” to earn a 3-3 draw against Sampdoria.
It was a spectacular match with Muriel and Fabio Quagliarella braces, Edimilson Fernandes sent off in the first half and a last-gasp German Pezzella equaliser.
“We should’ve scored more goals before the red card, as we had the opportunities, but that dismissal changed the match,” the tactician told Sky Sport Italia.
“My lads deserve credit for believing all the way to the end, because losing this game would’ve been a real blow. We could’ve done more when defending their goals, but the team showed such heart to fight it out a man down against a strong opponent.”
Muriel made the ideal Serie A debut for his new club, bagging a brace.
“He hasn’t played 90 minutes for a long time, and his greatest strength is pace, so at a certain stage he was exhausted and had to come off. Muriel made a good impact and it’s an advantage to have a player who already knows Serie A and speaks Italian.
“Now that Muriel is 28 years old, he has realised that you need more than talent and is eager to prove what he can do, something he hasn’t really been able to do fully yet in his career. We are talking about a great player.
“The day he arrived, I told him that he reminded me of the Brazilian Ronaldo. Now I must do well to find the right balance so everyone fits.”