Beppe Iachini maintains Fiorentina “had the opportunities to win” their 1-1 draw with Milan, despite being down to 10 men, and explained his substitutions.
The deadlock was broken by Ante Rebic pouncing on a Martin Caceres error, Dalbert saw red and Erick Pulgar converted a controversial late penalty.
“We had prepared the game to do better earlier, quite frankly, and allowed Milan very few chances, catching them regularly offside.
Beppe Iachini maintains Fiorentina “had the opportunities to win” their 1-1 draw with Milan, despite being down to 10 men, and explained his substitutions.
The deadlock was broken by Ante Rebic pouncing on a Martin Caceres error, Dalbert saw red and Erick Pulgar converted a controversial late penalty.
“We had prepared the game to do better earlier, quite frankly, and allowed Milan very few chances, catching them regularly offside.
“It was important to defend with a high line, as we couldn’t risk a physical battle in the box with these players,” Iachini told DAZN.
“In the second half, we practically ran no risks and only conceded the goal due to an error. We maintained a positive attitude throughout, drew level and frankly had the opportunities to win at the end. If we had taken all three points, nobody could’ve complained.”
Patrick Cutrone was introduced for midfielder Gaetano Castrovilli soon after the Dalbert red card, a brave move that paid off, as he won the penalty.
“The situation was planned to bring Cutrone on and I would’ve done it even if the result had been a draw. I wanted to remove a reference point for Milan’s midfield, try to force it through in a different way.
“I wasn’t expecting us to be down to 10 men, but the lads had practiced anyway and created numerous chances to win. It’s a pity about that late save, as it was a really big opportunity to win.
“Federico Chiesa is dangerous on the wings, but he is still not 100 per cent fit and so I tried to play him more as a forward to keep him closer to the goal and not work as hard. Once he gets back to full fitness, he can give us those alternatives in two roles.”