Palladino: Fiorentina are ‘struggling’, but I look at ‘glass half full’

Fiorentina coach Palladino concedes he’s disappointed for watching his side throw away a one-goal lead against 10-men Torino in a 1-1 home draw, which extended their winless streak, but also urged everyone to ‘stay balanced’ and ‘look at the glass half full’ after an exciting first part of the season.

The Viola failed to win any of their last six Serie A games, spoiling a domestic eight-game winning streak that had propelled them into the first positions before a sudden plunge which saw them drop to sixth.

Palladino explained that failing to score a second goal in numerical superiority is his main ‘regret’, but insisted the Viola boast a ‘young’ and ‘talented’ team which is able to bounce back.

Palladino: Fiorentina did ‘too well’ during winning streak

“Surely disappointment is the main feeling right now,” Palladino told DAZN in a post-match interview.

“We started really well, approaching the game with great intensity. We knew it could be a scrappy match against a tough opponent.

“We took the lead, and the red card could’ve put the game on the right track for us, but we weren’t able to score the second goal, and that’s the regret. I’m sorry for wasting this opportunity.

“I’m also sorry for this moment because the lads are struggling without getting results. We’ve now gone six matches without a win, but I also look at the glass half full – we need to stay balanced.

“We’re sixth in the standings, which is in line with the goals we set at the start of the season. There are many areas to work on, and we’re growing a lot of young players.

“Maybe we did too well during the run of eight wins, and now we’re not getting the results we want.”

After seemingly starting on the right foot, Fiorentina showed a worrying drop in performance in the second half, with a costly distraction leading to the visitors’ equaliser. According to Palladino, what happened suggests that the Viola need to grow ‘in terms of personality’ and learn to ‘read the moments of the game better’.

“We couldn’t score the second goal, even though we created plenty of chances – we had over 20 shots,” Palladino continued.

“That’s the main regret. Then, after a mistake playing out from the back, the team got a bit anxious. It’s a young team, after all. This can’t happen, and it’s something we need to grow from in terms of personality.

“We definitely needed to be more aggressive during the phases when we didn’t have possession.

“We’re a very talented team with some excellent individual players. The new signings come from important clubs, and it’s not about one or two players – it’s about the team growing together.

“We need to read the moments of the game better, understand when to stay patient, when we can’t play the way we want and need to simplify things, and when to show more personality and make the right decisions in the final third. That’s what we lacked after conceding the equaliser.

But I think this is part of the growth process we’re going through as a group. If we want to focus only on the negatives, we can say a lot about these last six games. However, there are also plenty of positives. We’re sitting in sixth place, and we’re up there fighting, even if we know we can and must do more.”