Spalletti: "We want to play an important role this season"

MILAN - Following wins against Tottenham Hotspur and Sampdoria, Luciano Spalletti’s returned to winning ways at home in Serie A with a third consecutive victory, beating Fiorentina 2-1. "The team has improved in many aspects, especially in terms of mentality, conviction and character," said the Coach after the match. "Everything has improved a bit, also thanks to the physical condition. We played well apart from a few mistakes when playing out from the back. Fiorentina caused some issues but we had lots of chances and did different things well. Perhaps we didn’t convert some of them because we got the final ball wrong, but we claimed the points that we needed."

Spalletti was then asked about the penalty awarded by Mazzoleni following the VAR on-field review. "There’s no need to invent anything, the arm hit the ball and my point of view is clear because there’s nothing else to add. Fiorentina played a good game. They were very good and need to be complimented. However, we deservedly won and I’d say that my boys were something more than good. We lost some composure because of a few too many misplaced passes which forced us to play some longer balls. We need to sort this out in possession in order to improve. The team is ready, now let's go all the way. These are the men that I wanted and I go forward with a sense of calm."

Ahead of the Nerazzurri’s upcoming games before the break, including the #DerbyMilano, the tactician concluded: “We must now make careful evaluations because we have a lot of matches close together. Therefore, my reasoning must be based on a number of different things, whether that be playing time or injuries. We know what our path must be this year. We must always head out onto the pitch with the aim of winning matches. We want to play a big role this season.”