In the post-match interview, Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino spoke after the 2-1 victory over Celje in the first leg of the Conference League quarter-finals.

Fiorentina defeated Celje 2-1 in the first leg of the Conference League quarter-finals, taking a small but significant advantage ahead of the return leg next Thursday. The Viola took the lead in the 27th minute with Ranieri, doubled their lead in the 62nd minute through Mandragora’s penalty, but the Slovenians pulled one back shortly after with Delaurer-Chaubet. Nonetheless, an important result for Palladino’s team, who will rely on the support of the Franchi stadium crowd and their technical prowess to advance to the semi-finals.

In the post-match interview, Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino spoke to Sky Sport. Here are his comments:

Analysis of the match
“I didn’t notice the divot on Mandragora’s penalty, if we analyze the match, it was a good performance. I got excellent responses from everyone, and today the team approached the game the right way. We knew Celje’s strengths. The regret is conceding that goal; at 2-0, we need to understand the moment of the game and be better at playing simpler. Perhaps a bit of inexperience led us to lose possession. It’s a shame, everything is open, and of course, we want to advance knowing that we face a good team.”

Yellow cards for the suspended players (Moreno, Zaniolo, Dodo)
“I wasn’t upset about the yellow cards because it’s part of football. Maybe Dodo’s could have been avoided, but whoever plays will put in a great performance. Zaniolo had a good game, fought with the team both as a forward and a second striker, but I’m happy with everyone else. Even Folorunsho adapted to a position that wasn’t his, Moreno was booked, and I preferred to take him off.”

Midfield mistakes
“Adli hadn’t played for two and a half months, he started today in a very hot climate and with a high tempo. It’s normal to make some mistakes in possession, but I’m happy with his performance, he even exceeded expectations. It’s normal to make a few mistakes in distribution because their press was intense.”

Maximum focus in both competitions
“We want to be ambitious, we are in good physical and mental shape. We want to go all the way, this is the time of the season when the players have a lot of enthusiasm.”

On the new system
“We changed some principles, before we defended deeper because the team felt the need for it. Now we feel more secure, we are reaping the benefits, and we have a lot of quality in midfield, as well as strong full-backs and good forwards. We found the right path, the work from the first day of training camp has brought us here, and we must continue until the end of the season.”

Palladino also made statements in the press conference:

Positive attitude of the team
“I am satisfied, I saw a good performance against a team that has its values and great enthusiasm at their stadium. They hadn’t lost in Europe for nine games, which adds value. I got excellent responses from everyone, the regret is conceding that goal at 2-0. We had to be smarter in managing the ball, making fewer touches and slowing down the game. It’s a shame about that goal, but everything is open, and we want to advance at home.”

On Celje
“We watched 12 Celje matches, and the coach is very good, he makes the team play well. They have great individual talents in midfield, with quality and pace. They have excellent players.”

What he liked most today
“The responses. Especially from players who hadn’t played much lately, like Folorunsho, who played in a position that wasn’t his as a full-back, both on the left and right, Zaniolo had a great game in both phases, Adli, who hadn’t played for months. And I am happy with the team’s maturity; today we were mature without ever becoming disjointed. The team reached an important step.”

On Mandragora
“Rolando is dear to me. In the first phase of the Conference League group, he was out for a while, didn’t have continuity. His ability to be out and work with intensity, being a leader despite not having space, impressed me. Usually, people get down when they are not playing and need to be motivated, but that didn’t happen with him. He is an example of waiting and is now reaping the rewards. I admire the player and the person; he showed himself to be a great man first. He did it all by himself; there’s nothing of mine in it. Probably he is having the best season of his career, and he deserves it.”

Referee’s card management
“I never talk about referees, I liked him and thought he managed well. Perhaps there were a few more cards in our favor, but I can’t say he had a bad performance.”

On De Gea
“A champion, a phenomenon. Fundamental for us, he gives us experience and security, he is our big goalkeeper, and we hold onto him tightly. He helps our defenders, he gave us a lot of help today too.”

On Moreno
“I have to thank him because he didn’t play his role. We were in difficulty on the wings, Gosens is out, and Parisi had an ankle problem, so he wasn’t at his best. We had to adapt two full-backs, and Dodo needed a rest. Moreno did his best, then he came off because he was booked. He had a good first half, struggled a bit with the depth attack, but then he came through.”

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