De Zerbi: 'Sassuolo took advantage'

By Football Italia staff

Sassuolo Coach Roberto De Zerbi admits they “took advantage” of a Fiorentina side that was deflated after their Coppa Italia exit.

The Neroverdi beat the Viola 1-0 tonight at the Stadio Artemio Franchi through a Domenico Berardi goal, but had goalkeeper Andrea Consigli to thank for saving Jordan Veretout’s penalty just before half-time.

“We knew they would have low morale after being knocked out of the Coppa Italia and we took advantage of that situation,” De Zerbi told Sky Sport Italia.

“We played a great game, but we also had other good performances where we didn’t get the three points.

“In the second half of the season we dropped a lot of points and found ourselves in the wrong end of the table because of some strange results. We had to knuckle down and start picking up wins.”

Federico Chiesa was accused of going down cheaply for the penalty, when he also had a handful of defender Federico Peluso’s shirt.

“I think Chiesa is a good lad and he seems like a good person from the outside. He is a legacy for Italian Football, and I don’t think he deserves the label of a diver,” assured De Zerbi.

Things got heated between the players after the final whistle and the tactician defended the discussion.

“In the tunnel and on the pitch, it is only right that there are these things, otherwise we would go onto the field holding hands.

“I played in the lower divisions and it is even worse down there, it’s not that big a problem if these things happen, just as long as it stays within the rules."

The Coach finished up by talking about how they took advantage of the Tuscan side’s defeat in the Coppa Italia semi-final by Atalanta midweek.

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