Raffaele Palladino took questions from the media in the wake of Fiorentina's 2-1 defeat to Inter at San Siro. Here's what he had to say:

GOAL KICK NOT GIVEN BEFORE INTER'S OPENER

“I don't judge match officials when mistakes are made – that's a promise I made to myself when I started out in coaching. That said, I can't deny we were pretty angry about Inter's first goal. I'm not angry with the referee but with the protocol because if we have this tool, which is VAR, it has to improve the game and help referees to make fewer mistakes, especially when it's an objective mistake as it was in this case – the ball was 20 cm over the line. We can't not intervene in cases like that. These things change games and change results. It's one thing when it's a tug on a shirt or another kind of oversight, but when it's blatantly objective like here we have to be able to intervene, otherwise we end the game feeling angry and asking how it could have happened.”

FIORENTINA'S PERFORMANCE

“We knew Inter would be smarting after Thursday and would come at his with the bit between their teeth. They're a great team pushing for the title and after a defeat you expect them to try to bounce back with a win. I'm proud of my players because they showed again today that they can match Inter. We sat a bit deep in the first half but we played the way we needed to. The substitutes gave us a big hand in the second half. I'm happy with the new signings. We caused problems for Inter and ended the game in the ascendancy. I'm proud of my players. We leave with our heads held high.”

TEAM SELECTION AND SUBSTITUTIONS

“I kept the same team as last Thursday because I believe in meritocracy. The guys were magnificent in that game. It wasn't easy but they gave everything. I toyed with the idea of making changes but those players deserved the chance to start again at San Siro and I think they produced another great performance.

“I made the substitutions when I did because the players who started were playing well. After we fell behind I decided to make some changes. The starters and the subs all played really well.”

FIRST-HALF DIFFICULTIES

“In the first half we probably could have done a bit better in transition when we won the ball but we were up against a team going into the duels very hard, especially after last Thursday's game. However, we gave them a game and matched them man for man in the second half, both when attacking and defending.”

FINDING A NEW CENTRE FORWARD

“[Albert] Gudmundsson could play at centre forward given that [Moise] Kean is suspended for the next one. We'll see what might be a workable solution. We have [Nicolo] Zaniolo and [Lucas] Beltran and others who could fill in there. We'll work on it during the week and then I'll decide.”

POSITIVES TO TAKE FORWARD 

“These two performances against Inter have boosted our self-belief and our confidence but it mustn't change our mentality. We must be humble. We must be ready to defend and attack and change the way we play depending on the the game is going. I liked our versatility today. In the first half we had five at the back and in the second four. We're doing really well. The new signings will give us extra quality. I have a good feeling about the second half of the season.”