After the heavy 5-0 defeat by Napoli in Coppa Italia, the coach of Palermo, Alexei Dionysus, commented on the defeat with lucid and self-critical tones, expressing his disappointment for some refereeing incidents which, according to him, had influenced the course of the match.
“I don't like to talk about things that aren't my area of expertise, but I'd like to see a univocal line,” Dionisi declared. “Unfortunately, I'm not talking about our game, but in general, watching so many games you never understand what the line of judgment is. I understand that it's difficult to find a balance between VAR and the referee, but there were episodes judged hastily, both for and against.”
The Rosanero coach wanted to clarify the penalty not awarded to Palermo when the score was 2-0. “It looked like a penalty to us from the bench too.
We got back into the game and we all protested because it seemed obvious to us. Of course, some decisions had an impact, but in the end we lost 5-0.
What do I have to talk about? We have to accept these situations.”
Dionisi then honestly analyzed his team's collapse in the opening minutes, when Napoli immediately imposed their game. “In those initial 12 minutes we could have done better.
We made mistakes in simple situations, probably due to inexperience and the pressure of the match. We loosened up when we were already 2-0 down, but these are not our games.
We could have done better, we had created the conditions, but we didn't succeed."
The negative turning point for the Palermo It came with the expulsion of Vasić in the 58th minute, an episode that Dionisi considers excessively severe. “We are sorry to be left with 10 men with 30-35 minutes to go. Vasić's entrance didn't seem so serious to me, but we accept everything.
Referee decisions must always be respected.”
Despite the disappointment of the heavy defeat, the coach did not lose heart and looked to the future, reminding his players of the importance of learning even from difficult evenings like the one in Naples. “Our championship resumes on Monday and we must carry this experience with us. It is not a result that should demoralize us, but it should teach us.
Not all games will be like this, we must start again with confidence and awareness.”
Article published on 26 September 2024 - 23:31
