Fiorentina coach Prandelli blames international break for Parma defeat

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli blamed the international break after their 3-2 home defeat by Parma.

Alberto Gilardino struck twice for the Viola, but it wasn't enough as Parma stormed to a stunning victory.

Prandelli reflected: “When you are going through a good period of form then a break can cause you problems, especially as many internationals came back at the last minute.

“Parma were in good shape and we made some mistakes, so we cannot recriminate too much. We made silly errors on all three goals and should’ve paid closer attention.

“We had got back to 2-2 and were pushing hard, it was three against one and we cannot think of playing the offside trap in that situation. At least we’ll learn from this.”

He added: “Clearly at 2-2 I thought we would win the match and had it in our grasp, but it was a goal that took advantage of our weaknesses.

“Parma always tried to counter all our initiatives immediately and were very organised. I cannot fault my players for their determination and effort.”