Pioli: ‘Fiorentina made to pay for mistakes by Napoli’

FLORENCE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Stefano Pioli manager of ACF Fiorentina looks on during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and SSC Napoli at Artemio Franchi on September 13, 2025 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Stefano Pioli admits Fiorentina ‘were made to pay for our errors’ by clinical Napoli and that he ‘expected to have a few more points in the table by now.’

They took until the 79^th minute before really threatening Napoli this evening, when Luca Ranieri fired in from a corner kick, sparking a late flurry of chances.

However, it was too late, as the Partenopei were already leading 3-0 through a Kevin De Bruyne penalty, Rasmus Hojlund angled drive, and Sam Beukema tap-in.

Pioli rues poor Fiorentina start

“We started both halves badly, and against a team of this quality, you pay for those mistakes,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.

“They made the most of all our errors, we allowed ourselves to be unprepared on two corner kicks, and you cannot do that at this level. The team played, as being 2-0 down after 15 minutes against Napoli is not easy, but we kept trying, had our chances to score and could’ve made it 3-2 in the final 10 minutes.

“We need to improve, because our opponents made mistakes too, but we didn’t make the most of them. That’s the difference.”

It is evident in Serie A at least that Fiorentina have problems scoring goals, netting only two in three rounds.

They tried Edin Dzeko as the partner for Moise Kean in the first half, then Roberto Piccoli after the break, but with similar outcomes.

“I thought Sohm did really well, as he was in a duel with Anguissa, which was very tough. I moved to a two-man midfield with Nicolussi Caviglia and Mandragora,” explained Pioli.

“I chose Dzeko to cause Napoli problems with their high press, pressuring Lobotka, but strategy can only do so much when games change so early. It developed differently to what we had expected.”

The Viola are really struggling so far this season, with uninspired Conference League performances, then just two points from the opening three Serie A rounds.

“I expected to have a few more points in the table by now, as two points in three rounds is not enough. The good thing is that the team remained a team even through the difficult moments, and we can build on that,” added Pioli.

“We made defensive errors, we misread the situations, and against opponents of such quality, you pay for that. I hope that we can learn from these mistakes, as I saw the team fight to the end and continue to grow.

“Napoli were better on the details and the situations we must read better in future to become a more competitive side.”