Genoa, Vieira: “Positive second half, we deserved the draw. Balotelli? He's doing well”

Patrick Vieiracoach of Genoa, at the microphones of Daznanalyzes the defeat against Napoli, underlining the team's good reaction in the second half. A second half played with greater courage and aggression, which bodes well for the future. The French coach also focuses on the choice to field Vitinha and the performances of the players coming off the bench.

What did he say to the team in the locker room? It was a game of two faces: difficult first half, second half with a different Genoa.
“In the second half we did better, we were taller and more aggressive. It's a shame we didn't find the equalizer, because we deserved it. I told the boys that if we keep playing like we did in the second half, we'll win more games than we lose.”

In the second half the team showed courage, also encouraged by the fans. Was this the initial idea, to manage the first half and then react in the second half? Or was it a wrong reading of the match?
“We tried this strategy against Milan and we drew. Against teams fighting for the Scudetto, perhaps in the first half we lacked a bit of aggression, even if Napoli's quality put us in difficulty. In the second half we showed courage, putting the opponent in difficulty. I am very happy with the recovery, as a coach I also learned a lot about the team.”

A question about Vitinha. We didn't expect him as fourth on the left in the defensive phase. What is the thought behind this choice? What do you expect from him?
“Vitinha hadn't played for two months, but he was training well. I wanted to field more offensive players, to have more presence in the area. Vitinha can still give a lot to the team. It wasn't an easy match for him, especially in the first half we struggled in defensive phase, but he played an important game.”

Balotelli came close to scoring. Is this good news for him, for his confidence, or above all for Genoa?
“The players who came on in the second half, like Thorsby and Norton-Cuffy, brought energy and quality. Mario (Balotelli) is doing well, training well. He must continue like this.”