Empoli coach Maurizio Sarri believes his side with a sense of fear after falling 2-0 to Udinese at the Stadio Friuli on Sunday night.
The match was the Azzurri’s first in the Serie A after being promoted for the first time since 2008, but Sarri believes his side will have to adjust if they want to succeed in the top division.
“We played the first ten minutes with fear,” Sarri admitted to Rai Sport after the match. “In the first half we had more scoring opportunities, but in five minutes we made errors that affected the outcome of the game.”
Empoli managed to hold off Udinese in the first half, however, were not able to maintain the clean sheet after two goals from former striker Antonio Di Natale.
Despite the score line, Sarri took the loss as a harsh but important lesson for his side to learn from.
“In Serie A, the boys must learn that when you make a mistake you pay for it. We must show the awareness needed to stay in the Serie A.”
