Di Francesco: ‘Lecce need to concentrate positive energy’ for final 5 games

LECCE, ITALY – APRIL 20: Tiago Gabriel of US Lecce celebrates his team’s equalizing goal during the Serie A match between US Lecce and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Via del Mare on April 20, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

“We were coming off a run of consecutive defeats, where individual errors had compromised our results,” Di Francesco told DAZN Italia.

“I think we had been doing very well even before their goal, then managed to react and in the second half pinned Fiorentina back for over 30 minutes. I saw a lot of chances, with Pierotti, Coulibaly, Stulic, but we were unable to convert the chances.

“That is the basic crux of our season. However, I will take the good performance, I told the lads with this mentality and hunger, we can achieve our aim.”

This 1-1 result means Lecce and Cremonese remain locked together on 28 points, with Cagliari next ahead on 33, then Fiorentina with 36.

It is no secret where their problems lie, scoring only 22 goals in 33 Serie A games, and wasting several more big opportunities this evening.

“We can certainly improve, but I liked the number of crosses into the box and pull backs. With Gandelman, he is sort of an extra striker, giving the team balance. This side is working to achieve safety with a certain organisation, but we put so many balls into the penalty area today,” confessed Di Francesco.

“There is a technical skill in attacking certain spaces, we’ve been working on it all season and I’ll continue to focus on it this week in training, because that is how we can score more goals.”

LECCE, ITALY – APRIL 20: Walid Cheddira of US Lecce competes for the ball with Nicolò Fagioli of ACF Fiorentina during the Serie A match between US Lecce and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Via del Mare on April 20, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

It had already been confirmed that Lecce would go into a two-week training retreat to prepare for the decisive upcoming games, away to Verona on Saturday, then at Pisa on May 1.

At the final whistle, the fans called the players over to their Curva and sang encouragement, demanding ’11 Lions’ in those matches.

LECCE, ITALY – APRIL 20: Fans of US Lecce during the Serie A match between US Lecce and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Via del Mare on April 20, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

“We analysed the statistics and almost always conceded goals around the 30th minute, so we have to work on that. I don’t want it to become a mental issue, otherwise we’ll get stuck in a doom loop of worrying around that time,” added Di Francesco.

“It’s important to finish off these opportunities that we create, especially when getting down the wide areas. We’re concentrating all our positive energy with this training retreat, ensuring we have full control of everything from rest hours to nutrition, so we can be at our best in these crucial weeks.”