Italiano said: We said that we needed to be concentrated, as we need to keep plugged in and focused on what we've got to do both in Serie A and going into that truly important match with great spirit and enthusiasm.
We did well with the comeback, the fatigue is getting to the players and we had to use Castrovilli wide to fill the gaps and let some others rest. We are playing with enthusiasm, what we try in training often works and just like last season, the lads are pushing hard at this stage.
We knew that Djuric had been scoring a lot recently and that this situation could happen, but he's so big and strong, I'm not sure there is a method of stopping him!
Nico is doing well, he had a period where he was not sharp, but you can see from his runs in attack and defence just how good he feels now. Having Nico in this shape right now is very important for us," continued Italiano.
Arthur scored a great goal, maybe it was 7-8 years since he last scored! Maybe that means things are changing now. Until recently he tended to fall away from the 60th minute onwards, but today he was really pushing until the 80th. He's a great professional, working hard and this goal was the just reward."