Read David De Gea’s comments after Fiorentina 2-2 Bologna.

What is the situation like in the dressing room?

“Nobody expected this. After eight or nine matchdays, we haven’t won a game yet. We’re struggling. We’re not doing well. But we must be optimistic. We were about to lose today. But then we reacted well. We equalized and nearly won in the end. We have to look at the positive things and push through. It’s tough, there’s no denying that.”

These results are a record low in the club’s history. Do you still believe you can aim high despite this start of the season?

“We must believe that we can more than anyone else. We must raise the bar and win games soon because we know how tough this league is. But this is what football is like. When things get tough, we must stay united. It’s tough for the fans. It is for us too. But we must all be united because we know that we’re struggling. We’re working hard. I see the team and we work well and we work hard. We’re always fired up before our matches. We have to look at all the positive things we’ve done and grow as a team.”

Do Fiorentina have more of a mental or tactical problem? Are the players afraid of playing?

“I understand your question, but we’re men, we play for Fiorentina, we can’t feel the pressure. We can’t be afraid of playing. This is an excuse I can’t accept. We’re not playing well on the pitch. Some young players can feel this pressure. But now we have to look at what we’re not doing well and improve. We’re close to our goal. On many occasions we were close to a win or a tie. When we win, I believe the team will react and will play with less pressure. But it will definitely happen. And when we win the first one, we will win others afterwards.”

Do you think that the decision-making process with the VAR needs to be changed?

“It’s a bit complicated, but I don’t know. Sometimes it’s a penalty, other times it isn’t. It’s a bit strange, but this is modern football. We must accept the fact that sometimes a handball is given as a penalty, and other times the exact same action isn't. But we have to play anyway.”