The Viola coach on the eve of the first leg of the round of 16 against the Israelis in Budapest: “The level of the opponents has risen, so maximum attention. Beltran and Nico? Everyone will be needed”
Fiorentina resumes its run in the Conference League with the desire to reach the final, like last season, and with the aim of winning tomorrow evening against Maccabi Haifa in the first leg of the round of 16: “We play against a team that comes from the Europa League and there is no simple match. We must pay great attention and not underestimate anything. It is a tough and difficult match, but we hope to put them in difficulty with what we know how to do. Some of my players are improving greatly in condition and we have to give continuity and put in a good performance to calmly prepare for the return match.”
final goal
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Fiorentina failed to lift the trophy last season because they lost in the final against West Ham and this time they want to try again: “The Conference is raising the level, including the participants. This year there are many equipped to get there bottom and we also want to repeat ourselves. English football? The Premier is ahead of all the championships for the intensity and values of the players, but our Serie A is proving to be at a good level and many teams are moving forward in Europe like last year”.
beltran, nico and the changes
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One of the protagonists tomorrow evening will be Beltran for whom Italiano has carved out more roles on the attacking front: “Lucas is a different player compared to the beginning, he has this possibility of playing with different functions and we have to use him to the best of our ability. If he manages to break the ice, he still has great room for growth with his qualities and having such a flexible player is a lot for a coach.” Without going into the details of the training, the coach makes it clear that there will be a rotation during this period: “Playing every three days we will need everyone because it is inevitable. There is no exclusion for anyone and everyone must be ready. Having fresh, clear and fit people can give us great advantages. Parisi? There is respect in him and we expect a lot. In this period he must turn on the switch immediately when he is called into action. It will be a period where many will return to demonstrate their value and I hope they have the ability to be found with the warning light on.” Gonzalez deserves a separate chapter as he has regained his playing time and now must return to high levels: “We are trying to get him back at his best – continues Italiano – with the same dynamism as at the beginning. Perhaps he needs a little more brilliance but he pushes strong, he is applied and therefore in my opinion there is little left to get back the Nico from the beginning of the season. We are the first to want him in top form as soon as possible.”
invitation to peace
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Tomorrow evening’s match against Maccabi Haifa will be played on a neutral pitch in Budapest due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “We are all here praying to hope that peace will be found – concludes the coach – because seeing this war and destruction again is not that’s what we want. We’re all praying for a solution and a handshake.” Alongside Vincenzo Italiano is Dodo who was called up to the championship for the first time last Saturday, more than five months after his injury, and is now breathing a bit of European air. It’s impossible to see him on the pitch tomorrow from the start, but in the meantime the right back talks about his emotions: “Being with the team is wonderful and I’m excited and happy just to be here.”
out of the squad
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The big absentee for the first leg match at Maccabi Haifa is Arthur who remained working in Florence to recover from the contusion-sprain injury suffered during the last championship match against Torino. Furthermore, he did not leave for Budapest, Martinez Quarta who will recover for the match against Roma and finally Kouame, who was subjected to the blood tests required by the Institute of Infectious Diseases after contracting malaria. In the event of a positive outcome, he will begin the process to obtain, in the next few days, the competitive fitness necessary to resume regular group activity.
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