Vincenzo Italiano, Davide Ballardini and Arthur Cabral spoke to Mediaset after Fiorentina’s 2-0 win over Cremonese in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals: ‘We can dream,’ said the Viola pair.
The Tuscans have now won nine consecutive matches across all competitions and have a massive chance to meet Juventus or Inter in the Coppa Italia Final when they reunite with Cremonese in the second leg semi-final at the Stadio Franchi in three weeks.
“It was only the first round, we took some risks, trying to score goals, but I think it’s a deserved victory,” said Fiorentina coach Italiano.
“When you win a few games, the mind is freer. The club has always supported us, we have always behaved well and it paid off. We want to keep dreaming, two months ago, we wouldn’t expect to be here, but now we have emerged. Now we are more solid.”
The 45-year-old also replied to a question about his future at the club: “We can only focus on what we have to play for. Full focus on this, the rest doesn’t count.”
Arthur Cabral broke the deadlock in the first half at the Stadio Zini and said after the game: “It’s a great night. An important victory away. We did very well.
“We know this is an important victory, but there’s another game left. We must remain calm and get to the final. We have a strong team and we are proving it. We can dream and make history.”
“Fiorentina are a highly-competitive team and I am surprised they are not higher in the Serie A table, they have quality,” argued Cremonese boss Ballardini.
“We didn’t start well in the first half, but Cremonese had two chances to equalise going forward. We wanted to take control of midfield in the first half, but we were sloppy and we often arrived late on the ball. We changed something in the second half.
“I see a committed group of players, with good quality. I have trust in what I see every day.”
The Grigiorossi sit rock bottom in Serie A with 13 points in 28 matches and just one victory. Nevertheless, Ballardini believes they can still earn survival.
“We can only train well and respect those who love and support us. Bloody hell, we are working so hard that we must get some satisfaction!”