Vincenzo Italiano hopes Fiorentina learned their lesson as they take on troubled Genoa and assures ‘nothing has changed’ with regards to Dusan Vlahovic.
It kicks off on Monday at 19.45 GMT against a Genoa side who sacked their second coach of the season this week, Andriy Shevchenko replaced temporarily by their youth team boss awaiting Bruno Labbadia.
“I know Labbadia was a great centre-forward, but know little about him as a coach,” confessed Italiano in his press conference.
The Viola had a chaotic few days, going from a shock 4-0 defeat against Torino in Serie A to a 5-2 away victory at Napoli in extra time for the Coppa Italia.
“Over the course of a season, you can get a game wrong when you don’t have the right desire to push harder. We arrived against Torino feeling too comfortable, too sure of ourselves, and our opponents were more focused.
“That was a defeat we had to learn from, as it taught us what can happen if you lower your guard. Genoa might be struggling at the moment, but they have quality players who can change the game.
“As for the Coppa Italia, I saw a strong reaction from my men once we went down to 10 men, as we held out very well. The extra time was avoidable, but there was maturity on show there too.
“More than anything, I just wanted to see the usual Fiorentina again, that spirit and attitude.”
Krzysztof Piatek scored on his debut for the Viola against Napoli on Thursday and Jonathan Ikone is also making an impact after his January move.
“Both are happy to be part of Fiorentina. Piatek is smart in the box, we’ve added more quality to our final third, while Ikone asks lots of questions and is in a real hurry to catch up with his teammates.”
The atmosphere around the Viola continues to be dominated by the transfer speculation over Vlahovic, with director Joe Barone hinting they were ready to listen to January offers.
“Look, people have been talking about Vlahovic’s situation for months. He is a professional, he works hard and scores goals, so as long as that continues, I will give the same response to these questions,” replied Italiano.
“Vlahovic is a Fiorentina player and as long as that is the case, he will do what he needs to do. We’ll talk about other scenarios if needs be.
“I will only begin to get irritated if and when Vlahovic steps onto the pitch and doesn’t do his duty. So far, that hasn’t happened and nothing has changed. All coaches with a hitman like him want to make the most of his presence.”
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The Viola players to face Genoa ⚜️
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#ForzaViola 💜 #FiorentinaGenoa pic.twitter.com/zq4qLyB2X6— ACF Fiorentina English (@ACFFiorentinaEN) January 16, 2022