Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano looks back over his RFS regrets ahead of a Conference League trip to Latvia, while he sees ‘something has changed’ in Luka Jovic’s confidence levels.
It kicks off on Thursday at 16.30 GMT in Riga, while simultaneously Istanbul Basaksehir host Hearts.
Both the Viola and Turkish side have 10 points and have qualified for the next phase, but the Italians can only top the group and avoid a play-off if they get a better result than Basaksehir tomorrow.
“We must try to give our best and win the game, so if we get our three points, then hope something can happen in the other match to give us an advantage,” said Italiano in his press conference.
“The greatest regrets are around the first game against RFS, where we missed what seemed like impossible chances to score. That was the game where if we’d got all three points, we’d have been talking about a different situation at the top of the table.
“Football is unpredictable, so we can only do our best and wait for the result from the other game.”
RFS have only two points in this Conference League group, from a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi and their 0-0 home result against Istanbul Basaksehir.
That 1-1 draw really was extraordinary, as Fiorentina had 30 attempts on goal to nine, 73 per cent possession, completed 665 passes to 167 and forced eight saves from the Latvian goalkeeper.
The Viola have struggled to convert their chances into goals all season in Serie A and Europe, but felt like they turned a corner with a stoppage-time 2-1 win away to Spezia.
“Our position in the table did not reflect our performances. I tried to tell the lads they needed to put more hunger and enthusiasm into the game, but also focus more on the result than their individual performances.
“I am the coach and must represent an anchor that makes the feel team safe, to put them in a position to win their games. We’re trying many different solutions and the lads are working hard, but there are very few training sessions available in this packed schedule.”
Italiano has been trying to choose between strikers Arthur Cabral and Luka Jovic, but both have finally started finding the back of the net.
“They have the spirit we needed to emerge from this negative moment. I see Jovic changed, he has another look in his eyes, a different attitude to before. Cabral too is growing exponentially over the last month and I always told him his work would be repaid.”