Vincenzo Italiano admits he was ‘worried’ Fiorentina would struggle without Dusan Vlahovic, but the 1-0 win over Atalanta puts them in the race for a top four finish.
Krzysztof Piatek scored the decisive goal at the Stadio Franchi and Fiorentina have not beaten Atalanta in all three meetings this term between Serie A and the Coppa Italia.
“The bar is raised because it’s very satisfying to win a balanced game against a great side like Atalanta,” the coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“The balance was only broken by a wonderful goal, though we could’ve scored others. This is one of those games where whoever manages to score will win, but playing on level terms with Atalanta is already an achievement.”
Piatek now has four goals in his seven competitive appearances for Fiorentina, so with Arthur Cabral taking longer to settle in, it’s safe to say the Viola are doing fine even after selling Vlahovic to Juventus in January.
“I will admit, Piatek is surprising me and working in exemplary fashion, even making movements he is not accustomed to. The goals repay him for his extraordinary efforts.
“When we lost Vlahovic, I was worried that the wingers wouldn’t step up and score more goals, as he was the main figure upfront, but we clung to our identity and proved we can keep going.”
Remarkably, this result means the Viola already have more points after 25 rounds (42) than the same club managed throughout all of last season (40).
“I will reveal what President Rocco Commisso said at the start of the season, that if we managed to double the points tally from a year ago, it would mean we’d done a great job. We are at +17 now, so not quite there yet. It’s going to be difficult, but we’ll certainly try.
“If we face every game with this spirit, then we can compete with any of the clubs ahead of us in the table.”
Fiorentina are in the Coppa Italia semi-final against Juventus, but also challenging both Atalanta and Juve for that top four Serie A finish.
“When you come off such difficult years, you first and foremost have to focus on achieving safety. We can leave this game feeling more confident and will see what happens.”
.@acffiorentina | L’allenatore Vincenzo #Italiano ha commentato la vittoria contro l’@Atalanta_BC https://t.co/UkfRIPf74M
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 20, 2022
Vlahovic who?