Fiorentina Coach Vincenzo Montella has called for his side to show character ahead of their weekend clash with Atalanta.
Fiorentina Coach Vincenzo Montella has called for his side to show character ahead of their weekend clash with Atalanta.
La Viola are currently locked in a race for third place and Champions League qualification in Serie A and the Italian tactician wants his side to stay strong amid a tough run of games.
“We have now arrived at a crucial point in the season for us,” Montella stated at his pre-match briefing today.
“We’re not at our best and we face an opposition who are very compact and aggressive, with good attacking players who have got some important results.
“Atalanta represent Italian football, because they can do everything and are hard to beat. We must not make the mistake of thinking that the most important game is the one against Udinese on Tuesday.
“Instead, we must think towards consolidating fourth place and if possible, move closer to third.
“We are struggling in some departments at the moment due to the sheer number of games we’re having to play.
“But I’m hoping we can work hard and come through this period. It is times like these you find out whether you have a great team or not.”
Montella also gave an update on Mario Gomez’s fitness.
“He is training little by little. We’ll see how things go in the next few days but we may put him on the bench soon just to give him the feeling of a matchday again.”