Vincenzo Montella has “total faith” in Fiorentina and asked the fans for time to recreate their enthusiasm, starting with the Tuscan Derby against Empoli.
It kicks off on Sunday at 11.30 UK time (10.30 GMT), click here for a match preview.
Patron Andrea Della Valle had lunch with the squad on Friday and tried to motivate them to give more in these final weeks of the season.
Vincenzo Montella has “total faith” in Fiorentina and asked the fans for time to recreate their enthusiasm, starting with the Tuscan Derby against Empoli.
It kicks off on Sunday at 11.30 UK time (10.30 GMT), click here for a match preview.
Patron Andrea Della Valle had lunch with the squad on Friday and tried to motivate them to give more in these final weeks of the season.
“He really fired us up and I like his enthusiasm. He wants us to get back to making the fans happy,” said Montella in his Press conference.
“Della Valle was clear, honest and frank with the squad. Our most recent performance was one we’d like to quickly forget and we all felt impotent in the circumstances, which means we weren’t in the right headspace to play. We want to get back to winning for the fans, for us and the club owners. The Della Valle brothers are just as unhappy as us and the fans about this situation.
“We deserved more over three of the last four games and the team gave a strong response. However, against Sassuolo we were just not playing and that mustn’t happen.”
Federico Chiesa remains in doubt after skipping training with flu symptoms.
“He is in the squad and wants to be there, but hasn’t trained, so we’ll have to wait and see, Edimilson Fernandes has quality, but is coming off an injury.
“We are working for the future and planning along with the club. The important thing is not to let decisions be dictated by emotion in difficult moments.
“I came to Fiorentina because I believe in this club and these owners. The Della Valle brothers are present, with the enthusiasm that club owners ought to have. I believe in people and have total faith in them.
“It’s understandable that there isn’t much confidence around Fiorentina right now, but let us work to change that.”
After the home defeat to Sassuolo, Fiorentina slipped into the bottom half of the table.
“It’s true that we are technically not safe from relegation yet, but we want to beat Empoli for pride just as much as for the points. We have to prove our season did not end with the Coppa Italia semi-final.”
This is a return to the Stadio Castellani for Montella, who effectively started his playing career at Empoli.
“My adolescence was here, dreams, family, it really is emotional to talk about Empoli. The worst memory was when the medics found I had a heart problem and I was kept out for a year. The best recollection was my return to the field, as I walked out with the President’s daughter and it was a very moving occasion for me.”
Fiorentina squad for Empoli: Brancolini, Lafont, Terracciano; Biraghi, Ceccherini, Vitor Hugo, Hancko, Laurini, Milenkovic, Pezzella; Benassi, Dabo, Edimilson, Beloko, Norgaard, Gerson, Veretout; Chiesa, Mirallas, Montiel, Muriel, Simeone, Vlahovic