Raffaele Palladino reveals why he left his ‘comfort zone’ at Monza to start afresh at Fiorentina, changing his tactics and getting the best out of Moise Kean. ‘We are on the right track.’
The former Monza boss has had a stuttering start to his new adventure at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, drawing six of his first eight games in charge.
However, they seem to have turned a corner lately with a 2-0 Conference League victory over The New Saints and above all the 2-1 Serie A win against Milan.
“As far as I am concerned, the start has been positive,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.
“There are areas where we need to improve and we are working on that. At the beginning there were difficulties finding the identity of the team, but we are now on the right track. We only lost one match and it was probably our best performance, against Atalanta, so I’m glad with how the team is playing.”
Fiorentina still adapting to Palladino
Palladino had said pre-season that his focus was on a three-man defence, but changed his mind mid-way through the win over Lazio.
“In that half-time break we analysed the first half and I decided to change the system, because the team already used it last season with Vincenzo Italiano. It felt right and the squad reacted well to the shift.
“In the first few months we worked with three at the back, but I am pleased because the team has the maturity to now use both systems. In today’s modern football, players are intelligent enough to switch even during the game.”
Fiorentina raised the bar in recent years under Italiano, twice reaching the Conference League Final and once also the Coppa Italia Final.
“I am aware that Fiorentina are an historic and ambitious club. This is a competitive squad and we want to achieve big objectives, but all we can promise the fans is that we’ll keep working to improve,” added Palladino.
“I could’ve stayed in my comfort zone at Monza, but I wanted something different, to compete in Europe, and Fiorentina were determined to get me.”
Among the players that the coach requested was striker Kean, who is rediscovering long-lost form in the Viola jersey.
“Both I and the club have faith in Moise and that might seem banal, but it is fundamental for a player. He has grown mentally, trains to the max every time and sets the example for his teammates. He must never lose this attitude, because in order to express his potential, he has to be at peak fitness.”
The 24-year-old has five goals in 10 competitive games for Fiorentina this season, along with one assist.