Mario Gomez said he finally feels “myself again” at Fiorentina, so targets victory over Inter and Roma in Europe.
The German centre-forward struggled with injury throughout his time in Serie A, but over the last couple of weeks seems to have turned a corner.
“I’ve been physically alright for two months, so I was just missing that last little bit and it arrived,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Mario Gomez said he finally feels “myself again” at Fiorentina, so targets victory over Inter and Roma in Europe.
The German centre-forward struggled with injury throughout his time in Serie A, but over the last couple of weeks seems to have turned a corner.
“I’ve been physically alright for two months, so I was just missing that last little bit and it arrived,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I did play well even without scoring, but people were so critical of me. When goals weren’t coming, I thought about changing my style and movement.
“Then fitness levels returned and the goals were a consequence of that. I was sure it would happen. I’m myself again.
“Did I ever think about leaving? Never. My journey here was not complete, so I wanted to prove what I could give to Fiorentina.
“The fans realised I just wanted to be here. When I was at Bayern Munich, something inside me said ‘go to Fiorentina.’ I followed my heart.
“Now winning is why we play football. We have to get past Roma in Europe, Juventus in the Coppa Italia and Napoli in the fight for third. They are the three top teams in Italy, but we can do it.”
Although Gomez is back, when will he get the chance to play alongside Giuseppe Rossi?
“I’ve stopped asking myself that! We used to talk about it often, but something always happened to prevent it. Now I am just waiting for him to come back from injury. He is truly one of the best players in the world.”
He’s fired up and eager to play the Europa League Round of 16 clash against Roma.
“We’re happy with the draw, why should we be the ones worried? They’re probably more worried than we are,” smiled Gomez.
“Roma are a very strong side, but so are Tottenham and we knocked them out. If we want to win the trophy, it’s only right that we face the best teams. If I could’ve picked, I’d have liked to take on Wolfsburg. They did well last year and this season are even better.”
Europe isn’t the only challenge for the Viola, as on Sunday they visit Inter in a prestigious clash.
“It will be tough. They needed time after the change of Coach and are now in good shape, but of course we hope that we’re in even better condition.”
Fiorentina have a new weapon in their armoury, as Mohamed Salah has made a spectacular impact since replacing Juan Cuadrado,
“He’s a great player and I’ve known him since Basel. Juan is a champion, but with him gone we needed someone like Salah.
“His pace helps any team and he’s a bit like Gervinho is for Roma. We remain a team that loves to keep possession, but with Salah we have another tactic, which is the rapid counter-attack, as we saw against Tottenham.”