Paulo Sousa urged Fiorentina fans to “dream, as it’s the first step towards achieving any target” ahead of the Atalanta game.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“This will be a difficult game, as Edy Reja has so much experience in Serie A and is getting great results, losing only to Inter,” noted Sousa in a Press conference.
Paulo Sousa urged Fiorentina fans to “dream, as it’s the first step towards achieving any target” ahead of the Atalanta game.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“This will be a difficult game, as Edy Reja has so much experience in Serie A and is getting great results, losing only to Inter,” noted Sousa in a Press conference.
“They’ve won two in a row and it’s also difficult for us to prepare properly on a strategic level, as we had been focused on the Europa League game with Belenenses and Atalanta had a whole week to prepare for us.
“We are in a very positive period of form and want to continue like this. Enthusiasm must be balanced and used in the right way.
“The best way is to focus on our own performance, not what anyone else is doing. If we want to respect our opponents, we must first of all respect our own identity.
“Being top of the table gives strong motivation to stay there. We must be concentrated, aware of our capabilities and with the enthusiasm of each individual.
“The fans? They have to dream, it is the first step towards achieving any target. We have a path to go down and the supporters are super important for us.”
Fiorentina are joint top of the Serie A table and fresh from a 4-0 Europa League victory, so did Sousa expect this in pre-season?
“We Coaches always believe in our ideas and our style of work. After that, when we get the clear idea that the lads understand and share our ideas, there’s a better chance of getting a result.
“We all did well to deal with these factors that helped us get positive results thus far and hope to continue along this path.”
Giuseppe Rossi scored his first goal in 501 days on Thursday in Lisbon, so is he finally smiling again after his injury nightmare?
“I’ve always said he’s working very hard to reach his level. I can’t spend my whole time countering what is written in the papers.
“I see a young man eager to play, we’ve made another step forwards in the rehabilitation process. There’s a mental and emotional component to that too and scoring a goal will help him continue that growth process.”
Nikola Kalinic was a fairly cheap summer buy, but scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory away to Inter.
“He’s a very reserved person. I don’t know if people realised, but he got a right kicking against Inter and emerged full of bruises, but he never complained and continued to work. He really impressed me.”
What element of the Viola performance is Sousa most proud of?
“I believe that timing of movement and of breaking into space is essential. We are learning to understand ourselves and our opponents too, the timing of our defensive transitions is also improving.
“We need to be pro-active and anticipate what could happen. This is why reading the game at every moment is a process. We are improving, but are still a long way off what I want to see. There also has to be more communication between the players on the pitch and we’re working very hard on that.”
Finally, Sousa was asked about the controversy over Juventus goalkeeper Gigi Buffon being left out of the Ballon d’Or longlist.
“The immense quality of this player is evident by what is happening around him right now. He could’ve won the Ballon d’Or every year.”