Vincenzo Italiano insists Fiorentina do not ‘prefer one competition over another’ and today’s 2-0 win at Salernitana confirms ‘we need everybody.’
The Viola had to transform their squad after being forced into extra time on Thursday to break down Viktoria Plzen in the Conference League quarter-final.
With the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final coming up on Wednesday, several star men did not even make the trip down to Salerno.
Although it took a while, Christian Kouame’s towering header and a Jonathan Ikone scramble finally secured the 2-0 win over Serie A’s bottom club.
“Kouame was exhausted and we prepared not to risk playing him earlier, so we used Antonin Barak as a centre-forward, a role he has played before,” Italiano told DAZN.
“It was not easy to get this performance after three days, with long journeys. Winning is never easy or to be taken for granted, we needed these points.”
The victory enables Fiorentina to remain in the hunt for European qualification, as they are now just two points behind Napoli with a game in hand.
“We hope to get Nico Gonzalez, Jack Bonaventura and M’Bala Nzola back on Wednesday, but they were certainly not rested for the sake of it today.”
Nzola has missed the last couple of matches due to unspecified personal issues.
“I hope that soon we can see Nzola relaxed and mentally free.”
Italiano gave Castrovilli chance
There was a big opportunity amid the squad rotation today, as Gaetano Castrovilli not only got his first appearance in over 350 days, but it was from the start.
“Gaetano has been pushing for a while now to get a chance and was rewarded today. He has quality, it’s important to get him back and 70 minutes is a lot for someone who hadn’t played in so long. If he finds fitness, he can be important for us in this final sprint.”
Once again, it was a frustrating Fiorentina performance with numerous missed scoring opportunities, but at least they finally got an away win in Serie A.
“We lack precision upfront. We’ve also hit the woodwork more than any other team, so let’s just admit our lack of precision has cost us victories and points. It’s disappointing, but our objective was to stay in all the competitions and we’re keeping that alive. It’s not easy to play every three days and keep that focus, but we’re doing it.
“This is something to be proud of, still being in the semi-finals of two tournaments in May. We must all be motivated and ready, we need everybody to step up.”
With this massive squad rotation, Fiorentina have been accused by some fans of favouring the cup competitions to Serie A.
“We have not chosen any target or preferred one competition to another,” assured Italiano.
“We must always try to do well, knowing there are still lots of points available in Serie A too. Keeping up the enthusiasm and self-confidence will put fuel in the tank during those final matches.”