Italiano sees Fiorentina more confident for Europe

Vincenzo Italiano hopes the 5-1 demolition of Sassuolo can boost Fiorentina’s self-esteem going into the Conference League semi-final with Club Brugge.

The Viola had been stuttering recently and were knocked out of the Coppa Italia semi-final on Wednesday in a 4-1 second leg defeat to Atalanta after going down to 10 men.

They shrugged that disappointment off with this 5-1 demolition of Sassuolo, as Riccardo Sottil, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Antonin Barak and a Nico Gonzalez brace completed the rout.

“There are still some negative moments during matches where we struggle, but I also see a team that manages to react straight away,” Italiano told DAZN.

“It was not easy to get back on track after the Coppa Italia loss in Bergamo, but we have specific characteristics and were able to get back to winning ways thanks to a strong performance.”

The fixture list remains packed and Italiano rotated the squad to prepare for Thursday’s first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final with Club Brugge.

“Being able to recreate the right atmosphere this evening in our stadium helps boost our self-esteem and allows us to work better in preparing for that match.”

Italiano hails Arthur form

Fiorentina could easily have scored far more goals against troubled Sassuolo and welcomed Arthur Melo back after several weeks of struggles.

“Arthur had some fitness problems, but he is getting back to the level of performance he had at the start of the season. He can be the centre of the team moves, he is able to play it short and see the movements of his teammates before they happen. When he is in the thick of it, he brings a great deal to the side.

“I am glad that we’re recovering some players who can give us a big hand in the final phase of the season. I am certain from now on, we will see a different Nico Gonzalez, as performances like this can revitalise his confidence.”

Now that they are out of the Coppa Italia, Fiorentina are in the Conference League semi-final and sit joint eighth in Serie A with Napoli on 50 points.

The Viola also have a game in hand to be played against Atalanta, but that is proving difficult to schedule.

“The truth is we have to take it one game at a time without choosing any target, as all it takes is a small mistake to crash out, which is what happened in the Coppa Italia with the red card,” added Italiano.

“What I want is to always see a team that plays positive football and tries to take the lead, without making calculations.”