Italiano: ‘Fiorentina are not in crisis’

Vincenzo Italiano insists Fiorentina ‘are not in crisis’ after fumbling a lead for the 1-1 draw away to Empoli. ‘We fell asleep on the goal.’

Lucas Beltran had put the Viola in front with an angled drive, but M’Baye Niang converted a penalty to equalise after Matteo Cancellieri went on the counter-attack from the first Fiorentina corner of the match.

“We play every game for three points and must try to play better than the previous match. I thought our initial approach was much better than many away fixtures, but that distraction on a counter-attack is what prevented us from winning the game,” Italiano told DAZN.

“It is true that Empoli changed their tactical system and we had chances to win it after the break too, but we still should’ve done more.”

This has been a dismal start to 2024 for the Tuscans, winning only one of their last nine competitive matches, along with a Coppa Italia success on penalties against Bologna.

It sees them slide down the Serie A standings to seventh place, with Lazio, Napoli and Torino right behind them having  a game in hand.

“We are not in crisis. We just need to improve our playing style, as every now and then we lose our way, but the first half was a strong response and I saw some progress. We fell asleep on the goal and if we hadn’t allowed that situation, I am sure it would’ve been a very different result.”

Despite the setbacks, Italiano refuses to acknowledge that Fiorentina are under-performing.

“We are three points worse off than last season, so must try to keep our balance and above all confirm the performances seen in the first half of the season. There is a long way to go and the first half today really does reassure me.

“We must not lose that enthusiasm and positivity, we are on track with what we want to achieve.”

The arrival of Andrea Belotti in the January transfer window has allowed Beltran to find a new style in a deeper role, where he seems to flourish more than as a pure centre-forward.

“Lucas has changed compared to when he first arrived, he is much more dynamic, shows more quality, can shake off markers better. He was a second striker today, I think he can continue to improve a great deal.”