Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano on last season's Europa Conference League final disappointment and his plan to make amends in Athens – interview
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
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"I hope our efforts, our hard work, all the detailed attention we have given to this competition will bring us the cherry on the cake," Vincenzo Italiano tells UEFA.com as his side prepare for a second UEFA Europa Conference League final in as many seasons.
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Having cancelled out West Ham's opener within a matter of minutes, Fiorentina looked to be the stronger side in the closing stages of last season's UEFA Europa Conference League final in Prague, only for a breakaway goal from Jarrod Bowen to snatch victory for the English team.
In the year since, coach 46-year-old Vincenzo Italiano says the Viola have tightened up their defence, and are hoping that a victory against Olympiacos in Athens will bring them their first continental trophy since the 1960/61 European Cup Winners' Cup.
On reaching a second successive Europa Conference League final
We’re very proud. Everyone’s delighted. We've played in a European competition for two years in a row and reached the final both times. It’s a great joy and it's the accumulation of hard work over three amazing years.
Last season we had a great journey, although the end wasn't so great. This year we have repeated it, which wasn't easy. We will try to do our best because Fiorentina have not won a trophy for many years. We have another opportunity and this time we will try to prepare better. I hope our efforts, our hard work, all the detailed attention we have given to this competition will bring us the cherry on the cake.
On last season’s final loss to West Ham
We had the match point in the closing minutes, after we [equalised] thanks to [Giacomo] Bonaventura who got on a ball from [Ronaldo] Mandragora. Unfortunately, in these matches, the devil's in the detail. The slightest lapse in concentration can lead to errors and you have to be perfect.
On how Fiorentina have changed since last season
We have been trying to implement small changes since the beginning of the season. We had already started to alter the positions of our midfielders towards the end of last term; we tried to get some defenders to play higher in order to develop the games better. That's why a centre-back like [Lucas Martínez] Quarta has scored ten goals. Everybody was pleased about this, especially for him. Defenders don't often score that many goals.
On facing Greek opponents in Athens
We'll be up against tricky opponents. If you manage to win a semi-final over two legs [against Aston Villa], you must be good. And it'll be a home game for them. Granted, it's not their stadium, but they'll still be playing in their city. I think this will add to the challenge for us.
Once you get on the pitch though, once the referee starts the match and you're there, everything else takes a back seat. We'll just need to focus on beating an opponent which, to me, has quality, ability, and we'll try, as we always do, to get the most from the game.
On what it would mean to win the trophy
My first concern is the squad and the lads. It would be a huge pay-off for them, for everything they've been doing for the last two seasons in this competition. Fiorentina have been navigating the top half of the table for three years now. We continue to do well in the Conference League and honour a great tournament.
To me, this is the level Fiorentina need to stay at – a high level. They can do it. This is what people want and what they’ve been clamouring for, this is the level we need to be operating at. Making it to finals, semi-finals, striving for a top-half table finish every season. I think this is a path we can take.
