PUSH ON

After a brilliant season under Vincenzo Montella, much has been expected from Fiorentina at the start of this campaign. However, midfielder Alberto Aquilani reckons that it will be extremely difficult for his team to win the title. Juventus and Napoli are regarded as the favourites for the Italian Serie A title this season. Fiorentina, though, are not too far behind when it comes to the bookmakers odds. The club has made some important signings over the course of the summer transfer window. One of the biggest has been the arrival of German international Mario Gomez from Bayern Munich.

Still at the peak of his career, Gomez will be expected to spearhead the attack. Fiorentina already have one of the best midfielders in the country. Aquilani, who has had disappointing spells at Liverpool and Juventus in the past few years, has been doing well under Montella. Fiorentina will be taking part in the Europa league this season. This could be one of the main challenges between them winning the title and finishing outside the top three. Playing in the Europa league requires a strong squad due to the sheer number of matches if the club were to make it into the latter stages.

Fiorentina narrowly missed out on the top three last season.

“Obviously everyone likes to talk about the Scudetto, but perhaps that word is used a bit too often. In order to reach the title you have to play a fantastic season without ups and downs. The club has done very well on the transfer market, but it’d be very difficult to win the Scudetto,” said Aquilani. Aquilani scored seven goals in just seven appearances for Fiorentina last season. This was one of his best performances in the last five years, as he had failed to cross more than two goals during this period.

DEFYING EXPECTATIONS

At the start of the season, Fiorentina were expected to finish in a table of the Italian Serie A, but they have managed to defy expectations so far. The arrival of players like Alberto Aquilani coupled with the young and tactical mind of Vincenzo Montella has made them an unlikely European place qualifier this season. Aquilani’s form has been such that he has even been linked with a return to Anfield by liverpool football news.

Fiorentina are in with a shout to finish in the top three positions of the Italian Serie A with only a few matches remaining in the season. They are just one point behind third placed AC Milan, who are in the final Champions league qualifying spot.

They are almost assured of an European qualification place even if it is in the form of the Europa league, as they are currently having a six point advantage over fifth placed Roma in the table. The former Italian international, Vincenzo Montella, has managed to get Fiorentina to 7 wins in the last 10 matches.

There are only four matches remaining in the season and the 38-year-old has said that he is confident of finishing in the top three. Fiorentina could have taken the third placed during last weekend itself, but AC Milan managed to produce a great comeback against Catania to win the match 4-2.

“Let us consolidate our place in the (UEFA) Europa League. After that we’ll then see about the rest and the duel with Milan. They (Milan) have a lot more experience than we do, but my side is alive and we’re going through a good moment. We will be taking on a great side. They have some great players and you can lose against a team like them. I’d take Pablo Daniel Osvaldo and Erik Lamela out of their side,” said Montella after the weekend’s match. Fiorentina achieved a 3-0 win over Sampdoria during the weekend.

BALOTELLI LINKED TO RETURN

The 22-year-old Mario Balotelli has been linked with a move from the Premier league champions Manchester City for quite a while now. The Italian manager Cesare Prandelli has said that the striker needs to stay focused in order to realise his full potential. Balotelli has been touted as one amongst the greatest prospects in world football, but he has failed to match his billing so far. Apart from a few performances in the last few years, Balotelli has been a major disappointment for the Premier league club Manchester city. They paid £ 24 million to secure his services from Inter Milan in 2010.

After managing to score just one Premier league goal all season, Balotelli has been linked with a move from the club in the January transfer window. AC Milan have emerged as a strong contender for his signature. The AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani recently revealed that City are requesting around £ 31 million in transfer fees in order to sell the player, while the Italian club are prepared to pay only around £ 21 million. Balotelli was recently pictured having a clash with the manager Roberto Mancini, although the Italian later said that it was a non-issue. Balotelli has rarely featured for the first-team this season.

“Balotelli has always behaved very well with us on international duty. He must always focus on proving his value on the field, without being a ‘superhero’ or Mario the ‘character’ off it, and we tacticians have to find the best way to get that talent out of him,” said the Italian manager Prandelli, who warned Balotelli that he would not be picked for the national team if he does not give his entire focus to the team. Balotelli was at his imperious best for the Italian national team at the Euro 2012.

NO TITLE THOUGHTS

The Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Montella has said that he is not thinking about the title as of yet and is only thinking about that next match. Montella will be preparing his team to face his former club Sampdoria during the weekend. Since taking over the managerial job at Fiorentina in the summer, Montella has done an excellent job that has once again taken Fiorentina to the upper levels of the Italian Serie A table. The team has struggled in the last few seasons, but they are in a position where they can qualify for the Champions League next season. A lot of credit has been given to the new manager Montella.

This has been his best spell as manager following the loss to managerial spells at Roma and Catania, which have not tasted more than a season. He is currently enjoying a win rate of more than 60%, which has helped Fiorentina move into the third position in the table only behind the likes of Juventus and Inter Milan. Yet, the manager is not willing to get carried away with the talk of winning the title this season because he thinks that Juventus and Inter Milan are far better equipped to maintain the challenges throughout the end of the season.

“I think it’s right to be realistic and understand where we come from. Being realistic means we need to see how things develop game by game. It will depend on us, but also on our opponents. If they make big investments in January, then the gap between us can only grow. We could aim for third or fourth place. But it’s too soon to draw any conclusions,” said the Fiorentina manager. He has said that finishing in the fourth place and qualifying for the Champions League is a respectable aim for the season.

HAPPY NOW

Alberto Aquilani’s agent Franco Zavaglia has revealed that his client is extremely happy following the move to the Italian club Fiorentina on a permanent basis from Liverpool. The former Roma midfielder has endured a disappointing spell at the Merseyside club. This led to loan deals at the clubs like Juventus and AC Milan in the last few seasons in a bid to revive his form. However, the midfielder finally decided that he had to leave Liverpool in order to revive his career. In the end, he decided to transfer to the Italian club Fiorentina in the summer on a permanent basis.

Even though he has started just 9 out of the 16 matches that the club has played in the league, Alberto Aquilani has grown in stature in recent weeks. He has helped Fiorentina compete with the teams at the top of the table, which is a refreshing change from the relegation trouble that they were experiencing last season. The 28-year-old has certainly flourished in recent weeks under the management of Vincenzo Montella, who took in charge of the club in the summer. Alberto Aquilani decided to sign a three-year contract with Fiorentina, and his agent has revealed that it is a decision taken with a lot of careful thought.

“He is very happy at Fiorentina, he has found his niche. He loves the city and the fans. He then thought carefully before he signed a contract for three years,” said the agent of the 28-year-old midfielder. Now that he is back to his best, Alberto Aquilani will be focusing on reviving his career at the international level. The player has scored three goals so far this season, while he has also contributed in the form of three assists as well. Fiorentina currently sit sixth in the Italian Serie A table.

ALBERTO BACKS MONTELLA

Former Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has said that he feels that the Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Montella is set for great things in football. Albert Aquilani has said that the manager has a lot of innovative ideas that will certainly separate him from the rest of the managers. He is also confirmed that he will be working at the very top of Italian football shortly. However, he wants him to remain at Fiorentina for the time being. Vincenzo Montella has been the manager of the football club only for the last two seasons after starting his first job at Roma back in 2010.

He had a successful spell at Catania for one season before moving to Fiorentina at the start of the season. He was even linked with a return to Roma at the start of the season, but the club decided to bring in the experience of the Zdenek Zeman instead. After his arrival, he has managed to change a lot of aspects within Fiorentina in such a way that they are currently fifth in the Italian Serie A table. It is extremely good considering that Fiorentina were closer to relegation last time around. His innovative ideas will certainly make him one of the most successful managers according to the former Liverpool man Alberto Aquilani.

“Montella is destined for success. He has innovative footballing ideas. I am sure that he will work at the very top of the Italian game. Saying that, for now, we’ll keep a tight grip on him. I knew that there was a base here to have a great season. It’s hard to pinpoint an objective right now, but we want to finish as high as possible. To be honest, we should have a few more points in the table,” said Aquilani. Fiorentina are currently fifth with 15 points.