Onwards and upwards

Onwards and upwards

Udinese–Fiorentina   With the two-week Serie A hiatus coming close to an end, Vincenzo Montella has been working solidly with all of the players at his disposal, and the Viola outfit is ready to get back on track to face Udinese on November 24.   Fiorentina seems

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Wed 20 Nov 2013 11:00 PM

Udinese–Fiorentina

 

With the two-week Serie A hiatus coming close to an end, Vincenzo Montella has been working solidly with all of the players at his disposal, and the Viola outfit is ready to get back on track to face Udinese on November 24.

 

Fiorentina seems willing to increase their two-game winning streak, and will try to snatch three more points at the Friuli Stadium to catch up with Napoli and Inter in the standings.

 

Udinese, on the other hand, has been undergoing a difficult time of late, with just one victory in the last five championship games.

 

Manager Montella hopes that Fiorentina will be able to count on German striker Mario Gómez. The former Bayern Munich attacker’s conditions have been improving gradually, as he continues to fully recuperate from his knee injury.

 

International duties

Not all the Viola players were exempt from playing during this two-week break, as some were obliged to observe international call-ups by their national teams.

 

Juan Cuadrado, for example, played 69 minutes in the friendly match versus Belgium, won 0–2 by Colombia. Nenad Tomovic and Giuseppe Rossi, who were called up by the Serbian and Italian national squads respectively, did not take part in the first friendly played by the two teams. Tomovic was left on the bench due to a technical decision, while Rossi was forced to sit out the game against Germany because of tonsillitis. Fiorentina fans can rest reassured, however: the former Villarreal player will take part in the game against Udinese.

 

Fiorentina to strengthen their defense?

The championship interruption is a time when teams can address a variety of off-pitch issues, such as the upcoming transfer session.

 

Fiorentina’s chairmanship opened to potential, new arrivals during the January transfer market, and the Viola seem keen to acquire a defender to strengthen their defensive line. Many potential candidates have been mentioned, but they are all merely rumors for now. One particular name on Fiorentina’s shortlist could be easy to achieve, Mateo Musacchio, given sporting director Eduardo Macia’s relationship with the Spanish club Villarreal.

 

Diego Della Valle spoke highly of the season to date

Speaking to Italian television Sky, Diego Della Valle, Fiorentina’s owner, said he’s delighted with the team’s consistency in the league to date, and hopes that with Gómez’s return to the field, Montella’s squad will be able to reach the coveted third spot in the standings.

 

‘The team is doing really well, and as the club’s owner I must congratulate my brother [Andrea Della Valle, honorary president], the lads and the manager. There’s still a lot to improve; we must grow and consolidate our consistency and winning mentality, but we’ve been enjoying the performances of the team. We can count on a star player such as Rossi, and we hope that Gómez’s return will make us improve even more.’

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