New Viola boss Paulo Sousa spoke to the media for the first time in his new role at the Stadio Artemio Franchi this evening:
“I’d like to start by thanking the owners. I want to honour this club’s history. Together with the Viola family, my passion will help us achieve big things together. I’ll bring hard work, honesty and entertaining football.
“It was in Italy that I became a great player and I’m delighted to have returned here – it’s a fantastic challenge. I’m a big fan of Vincenzo Montella and his brand of football, so I’m honoured to be inheriting his team. We want to be sure in our abilities, getting the fans involved and scoring lots of goals. When we go out onto the pitch, we’ll try to engage the whole Viola family.
“Salah is a player that has done brilliantly here in Florence, I know what type of qualities he has. Our goal is to work hard together and improve the players. The club has human values that are very similar to mine – their position was very clear. I had to reach a compromise with Basel and I’m honoured that Fiorentina has put this faith in me. I’ll repay them with results.
“Football is my life, my passion. I understand that a few fans might not accept my arrival, but I want to work hard to achieve big things and make them reconsider. I know Rui Costa and his love for this city well, so I hope to bring the same joy myself.
“All of the players here at Fiorentina are good footballers with great quality. It will be down to the club and myself to decide on the future of some of them. Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve tried to understand people by getting involved in their day-to-day lives – Israel was a great experience for me. I always start from the players.
“Montella’s work here was very positive. I never leave what’s been done before behind and I’ll try to understand it through the players. Together we’ll find a new identity. I’ll be similar to Montella in that I’ll promote an attacking brand of football and try to create play rather than soak it up, through intensity and quality. I want to put my stamp on the side, one of personality and courage.
“We must understand the needs of the fans and help us to be close to each other. We’ll try to get them involved during training. You don’t need 11 strikers to score goals – systems are based on the tactical strengths of the players. I want to get the best out of my players. We’ll work together with passion and conviction to achieve big things. Florence is a wonderful city.”
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