Vincenzo Montella took questions from reporters in the Stadio Franchi press room today ahead of tomorrow's match against Livorno.

With Serie A set to resume after the winter break, the Viola boss discussed the state of his squad: "The players have come back from the holidays looking sharp. We've worked really hard this week.

"Pizarro is fit but he hasn't trained much recently so we've looked at playing Aquilani in his role. Ambrosini could also do a job in that position, although he offers something different. Could Ambrosini play in defence? I see him more as a midfielder.

"Gonzalo? He's fine. He had a week's rest and he seems to be 100% now.

"Gomez? He's working hard to get himself back on the pitch but I haven't had him for training yet."

Looking ahead to tomorrow's derby, the coach went on: "As we're coming back after a break, I'd like to see my players with the right mental approach going into the game. Livorno have some very effective players up front who are capable of mixing things up."

"Our future? We have to compete on three fronts."

"Signings? It would be nice if we could bring in another player like Rossi, as we did last year – maybe one who's available immediately and who we don't have to pay for until next year," the coach joked.

"Jorginho? He's an interesting player but I don't know anything more than that."