Montella | “Commisso has brought back pride and identity”

Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella warned about the dangers of Mario Ballotelli and Sandro Tonali ahead of Monday’s match with Brescia, and praised the new owner Rocco Commisso.

“It will be an intense game, Brescia may have benefited from not having played in the last round and will be well rested,” Montella told his pre-match press conference. “[Federico] Chiesa is fine, he’s training, maybe he’s not 100% but by tomorrow I’ll know more.

“Brescia lost with honour to Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan, remaining in the game right until the end. They are a team who plays with less of the ball but more vertically, they are a very dangerous team with two players who are above average. This next cycle of matches will tell us more about what we are.

“Balotelli is more dangerous because he has a wicked shot, we hope he will get a fever! Tonalli? It was evident even in Serie B that he was an above average player, he immediately found the right pace in Serie A, we can already see that he is a champion.

“[Gaetano] Castrovilli? I’m happy for him, he deserved his renewal for his commitment and sacrifice, he’s happy to play for Fiorentina. These players will be the core of Fiorentina, we focus a lot on them because over time they will help us make the difference.

“Some of our players deserve to play more, some have been penalised by the change of formation but I will do my best to find space for them.

“We are all happy that Chiesa stayed, he made the decision because he still needs to take that step in improving certain things for Fiorentina. I don’t think he still asks what he will be doing in eight months. Even I, as a brother, would advise him to think only of improving .

“I do not want to disrespect the Della Valles to whom I am grateful, but I did not expect that unsustainable situation of no return when I arrived. 

“[Rocco] Commisso has brought back pride and identity, believes in his ideas and is ambitious. He also believes in Italian players, he wants this as a policy because that is how identity is formed.”