The former sporting director of Fiorentina, Carlos Freitas spoke to RadioFirenzeViola during “Garrisca al Vento” to comment on the current situation in the Gigliata house. These are his main statements. “Fiorentina can compete with the big teams. This year I saw a team that everyone likes, that always tries to score as many goals as possible. They are exciting everyone, and they deserve all this.”
Which player impresses you the most?
“The team, you can see the imprint of Palladino who managed to impose his way of playing in a short time. Then it is normal that the arrival of Kean has offered Fiorentina an attacker who favors a good contribution in front of goal. Then there is De Gea who has given us confidence. Gudmundsson will also be an important player when he is at 100%. Finally, having young players like Comuzzo, Ranieri’s growth, are all interesting data for Fiorentina an important framework that provides stability.”
On Palladino: “It is difficult to do so well in a short time in Serie A. On a tactical level, Italian football is number one in the world. There is a particularity about this team: it manages to be technical, to have intensity and verticalisation and this makes it getting results. Fiorentina is this, Palladino tries not to be boring, he always wants one more goal. In Florence it’s not enough to win, you also have to play well.”
On the Biraghi case: “I regret the way in which he will leave Florence due to the declarations of his agent. When we take stock of his passage to Florence, however, we will have to say that he was a man worthy of the square. He was a gentleman on and off the pitch from the field. In these cases when a player doesn’t play it’s also difficult to accept the coach’s choices. I’m sorry it ends like this, he deserved to leave in the best possible way.”
Do you ever think back to your experience in viola?
“After all my experiences abroad I must say that Florence and Italy are my second city and my second country. I had the opportunity to work there when there were strong players who actually played like Florence instead of in the big teams. I will certainly have made mistakes, but when I see that players like Chiesa, Vlahovic, Milenkovic, Veretout, even Biraghi himself have exploded, I believe that many good things have been done. I wish the club and the team the best it is me left in the skin.”