Manuel Gerolin, sporting director who brought Antonin Barak to Italy, a midfielder who is having many difficulties this year at Fiorentina, spoke about the former Udinese and Verona player on Radio FirenzeViola: “When I signed him at Udinese he was a promising player. He had a very good championship with Udinese and then repeated himself in Verona. In Florence he made the leap up the ranks. But he never expressed himself in the best way in purple, in my opinion also because he never found his depth At this age he has to carve out a specific role for himself which in my opinion is that of midfielder. What he also lacks a bit of continuity for now is that without ownership it becomes a problem to express himself, he is a player that the players really like coaches as it is very easy to place on the pitch.”
Is Fiorentina alive?
“Yes, he can win the Conference. I always expect something more from this Fiorentina. The president has spent a lot so they have to bring results. At the moment, however, the Viola have not expressed themselves as they should have expressed themselves.”
What do you think of Mandragora?
“He could have had a better career. Udinese made a great effort to get him. I would have expected more.”
How would you see Aquilani at Fiorentina?
“It’s the field that judges these things. It’s difficult to say if he’s ready, maybe it’s a little early, and then it also depends on the needs of a club that must have the strength to defend him if he gets into difficulty.”
What do you think of Sottil?
“He has quality, but the players must get it into their heads that these qualities must be brought out. The young player must be made to play because he is good, not because he is young. I remember that when I played there was the Juventus block and you couldn’t play in place of certain players players. Sottil has all the qualities, but he must find continuity.”