Ahead of the big clash between Juventus and Fiorentina at the Allianz Stadium, the visitors appear to be making the trip with a high spirit.
Viola captain Cristiano Biraghi compared his current coach Vincenzo Italiano to Tottenham Hotspur’s new manager Antonio Conte.
The left-back worked with the former Juventus manager during their time together at Inter, and the 29-year-old said that Italiano always try to raise the bar for his team – reminiscently to Conte.
The Fiorentina boss was left pleased and honored by the comparison as he mentioned during his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s encounter against the Old Lady.
“I’m pleased to be compared to such a strong and winning coach,” said Italiano as translated by Football Italia. “Then, when the players say it, I think that they are often sincere and often they really say everything they think.
“I thank Biraghi for that. Nobody likes losing. I was born with the fact that not winning will make me feel bad. It’s something I want to avoid if I can.
“Over the years, however, you have to work with defeats because they make you mature and fix situations you need to fix.”
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On the outside, Italiano doesn’t exactly look like the second coming of Conte. The former Spezia boss adopts a much more progressive style of football compared to the Spurs tactician.
However, Biraghi has a clearer outlook having served under both men. In all cases, Italiano is considered to be one of the best rising managers in the peninsula, and will be eager to prove it once more at the Allianz Stadium.
