Yacine Adli will take on AC Milan as a Fiorentina player tonight, meaning it will be a game that means a bit more to him from a personal point of view.
As Calciomercato.com recall, Paulo Fonseca was asked about the decision to let Adli leave during his pre-match press conference on the eve of the trip to the Stadio Artemio Franchi, revealing that it was mostly due to prospects of playing time.
“I don’t have to talk about players from other teams. What can I say? When he was here he was a player I liked with certain characteristics, but I understand that it was difficult for him to play here. He understood it and now he’s in another I’m pleased that he’s doing well, let’s hope he doesn’t do well tomorrow,” he said.
In truth, Adli didn’t find playing time straight away because the new coach Raffaele Palladino initially chose a three-man midfield with Bove, Cataldi and Mandragora, then returned to a two-man midfield but kept the former Roma and Lazio players as starters.
An injury to Mandragora – who will be out for a few weeks – during the game against The New Saints in the Conference League could open a few more doors for Adli, who scored the opening goal in that game. Fans and sections of the media in Florence are calling for that to be the first of many starts.
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For now Palladino sees only one deep-lying playmaker in his system, but the battle with Cataldi remains wide open in view of tonight’s game. “Milan? For me they are brothers, but we want to win,” Yacine told Fiorentina’s official channels after the European game match.
He didn’t use any exaggeration: he has always been one of the souls of the dressing room, with events such as barbecues organised to help the team bond. Adli added: “In Florence I found a group that loves each other.”
