STADIO ARTEMIO FRANCHI (Florence) –Vincenzo Montella admitted Fiorentina deserved to be booed by their own fans, after clinching safety in the final game of the Serie A season with a goalless draw against Genoa.
Montella also denied being happy with a draw prior to the match, a result that meant Empoli were relegated to Serie B instead of Genoa.
“There was a lot of tension, we aren’t happy, but at least we managed to reach the aim in the end,” Montella told reporters after the game.
“We deserved to stay up, but also deserved to be booed by the fans.
“This season started badly and ended even worse. It was an unreal season, anything could happen. In the last seven games we sometimes did better than the opponents but couldn’t score.
“Now a new chapter begins and we need to be united.
“This experience has to be taken positively and we need to grow. It has made me a better coach. It wasn’t a lucky season, and I hope we can learn from it.
“We didn’t programme anything for next season as we needed to reach safety first.”
The draw meant Genoa stayed in Serie A and Empoli were relegated to Serie B, and seeing how Fiorentina and the Grifone stopped playing in the second half, Montella wanted to be clear that the Viola’s intention was to win the game.
“Empoli is my home, I am sad they went down, but we are professionals – we didn’t of course have any agreement for a draw with Genoa,” he said firmly.
