Prandelli wins hearts and minds of Viola

ACF Fiorentina fans are used to falling in love with their greatest players, with Roberto Baggio, Rui Costa and Gabriel Batistuta just some of the luminaries to have won the hearts of the Viola faithful. Latterly, however, the focus of their adulation has not been a creative midfielder or a goal machine – nor even a player. Step forward Cesare Prandelli.

Reference point
Having led Fiorentina back into the UEFA Champions League, Prandelli's popularity should come as no surprise, yet the 51-year-old coach is embarrassed about stealing the limelight from his charges. "The real heroes are the players," he told uefa.com. "We coaches can be intermediaries with our ideas and our support, but the role models are the players. Maybe people see me as a very balanced person so I can be like a reference point for the fans, but I'm convinced the key protagonists are always the players."

Sportsmanship
Prandelli joined Fiorentina in 2005 and has transformed the Viola into a successful young side known for entertaining football. Fair play is also important to Prandelli, who hopes a positive attitude and a sporting approach can turn his squad into "everybody's second favourite team". It was Fiorentina who introduced 'il terzo tempo' (the third half) whereby players shake hands and congratulate their opponents at the final whistle. The gesture was adopted by the Italian league at the end of last season, with Prandelli eager to see it expanded. "Absolutely! We tried it and most of the players were happy with it, but it wasn't easy, especially at the start of last season. I think it's important after a match to wait for the opposition and see them off."

European challenge
Fiorentina have been drawn in Group F of the UEFA Champions League alongside Olympique Lyonnais, FC Bayern München and FC Steaua Bucureşti. Whatever the competition, though, Prandelli has no intention of changing a winning formula. "It all depends on our attitude, how we feel on the pitch and our enthusiasm," he said. "We have to take it match by match, play with the same enthusiasm our fans show and with the intention of producing good football."

Gilardino key
Prandelli also has words of praise for summer signing Alberto Gilardino, a striker he coached at Parma FC: "Alberto is a generous player. He is always loved by his team-mates because on the pitch he gives everything. He is also clinical in front of goal. If you look at his age and the goals he has scored, it shows you that he is a very important player for the big occasion. Gilardino is a valuable and important player for us."

Great expectations
Expectations may be high at a club that finished fourth in Serie A last season while also reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals, yet Prandelli is enjoying the challenge. "It is too early to make predictions," he said. "This team is still growing, but I'm confident they will fight for the Scudetto in the long term. Here at Fiorentina there is pressure and responsibility, but this is what we wanted. We can't just step back from it. The team have to be mature enough to deal with the pressure."