Riccardo Montolivo received a stern rebuke from Fabio Capello when he said he wanted to be like Steven Gerrard, but the Fiorentina starlet sticks to his guns.
England manager Capello visited the Viola training camp in Marbella on Saturday and was told Montolivo’s dream was to be like the Liverpool captain.
“Let’s hope he doesn’t want to imitate Gerrard in every way, especially with regards to recent behaviour,” muttered Capello, referring to the recent charges for assault and affray.
“Gerrard is the best and I won’t comment on what has happened to him in the last few days,” said Italian international Montolivo.
“[Italy Coach Marcello] Lippi told me to relax and I hope that I will have more opportunities to prove myself with the Azzurri in future.
“I thank everyone for their compliments and hope I really can become a crucial player for Fiorentina. I’m in good shape physically now and it almost seems as if the pitch has become smaller.”
During the winter training camp, Coach Cesare Prandelli is working on a change of system to 4-3-1-2, bringing the best out of Montolivo.
“I am closer to the trequartista this way and have less defensive work to do. I think I could also play behind the strikers, if needs be.
“We are fired up for the Serie A games and can finish in the top four, as we want to get back into the Champions League. We proved in recent years that we have the consistency needed to reach certain objectives.”
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