Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano was delighted after their 5-1 rout of Hearts.

It leaves Viola on the brink of winning their Europa Conference League group.

Italiano said: "I am happy, because we were coming off a bad moment,.

“We must continue working and never lose sight of our identity. It does hurt that there's such a short memory in football, that people never remember what came before and just focus on the latest result. I am used to it, we keep our heads held high, keep going and try to make some people change their minds."

The question has to be asked, why are Fiorentina so incredibly inconsistent from one game to the next?

“When playing with a high intensity the way we do, it becomes difficult to recuperate after a couple of days. Plus, all teams lose something when they don't have time to train during the week. On the other hand, playing in Europe gives you an opportunity to grow as a team."

Italiano also addressed Nico Gonzalez's row with Christian Kouame before converting his penalty.

“We've missed too many penalties lately and Nico Gonzalez is the designated taker, so seeing as he was on the field, that hierarchy had to stand," explained Italiano.

“Gonzalez converted four out of four last season. He needs playing time to regain fitness, but he has different characteristics to his teammates, he brings more grit and sharpness in the final third."