Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella has urged fans to be patient with his squad.

Amid a fans backlash, the Viola face AC Milan at the Artemio Franchi looking to halt a run of 13 games without a win.

Montella said, "I love this city and have a good relationship with the fans, but I want to make one thing clear, these protests don't help the team.

“Of course, everyone is free to express their feelings, but we could do with their help so we can give our maximum on the field.

“When I think about Tottenham Hotspur reaching the Champions League Final, I realised there were six players playing for them from when we knocked them out of the Europa League.

“Results like these can happen if you are patient and are allowed to build something over time, but in Italy we are rarely given that time.

“It takes years to build a strong team and, even then, winning is not guaranteed."