'Empoli belong in Serie A', says Maurizio Sarri

The 3-1 victory enabled them to leapfrog Sassuolo in the standings.

“We went into this season with no guarantees, no certainties and not even any idea if we were competitive in Serie A,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.

“Despite a difficult start, we realised pretty early on that we could make our mark here. We’re missing a few points to achieve our objective, so we can’t let up now.”

Riccardo Saponara has been a huge help since returning from Milan on loan in January, scoring two goals today and creating another.

“We wanted Saponara back precisely for this, as we felt he could’ve revived his campaign with us. Unfortunately he arrived without good fitness levels and when he did get better he caught chickenpox, so that slowed down his development.

“He is a very sensitive lad, so these two goals will really boost his confidence. I am convinced he can have a great end to the season.”

Mirko Valdifiori has earned his debut Italy call-up for games against Bulgaria and England.

“We are very happy for him, but we have nine players in seven different national teams, so there are concerns over fatigue. Obviously, the happiness is greater than the concern.

“I think Valdifiori could be worth several million now. I think Empoli can set the example, so this economic crisis can actually help Italian football create something different.”

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