David Moyes is one of the best managers in England, according to Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Italiano.
Moyes and Italiano’s sides will lock horns on Wednesday when West Ham face the Italian side in the Europa Conference League final.
West Ham spent much of this season in a relegation fight in the Premier League before avoiding the drop with a strong finish to the campaign, but their spirited performances in Europe have seen them reach a major continental final for the first time since 1976.
“I must say that one of the strongest [teams in the competition] arrives in the final”, Italiano said of West Ham on Thursday.
“They have an expert coach who, in England, is one of the most recognised and, in quotation marks, ‘the best’. They went to a training camp to prepare for this game well, so we know their strengths.”
Italiano’s side will finish eighth or ninth in Serie A this season, depending on their final league match of the season away to Sassuolo tomorrow. They reached the Coppa Italia final last week, but lost in the final to Inter.
Italiano added: “Their strength and skill is evidenced by the fact that they have reached this final. They have strong players, have legs — typical for an English team — and have a great structure which in set-pieces will surely be an extra danger for us.
“Therefore, in the final [we need] maximum attention, maximum respect, and we face one of the strongest. We must know that we need to play a game of truly exceptional focus because otherwise it becomes complicated.”
