Moise Kean struck a hat-trick for the Viola on the day, leaving Palladino pleased.
Do you suffer from vertigo given the standings? Can you stay up there?
"If we stay up there it depends on us. On the training, the attitude, the intensity and the spirit that we always have. The fruits of Sunday come from what we do during the week. The group is competitive and wants to continue to amaze and grow, I don't care about the standings. I don't look at them. Now we'll rest for a few days, all deserved, then we'll start again. I want to dedicate today's victory to Ikone, he suffered a family bereavement."
Is Kean exceeding his expectations?
"I won't deny that I already wanted him at Monza, I saw him as a great striker. He has everything. He must continue to be so physically well, the fruits he is reaping come from his daily work. And it is also thanks to the team. Today they all attacked and defended together, the defense was good in the duels. It wasn't easy, they played a lot of counterattacks."
Are these victories worth more than those in the big matches?
"I take maturity. We are looking for that, I think the team is working well. Serie A is not easy, you find those who take you high, those who challenge you face to face, but also those who defend 4-5-1 like today. And it is not easy to break down, it takes patience, intelligence and maturity to understand what to do. In the first half we had some difficulties, but in the second half there was no match."
Florence sings again dreaming of first place ?
"Every time I've come to Florence I've always heard the fans singing and giving an extra boost. This year you can see great enthusiasm, the people are happy. Every now and then I take a free evening and go around, I feel the enthusiasm of the people. There is great joy. Let's continue like this but let's not fool ourselves, there could come times when we can't win and we will need our fans. However, they are truly driving, it's nice to give them joy."
Does a Comuzzo like this surprise you?
"It was strange to see him not taken into consideration by the national teams. Up until now he was in the U20, he skipped the U21 step. He has always worked well, now the difficult part comes for him: I told him what difficulties he will have, now he has eyes on him but he must continue to work like this."
Where can Sottil still improve?
"I could say a lot of things about Riccardo, but I'll try to be brief. I had a man-to-man discussion with him in my office, about a month ago. And from that moment on he really turned the corner, changed the way he trained and played, and he grew. A lot. He convinced himself that he had to give something more: I didn't do anything, he did everything. And now he's another player, today he defended almost like a defender. I believed and believe in his potential, he can do something more in the finishing phase, he's missing something in the final choice and in the pass. I'm happy that the crowd applauded him today."
Is the break a good fit? How are Gudmundsson and Cataldi?
"Gud had a bad injury, he's recovering well. He's starting to run again, it will take a few more weeks to have him back in the group. I don't want to give times but I hope the path continues like this. Cataldi had a problem with his heel, a light one, today we could have risked it but he'll be there when we resume."