Vincenzo Montella must surely have been watching events across Italy unfold this summer with a shrewd grin on his face and renewed fire in his belly.
It is not easy to be the boss at Fiorentina. There, you are in charge at a club where expectation levels are high from a hungry, passionate support base who want to see their side challenging for honours.
But Montella is managing expectations and the side well so far and this season may finally be time for Montella and the Viola to emerge from a black and white shadow that has loomed over the peninsula for the past three years.
Juventus, champions or not, are a different animal this season and one that looks tamer than the tigerish beast in the image of Antonio Conte that swept all comers aside with ruthlessness and ease. With Massimilano Allegri at the helm, it has re-invigorated the rest who will spot a weakness in Turin where there previously was none.
Roma remain best placed to emerge from the pack to challenge seriously, but how they cope without Mehdi Benatia if he does indeed leave and without Kevin Strootman who remains sidelined with injury remains to be seen.
Adding to that, the city of Milan is not the cauldron of calcio it once was and Napoli have yet to light the blue touch paper since Rafael Benitez’s arrival which leaves Montella, a man who must surely be plotting a title challenge this season.
Realistically, why he should be scared of anything that is in front of them? The former Roma striker, with his versatile three-man defence, proved himself an astute mind at Catania but it was only last season that he produced his best in a coaching sense.
With Lady Luck doing her best to cripple the Viola by robbing them of star strikeforce Giuseppe Rossi and Mario Gomez (who would barely register any playing time together), Montella’s motivational skills brought the best out of the Tuscan club.
In doing so he never wavered from his principles. He wanted to entertain and he did so. However, do not let their fluid football and insistence of owning the ball as much as they could detract from a side who toughed out results on numerous occasions.
This hardened attitude helped them to a good Europa League run (only an Andrea Pirlo wonder goal would rob them of the chance to eliminate their rivals) and an even better tilt at the Coppa Italia, their appearance in the final being tarnished by activities off the field on that fateful night, with Montella giving fans something to cheer and be proud of that they had not had since Cesare Prandelli left his position.
Looking to this season, he must be positive. In Rossi and Gomez, he has two of Europe’s deadliest marksmen inside the penalty area and if they remain fit and firing, few defences will be able to keep them out.
Great Viola teams of the past have been reliant often on one attacking superstar: Roberto Baggio, Gabriel Batistuta, Luca Toni and Stevan Jovetic to name but a few so the riches that Montella has at his disposal in that regard should serve him well.
His midfield triumvirate of Alberto Aquilani, David Pizarro and the revelation that has been Borja Valero are the ideal men to carry out Montella’s orders to keep the ball and moreso, be productive with it.
Juan Vargas’ rejuvenation was another ode to Montella’s man-management skills as were his decisions in dealing with Juan Cuadrado and the furore over him throughout the summer months.
However, it is those wide areas where Montella will need to address some issues. It is the side’s soft underbelly that has left them exposed too often at times and was what cost them a potential Coppa Italia title last season.
His insistence on attractive, attacking football means a lot of stock is put on overlapping wing-backs, something which exposes the likes of Gonzalo Rodriguez and Facundo Roncaglia behind them.
Offensively, they are stunning when in motion in his 3-5-2 system but defensively, questions can still be levelled at them although answers will only be received when the Serie A wheels are set in motion again.
One thing to keep an eye on is whether or not, to deal with this, they switch to a 4-4-2 when not in possession of the ball, a tactic he has used in the past.
There is massive potential for success at the Franchi this season. Of all of the clubs vying for success this season at the top end of the table, Montella has the jump on all of them.
Juventus, Roma, AC Milan, Inter and Napoli’s coaches have all been in their respective jobs for less time than he has.
Football is a game of fine margins and that extra time he has had to mould this group into a perfect purple passing machine could prove pivotal in ending a 13-year trophy drought for the Gigliati.
