They were grabbing the headlines with their punchy, uncompromising attacking football, but now the opinions of Fiorentina fans revert back to uncertainty; with the club’s running being called into question once again.
In recent times, La Viola have become a shadow of their former glory, distancing themselves further and further from the days when Gabriel Batitstuta was causing havoc at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. The Argentine represented everything positive about an ever evolving Fiorentina team in the 90s, but sadly the development ground to a halt and the only source of comfort came from coach Cesare Prandelli; who adopted something of a godfather role in his five year spell in Florence. A difficult man to follow, the baton was passed to Sinisa Mihajlovic who, despite acquiring an impressive squad, wasn’t able to do it justice and soon made way for Vincenzo Montella – the hero of our story.
Under Montella the Tuscans seemed destined for greatness. Their football rarely failed to be anything short of breathtaking, thanks chiefly to the fantastic scouting conducted by Pantaleo Corvino. Household names in Italy emerged as a result such as Zdravko Kuzmanovic and Stevan Jovetic, reinvigorating the team almost as quickly as the star players could be cashed in. With the possible exception of Napoli, the attacking football demonstrated by Fiorentina was second to none. The creativity that could be harnessed from the midfield under Montella’s system produced limitless chances for the attackers; almost too many for the strikers to handle.
Over the course of ninety minutes the boys in purple threatened to humble their opponents indiscriminately, rarely letting the foot off the gas in their constant search for goals. No one felt this more acutely then goalkeeper Mattia Perin, who during a season-long loan at Pescara produced a number of stunning saves when his side were next in the firing line at the Artemio Franchi. The model established by Montella was on point, but so were the players. In the space of a few seasons the careers of certain individuals were transformed.
Juan Cuadrado, currently of Chelsea having spent the previous season on loan at hated rivals Juventus, benefited greatly from his stint in Florence. Although some credit should be attributed to Udinese for finding and conditioning Cuadrado in the first place, the Colombian simply exploded at Fiorentina; to the point he was integral to Montella’s system and at times unplayable. Even today there are those who have seen a big change in fortunes, none more so then Marcos Alonso, who swapped Bolton for Florence and has justified the early promise shown at Real Madrid.
However, as quick as the improvement arrived at Fiorentina, it disappeared just as quickly along with Montella and numerous star players. Ultimately, the source of the decline can be attributed to the departure of Montella, who not only took his model with him but also saw integral parts of his system move on to pastures greener. The aforementioned Cuadrado, who had become a terrifying force on the wing, couldn’t be utilised by Montella as he’d been sold thus making the former Roma man’s job a tough one. Crucially, it was the decision of the board to sack Montella after failing to commit to the club, but this has become very much part and parcel of the modern game; with coaches becoming disillusioned by the sale of key players.
After a fantastic first year under Paulo Sousa, where they only lost three games, 2016 proved far more challenging and the goals eventually dried up for striker Nikola Kalinic. The conclusion of the season saw Fiorentina finish fifth in Serie A, which is by no means a failure but does end a four-year run of finishing the season in fourth. Not a great deal of blame can be directed at the players, who with the benefit of hindsight seemed to overexert themselves in the first half of the campaign. Sousa, while pragmatic and passionate in his role as head coach, couldn’t match Montella in his comprehensive tactical plan.
As the birthplace of both Dante and Michelangelo, the people of Florence ought to be entertained with artistry on the football pitch. Whether Sousa can rejuvenate his squad ahead of the next season, manage to keep his best players or even better his job, remains to be seen. Fingers will no doubt be pointing at the Fiorentian hierarchy, with questions still surrounding the club’s real ambitions.
