Fiorentina ended the season on a 14-match winless streak, with just one goal scored in their last seven games. The only positive was avoiding relegation, which says it all really.
Receiving many exaggerated compliments after the 6-1 victory over Chievo in the opening game of the season, it seemed clear from the early stages that the team wasn’t built well enough to actually compete at the top level. The structure of the starting XI lacked quality to be a real candidate for European football and the mediocrity shone through early on in the season.
At the end of the campaign with 17 draws, and the only moment of magic being the 7-1 victory over Roma in the Coppa Italia, was ultimately useless seeing how easily Fiorentina abandoned the competition in the next round. The fans protested against the Della Valle ownership, creating a terrible atmosphere around the club. The testament of a horrendous season.
Player of the Season: Federico Chiesa
Sometimes terrible with his decision making, and at times rushed in his approach, he was often left on his own and embraced the role. Fiorentina stayed in Serie A largely thanks to him. The last player to give up, always with his head in the game for the 90 minutes, and a constant threat for the opponents. He scored six Serie A goals – and another six in the Coppa Italia – with three assists, as well as being the main creator of – but not always finishing – some beautiful chances.
Best Signing: Luis Muriel
With nine goals in 23 games, Muriel can be considered one of the best signings of the entire season in Serie A. His impact was great, but not great enough to cover up for all the problems the rest of the team had. He was sucked into the mediocrity of his teammates, getting worse and worse as Fiorentina’s season spiralled downwards.
The Coach: Stefano Pioli/Vincenzo Montella
Where to begin? Stefano Pioli was at the wheel from the start, with the ambition of taking a young Fiorentina side to Europe after keeping the changing room united following the death of Davide Astori. When results got worse, though, and the Della Valle brothers decided to take aim at his professionalism, he opted to resign, showing how professional he really is. Vincenzo Montella, who had done well with La Viola between 2012 and 2015, returned to the club, but managed just two points from seven games, unable to get a win, as well as being knocked out from the Coppa Italia. A real mess.
Memorable Moment
A crazy game, one of those nights that will form the history of this club, especially seeing the rest of the recent non existing achievements. Fiorentina scored after just seven minutes, immediately doubled the lead, and then made the most of having the pace of Chiesa and Muriel up front, which combined well with Roma’s terrible defending, as the Giallorossi were demolished on the break. Even Giovanni Simeone managed to score two goals.
The Bad
There are plenty of bad things about this season for Fiorentina, but the handling of Pioli’s goodbye has to be the icing on the cake. After all him and the players had been through last year with the death of Astori, accusing him of scarce professionalism really was a step too far. He might have been too afraid in too many games, with Fiorentina often drawing, but he always did his job and deserved better than what happened. His resignation showed just how professional he really is.
