Fiorentina are still lost and fearful. They’re giving Vanoli’s approach another go

Sometimes emotion is the primary factor in forming an opinion or making a decision. Fiorentina’s sporting director Fabio Paratici, who took up his post on 4 February, attempted during the summer transfer window to revolutionise a team and an environment that had been left devastated by the previous year – more in psychological terms than sporting ones. Having glimpsed the abyss, it was time to start afresh. To do so, Fabio Grosso was appointed, fresh from his excellent spell at Sassuolo, followed by a string of new signings, some of whom were of the highest calibre, such as Arthur Atta and Franco Mastantuono. But whilst last season the team had two points after the first three matchdays, this season they have none. That was sufficient for the club to dismiss the 2006 World Cup hero and reappoint Paolo Vanoli, who had also been sacked at the end of last season.

A second phase is beginning, but the ghosts of last season are still lurking. The investments made by Fiorentina demand immediate results – not necessarily because the aim must be the Scudetto or Champions League qualification, but because sometimes moral redemption is the most important factor when the sky is overcast and the rain shows no sign of letting up. The blame, of course, has fallen on the manager. On the one hand, this is only fair: at the start of this season, he has failed to get his ideas across to the players. The defensive set-up did not seem suited to the players at his disposal, whilst the only goal scored in three matches came from a long-range shot by Mateo Pellegrino, with a great deal of help from Torino’s goalkeeper Lucas Perri. Immediately after the defeat to Ignazio Abate’s Torino, the Fiorentina supporters in the Curva began chanting against the team and against Grosso; you almost never come out of such situations unscathed. By comparison, the upcoming match against Sassuolo appears far more manageable. It should also be noted that several key players—such as Beto, Wilfried Gnonto and Aleu Njie—only arrived a few days ago. More generally, the squad is entirely new, composed of players who have never taken the field together before. In short, the Viola are very much a work in progress.

One might have expected more, of course, but not a perfect score either. Perhaps it needed time? It is hard to imagine that an experienced manager like Paratici had not taken these factors into account. But then again, how could one fail to avoid last year’s psychological trap that nearly sent Fiorentina down to Serie B?

This aspect – the psychological one – seems the least obvious, but is probably the most important in times of crisis. Last year, players such as Luca Ranieri and Rolando Mandragora became indispensable, serving as the team’s mental anchors when it looked as though the ship was about to sink. The former, following the heavy defeat to Gasp’s Roma, has not played since. Meanwhile, the latter now plays for Torino and it was he who scored the equaliser to make it 1–1 with a thunderbolt from outside the box.

In any case, in such a climate of fear, the use of less technical personnel – who nevertheless understand what it means to fight for Florence – is no minor factor. The decision to appoint Vanoli, whilst partly financial – given that the board were still paying him – also appears to have this underlying purpose. A few days ago, in an interview with Corriere dello Sport, he said: “When I see the Florence supporters, I get goosebumps. I believe the greatest satisfaction for a manager was the tribute received from the Viola fans on the final matchday. For me, that’s worth more than anything.” Fiorentina are starting afresh from here.