A Fiorentina blog for Viola fans
In the buildup to the least meaningful Juventus game in recent memory, I got a chance to catch up with old friend Danny Penza of Black & White & Read All Over, who is the only Bianconero this website actively likes. Here’s our conversation talking about how Notts County Junior’s been doing and what to […]
Fiorentina’s squad for next season continues to take shape. After sorting out the futures of loanees Marco Brescianini, Giovanni Fabbian, and Daniele Rugani, the Viola announced today that the club has agreed to dissolve Tariq Lamptey’s contract, making him a free agent heading into the summer and whittling down a bloated squad just a bit […]
Fiorentina’s roster next year is as much a work-in-progress as the Stadio Artemio Franchi but, unlike the venerable stadium, we’ve received a bit of certainty on a few components. Having secured salvation with the most classic of biscotti against Genoa on Sunday, the Viola triggered the conditions to make the loans of Marco Brescianini and […]
Pre-match With neither Moise Kean (who was in the stands following his child’s birth) nor Roberto Piccoli fit, Paolo Vanoli finally did what the fans wanted and handed Priamvera star Riccardo Braschi his first start, leaving Albert Guðmundsson on the bench. Fabiano Parisi also returned to the XI for a game Fiorentina really needed a […]
Three things to watch for 1. Urgency, please Fiorentina is all but safe for next year. There’s just one scenario in which it gets relegated: lose every remaining game while Cremonese wins every remaining game, and then lose the subsequent 2-legged relegation playoff final. Given that the Grigiorossi have won just 6 games this season […]
The sun has risen across a smoky orange sky. Flocks of enormous, mutated day-bats skitter across it, waiting to plummet on anything foolish enough to cross their field of echolocation. Deep within an underground bunker draped with wires, three men wearing headsets huddle around electrical equipment, mumbling into microphones. Is this some sort of resistance […]
Pre-match Paolo Vanoli picked Marco Brescianini over Rolando Mandragora in the middle and stuck with Albert Guðmundsson up front in the absence of Moise Kean and Roberto Piccoli. Gian Piero Gasperini trotted out his expected XI, with Paulo Dybala only fit enough for the bench and Nicolò Pisilli filling in for him. The real news […]
Late news Gian Piero Gasperini hasn’t thrown any curveballs here. Paulo Dybala’s healthy but sprobably doesn’t have the fitness to start so he’s on the bench. Everything else is as expected. Paolo Vanoli, on the other hand, has dropped Roland Mandragora in favor of Marco Brescianini. I also regret to inform you that Albert Guðmundsson […]
As this miserable season finally winds down, everyone (including me) is focused on what Fiorentina will do this summer. Fabio Paratici has a bunch of decisions to make but for my money, the biggest one is what to do with Moise Kean. The punditocracy has been rumbling with that question for the past couple days […]
Fiorentina’s season has been woeful at a level we couldn’t have imagined back in September. There’s enough blame to go around that everyone in the club can have second or third helpings but for now, I want to focus on the strikers. At the start of the year, I was confident that the Viola were […]
Fresh off the heels of an utterly disgusting draw at Lecce, your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back to chop up that one, along with a little Crystal Palace talk. That’s right, it’s McMike and Tito back just like the old days (Producer Mike is too busy looking up USL League 2 prospects to sprinkle […]
A truism: at a club having an abject season like Fiorentina’s, the players all look terrible. There’s the Goalkeeper Corollary (the man with the gloves impresses through sheer volume) and the occasional At Least He’s Trying midfielder (e.g. Valon Behrami circa 2011) but this fact I hold to be self-evident. Established star Moise Kean’s been […]
An 8-point head start from relegation with 5 games is a bit too slim to start popping the prosecco but nevertheless, everyone’s thoughts are turning to the summer. New DS Fabio Paratici mentioned a couple days ago that the roster will be “thinned out,” which makes sense. Fiorentina won’t be competing on the continent next […]
There was no one person responsible for Fiorentina’s pathetic performance at Crystal Palace except maybe Daniele Pradè. Still, there was a moment that felt illustrative of a large portion of the problem. It was just before the 10 minute mark. Nicolò Fagioli came away with the ball on the right side of the pitch and, […]
Pre-match It was a little disappointing that both teams were missing so many players: Kialonda Gaspar, Sadik Fofana, Medon Berisha, Riccardo Sottil, and Francesco Camarda for Lecce; and Niccolò Fortini, Tariq Lamptey, Fabiano Parisi, and Moise Kean for Fiorentina. The Viola did come out wearing their 3rd? 4th? 5th? Whatever number it was, some sort […]
Late news Both teams have everything to play for here: Fiorentina will pretty much guarantee survival with a win and Lecce could take a massive step towards the same, leapfrogging Cremonese to leave the final relegation spot. Both teams are also defined by personnel absences: Eusebio di Francesco is missing Kialonda Gaspar, Sadik Fofana, Medon […]
After bowing out of Europe with far more dignity than anyone expected, Fiorentina’s season is effectively finished. With that unlikely outcome—a 3rd Conference League final in 4 years—evaporating and relegation diminishing in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look ahead to the summer. It’s completely unfair but the biggest question facing DS Fabio Paratici is […]
Pre-match Paolo Vanoli went with a 4-2-3-1 to fit both Albert Guðmundsson and Manor Solomon into the side. Marin Pongračić filled in at rightback instead of Pietro Comuzzo, who stepped into the center. Moise Kean, Dodô, and Fabiano Parisi were all injured. Oliver Glasner, on the other hand, picked his strongest XI. Perhaps to make […]
Late news Paolo Vanoli’s dealing with some key absences—Moise Kean, Dodô, Fabiano Parisi—and has responded by dropping a midfielder and switching to what sure looks like a 4-2-3-1. It’s an interesting solution to get Albert Guðmundsson and Manor Solomon into the XI without sticking either out on the right wing. That said, keep an eye […]
Having quite possibly secured salvation with a surprising 1-0 win over Lazio on Monday, Fiorentina goes from nervous celebration to grudging acceptance of an ignominious fate with the second leg of the Conference League quarterfinal. Crystal Palace absolutely smacked the Viola around last week en route to a 3-0 win that demonstrated an unbridgeable divide […]
Pre-match Both sides had a lot of absences but Fiorentina (Moise Kean, Nicolò Fagioli, Fabiano Parisi, Marco Brescianini, Albert Guðmundsson, and Niccolò Fortini) had more than Lazio (Ivan Provedel, Mario Gila, Samuel Gigot, Adam Marušić, Nicolò Rovella, Daniel Maldini). Paolo Vanoli made the wacky choice to start Daniele Rugani at the back over Marin Pongračić […]
Late news Paolo Vanoli’s roster is ravaged: Moise Kean, Manor Solomon, Fabiano Parisi, Marco Brescianini, and Niccolò Fortini are injured, while Nicolò Fagioli and Albert Guðmundsson are suspended. Even with so few options, the mister’s still managed to make a head-scratching decision, picking Daniele Rugani to partner Luca Ranieri at the back and leaving Marin […]
Pre-match Oliver Glasner trotted out his expected top XI. Paolo Vanoli, on the other hand, was without Moise Kean, Manor Solomon, Fabiano Parisi, and Niccolò Fortini but did get Dodô and Rolando Mandragora back from injury. Despite the absences, though, the visiting fans were in fine form, showing up over 1000 strong to help fill […]
Late news Oliver Glassner’s trotted out the exact XI we expected and it looks pretty strong; only Jørgen Strand Larsen (suspended) misses out among the regular starters. Paolo Vanoli, on the other hand, is scrambling. Moise Kean’s injury has flared up again and he hasn’t even made the trip. Manor Solomon, Fabiano Parisi, and Niccolò […]
The refurbishment of the Stadio Artemio Franchi continues apace. As you’d expect for any construction project of this scale, there are delays, many resulting from decades of neglect. This morning, Letizia Perini (the local official in charge of sports and one of the city’s closet liaisons with the team) reported on the latest issue. After […]