Today, Tuesday 10 February, is Facundo Roncaglia’s 39th birthday. He topped out as a squad member for Fiorentina for 2 years. He was never even a regular starter, swapping in and out with Nenad Tomović, but he was one of the most beloved pieces of those magical Vincenzo Montella teams, even inspiring a Facebook meme […]
about 18 hours ago | 0 reads
After coughing up a stoppage time equalizer to Torino on Saturday, Fiorentina’s emotional state is somewhere between crumbling and smoldering. It had looked as if the Viola were going to record their first comeback win of the Serie A season; they’ve conceded first in 13 of 24 league matches in this year, taking a total […]
1 day ago | 0 reads
Pre-match Paolo Vanoli had a couple of injury recoveries. Fabiano Parisi returned after a couple weeks off and got the nod at leftback over Robin Gosens, while Moise Kean made his first start in over a month after dealing with ankle issue. Marco Baroni had more of his squad available than expected, avoiding the full […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
Late news Paolo Vanoli’s big surprise is Fabiano Parisi over Robin Gosens at leftback. Marco Brescianini gets the nod in midfield over Giovanni Fabbian and Cher Ndour but that’s about as expected. The real news is that Moise Kean starts his first game in over a month after dealing with an ankle issue, although nobody’s […]
4 days ago | 0 reads
The transfer window’s closed in Italy but just barely open elsewhere and Fiorentina has taken advantage by selling Christian Kouamé to Greek outfit Aris FC of Thessalonika. I can’t find any reliable reporting of the numbers involved but my guess is that it’s a pretty small fee to allow the Theós tou polémou (God of […]
5 days ago | 0 reads
It’s been a minute since we last checked in Fiorentina’s loanees. Since then, Tommaso Martinelli and Simon Sohm have joined the ranks of the guys playing outside of Florence, making this list a bit more unwieldy. Still, I think it’s better to keep them all in one place rather than separating them out, so let’s […]
5 days ago | 1 read
Fiorentina gets a chance to snap a 3-game skid when it hosts Torino. The Granata snapped a 4-game skid of its own last week with a close-fought win over Lecce before washing out of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday. That means the Viola have a rest advantage over their visitors, which of course won’t mean […]
6 days ago | 0 reads
Now that the dust has all but settled (pending late exits for Abdelhamid Sabiri/Christian Kouamé), this is the squad that will propel Fiorentina out of the relegation places and into safety for next year, at least in theory. At first blush, it’s pretty undwhelming: 5 new players, all on loans with obligations triggered by Serie […]
7 days ago | 2 reads
It’s a real good news, bad news situation for Fiorentina of late. The bad news is that the team, after briefly showing a pulse, has nosedived again, losing 3 straight games while shedding all that previous progress. The good news? At least the transfer window’s closed so these bozos can’t hurt themselves anymore. Your three […]
7 days ago | 0 reads
Another window’s come and gone. Here’s everything Fiorentina did in it. I’m taking numbers from Transfermarkt, for the most part, but it’s also worth remembering that those numbers don’t always reflect reality. There are always extra fees, clauses, bonuses, and payments to agents, go-betweens, and various shadowy figures. Let’s also remember that these fees are […]
8 days ago | 1 read
Pre-match Antonio Conte trotted out his expected XI, including the iron midfield pairing of Scott McTominay and Stanislav Lobotka, who’ve been playing twice a week, 90 minutes a game, for the past month+. Paolo Vanoli opted for an attacking midfield with Marco Brescianini and Giovanni Fabbian ahead of Nicolò Fagioli, with Roberto Piccoli unexpectedly recovering […]
11 days ago | 1 read
Late news Antonio Conte doesn’t do anything unexpected, trotting out the XI everyone expected. Paolo Vanoli, on the other hand, springs some surprises. The big one is up front, where Roberto Piccoli gets another start; apparently his injury wasn’t that serious despite a lot of reporting that he wouldn’t be able to play this one. […]
11 days ago | 0 reads
When I was a teenager, I played rugby on a team full of grown-ass men. As the youngest person on the roster, it was an educational experience. Not so much in the sport, perhaps, but the social aspect of rugby is well-documented and pretty true. The guys were a close-knit bunch and kindly opened their […]
12 days ago | 2 reads
Another Saturday game pits two teams at opposite ends of the table against each other. The student against the master. The fresh turd against the newly-shined shoe. You get the idea. The reverse fixture ended in a comprehensive 1-3 defeat for the good guys back in September. Things have certainly changed since then but the […]
13 days ago | 0 reads
Ah, the January mercato. The best place to undo all the damage from the summer mercato and commit all kinds of new, unforeseen damage. Under the direction of acting DS Roberto Goretti, that’s what Fiorentina’s aiming for, anyways. Also, apologies for the limited pickings here. I spent much of the month with my computer in […]
13 days ago | 0 reads
Fiorentina continued its midseason makeover today with the news that Hans Nicolussi Caviglia’s loan has been terminated early. The midfielder won’t return to Venezia, though, and will instead head up the road to Parma on another loan for the rest of the year. The deal will oblige the Ducali to pay €6 million to keep […]
13 days ago | 0 reads
Pre-match Paolo Vanoli made it very clear that he doesn’t particularly care about the Coppa Italia. Oliver Christensen, Luca Ranieri, Niccolò Fortini, Jacopo Fazzini, and Jack Harrison all started. 19-year-old leftback Luis Balbo made his senior debut as well, which was a massive surprise. Marco Brescianini and Giovanni Fabbian also made their first Viola starts. […]
15 days ago | 1 read
Late news Paolo Vanoli just went crazy. Fiorentina clearly doesn’t care about the Coppa Italia. But hey, at least we can get a look at Luis Balbo, who’s making his senior debut. Lineups Fiorentina (4-3-3): Christensen; Balbo, Ranieri, Comuzzo, Fortini; Bresciani, Fagioli, Ndour; Fazzini, Piccoli, Harrison Como (4-2-3-1): Butez; Moreno, Diego Carlos, Ramón, van der […]
15 days ago | 1 read
This Coppa Italia round of 16 fixture pits two opposite clubs against each other. On one side is Fiorentina, a fading giant of the game, raging (or perhaps just grumbling) against the dying of the light as it slips deeper into the relegation zone following a defeat against Cagliari on Saturday. On the other side […]
16 days ago | 0 reads
Pre-match Neither side made any shocking changes. Manor Solomon got his first Viola start in place of the injured Fabiano Parisi. Fiorentina’s badge got an update in memory of the late Rocco Commisso. There was also an impressive pre-game display from the club ahead of kickoff and a moment of silence that went better than […]
18 days ago | 0 reads
Late news Paolo Vanoli hasn’t sprung any surprises, picking the XI everyone predicted. It’s the same one he’s picked for the past month with the exception of Manor Solomon making his first start in place of the injured Fabiano Parisi. Fabio Pisacane, on the other hand, makes a positive change, bringing in an extra attacker […]
18 days ago | 0 reads
Fiorentina has a chance to haul itself out of the relegation places at the expense of a rival for the drop this weekend when Cagliari (15th place with 22 points) comes to town, although the Sardinians are coming off a high following a win over Juventus last time out. The match will be played on […]
19 days ago | 2 reads
Every episode of this podcast runs the emotional gamut but, in the wake of Rocco Commisso’s passing, this one did in particular. Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots opened the pod with a long conversation about the man and his Viola legacy. After that, we lightened the mood by handing out our usual weekly awards before […]
20 days ago | 1 read
Well, that didn’t take long. After a week or so of negotiations, Edin Džeko has joined Schalke 04 in the 2. Bundesliga for “a little compensation fee” or €1 million. He’ll sign a 6-month contract with an option to extend should die Königsblauen achieve promotion, which looks likely for a club that’s 4 points clear […]
20 days ago | 1 read
Sunday’s Derby dell’Appennino wasn’t just Fiorentina’s best performance of the season. It was also a chance for both sides to get some business done, business that’s now finished with that rarest of transfers: the swap. The Viola get Giovanni Fabbian from the Oscar Mayers and send them Simon Sohm in exchange. Swap deals are often […]
21 days ago | 1 read