Serie A: Fiorentina are struggling to realize their Champions League project
“We will find the Champions League very quickly”so said Rocco Commission when he arrived in Tuscany in early summer 2019. The Italian-American entrepreneur, head of Florence for four years, is now revising his ambitions downwards, settling for the Europa League Conference. This season the Florentines are aiming for a sad twelfth place in the standings, twelve lengths from the first European places. This defeat suffered last weekend against Torino (0-1) sums up the Florentine season perfectly: once again, Fiorentina clearly dominate (62% of possession for 19 strikes)once again he had the best chance, once again he lost. ” We you have to be much more lucid in the last 25 metres. It’s frustrating, we have possibilities, but every time we don’t finish not “, he justified himself after the meeting with Vincenzo Italiano. A third defeat in five matches not appreciated by the fans, who didn’t hesitate to boo their team profusely at the end of the match. A justified protest according to the Italian tactician: “ The fans expect us to win this kind of match, that’s normal. We dominated, but without success. Honestly, some fan boos are justifiable. »
Sexy, but without character
If the purple are one of the most playful teams in this Serie A (average ownership of 57%, highest total behind Napoli) and have a quality squad (Amrabat, Milenkovic, Jovic or Jonathan Iconé to name a few), is severely lacking in character to turn the page and thus aim for top positions. In addition to his feverish defensiveness, this defect is clearly felt in the opponents’ 25 meters. From the departures of Dusan Vlakhovic and Frederick Churchthe Tuscan team draws badly in the last gesture: “When it was Vlakhovicthe team was already 1-0 up before the game even started”Advanced manual Easter to the microphones of Radio Bruno. The former Florentine captain argues: “ This player type allows you to win matches when your team is stalled. At present, the Florentine she finds herself a bit orphaned. »
Inevitably, in the face of the championship leaders, this inefficiency is punished. Example last November on the lawn of San Siro, a match during which Fiorentina will scandalously dominate the discussions, but it is Milan who pocket the three points (1-2). In mid-season, facing the eleven teams ahead of the standings, the Amrabat gang draws up a balance sheet of eight defeats, for three draws. The absence of real leaders is clearly felt in difficult times, as Manuel Pasqual explains: “In tough times, you have to have leaders in the locker room to motivate the troops. Sure, the forwards are not in good shape, but at the same time the whole squad should be determined to compensate for the attacking difficulties. The problem of Florentine it’s not just offensive. » If Vincenzo Italiano and his troops are primarily responsible for this Florentine crisis, even the apex of the pyramid is not without reproaches.
“We Deserve Better”
Owner of Florentine for three and a half years now, Rocco Commission begins to have its share of haters on the outskirts ofArtemius Crossed: “ We deserve better. It’s a shame. Rocco, don’t give the checkbook to Barone and Pradè », dropped some fans after the loss to Toro. It must be said that the man’s project ofBusiness The Italian-American is struggling to take off, while the main interested party had shown himself to be very ambitious upon his arrival. Four years have passed and Fiorentina hasn’t progressed, let alone regressed. Starting with the transfer market, where the Florentine management has spent 150 million euros since taking office. A colossal sum as evidenced by the many casting errors: Arthur Cabral (15 million euros)Eric Pulgar (12.5 million euros)Peter (11 million euros) or Alexander Kokorin (5 million euros). random picks, Purple recruits to make up for his mistake in the previous transfer window turning into a poor choice and vice versa. A vicious circle, but one that doesn’t seem to worry the current sporting director Daniel Prade : “As for the summer transfer market, what could we have done better? We work within our means. » Unlike many Italian clubs, Fiorentina can boast of having one of the best training centers in the boot. The proof is, the team U19 Tuscany (under the orders of a certain Alberto Aquilani) won this wednesday the Super cup of Italy against Inter. A club that knows how to train well (Church, Castrovilli, Bernardeschi, Zaniolo), but which does not integrate this youth into the center of the project, as it has managed to do L’Atalanta in recent seasons.
? #SupercoppaPrimaveraTIM
? @acffiorentina pic.twitter.com/hhw298r6JF— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) January 25, 2023
As a self-respecting American, Rocco Commission released his favorite card: Communication. For his Christmas greetings, the founder of Mediacom drowned the fish evoking the famous Viola project Park which should come out at the end of the year: “ One new generation training center, with offices for employees and several pitches that can accommodate the men’s and women’s teams. The Viola Park will be the home of lovers of Florentine »boasted Commission. A pharaonic project totally out of step with the current situation of the club, as Giuseppe Calabrese perfectly explains: “ The next few months will be very important to truly understand Rocco’s ambitions Commission. Having a nice training center is of little use if the team doesn’t live up to expectations. » The historic journalist of the Purple does not mince words regarding the current management of the club: “ Today, keeping our best players seems complicated. This is the moment for the management to clarify the situation and decide whether they want to step forward or not. Let this management clearly tell us what its project is with the Florentine. » In full depression, Fiorentina will have to find solutions to put their heads back on the surface. Selling dreams to the Florentines is not enough. Ask the Della Valles.
