Football Season Guide

The first part of the past season certainly gave Fiorentina the illusion that life without Montella was sweeter than they might have expected. In fact, up until the end of December, they had been fighting for the top 3, at times playing some good football. Coach Paulo Sousa, the new man at the helm, was seen as a Messiah and they held dreams of a return to the Champions League. Reality bites, though, and the Tuscans eventually ended sliding all the way down to the 5th standing of the table. While the Portuguese was desperately asking for more depth in the squad. Despite finding himself at odds with the club, Sousa remained in charge but, just like the past winter, he was not given what he wanted yet. While they hardly lost any relevant players during the summer, with the sole exception of Tello, who might however return on loan from Barcelona, and Roncaglia, whose performances were often too uneven, Fiorentina have not yet signed any jaw-dropping players. Youths like Diks, who should provide some cover in defence, Hagi, and Toledo, who is expected to add some spice on the wings, arrived alongside Carlos Sanchez, a pit-bull for the midfield, and they seem unlikely to excite the supporters’ imagination yet. Paradoxically, the return of Giuseppe Rossi could represent the most important signing of the summer. If in form, he could give their attack the consistency and the quality they lacked in the last months of the past campaign. The feeling is, though, that he is bound to quit such as Mario Gomez. This far, Fiorentina’s preseason was very poor and it is quite evident that they need more signings, especially in defence and up-front.