Fiorentina supporters have endured a testing time over the past few seasons but, as Chloe Beresford explains, it seems those Tuscan fans might finally be set for better days under a new regime.
“Good things come to those who wait” goes the old saying. But followers of Italian side Fiorentina have been fed up of waiting to see their side put in a good performance, never mind achieve something tangible. You would have to go back to 2001 to find when they won their last trophy – a Coppa Italia victory under the stewardship of Roberto Mancini – and the Serie A title has not been brought back to Florence since way back in the 1968/69 season.
Their supporters are used to this by now and are by no means in a unique position in world football. It was under Vincenzo Montella when the Viola faithful last genuinely dreamed of winning something. His side played the type of entertaining, stylish football that fans in the Curva Fiesole appreciate, even if it doesn’t always glean the necessary results. A Europa League semi-final defeat to Sevilla in May 2015 saw the boss go to the board to ask for some extra funds to take his side to the next level, but he was sensationally fired for even daring to ask.
This may seem like an extreme line to take, but billionaire Fiorentina owners Diego and Andrea Della Valle are famously frugal, only ever investing the bare minimum whilst the club sticks firmly to its policy of selling off the very best assets. So you can see why Montella and indeed the club’s fans were so frustrated, as a little more expenditure could reap massive financial awards from the extra revenue generated by Champions League income.
But ultimately the answer was no and – after three consecutive fourth-placed finishes in Serie A – Montella was unceremoniously given the boot. In came Paulo Sousa for 2015/16 but things soon turned sour after a promising start. The ex-Swansea man had no clear ideas about tactics or player selection, leading to 18 months of diabolical football with players struggling to absorb his ideas, never mind show their pride in wearing the shirt to supporters.
A collective sigh of relief rang out in Florence when it was revealed the club would not be renewing his contract for 2017/18, but the worst was yet to come. A gut-wrenching summer would follow, fans forced to swallow the exits of the team’s best players. It was not even the departure of the club’s most promising young star Federico Bernardeschi to most hated rivals Juventus that caused the most upset, as players that represented the fans the very most were kicked out.
Gonzalo Rodriguez and Borja Valero were adored by supporters and publicly stated that they did not want to leave, but it was decided that they too had to go. Signings were made in dribs and drabs, but those who came in were seemingly random youngsters from far-flung countries. Sure, there was a negative mentality in the side – a hangover from the days of Sousa – and it made sense in lots of ways to clear out and make a fresh start.
But not once did the club communicate this to those who loyally pay their money every week, and those who spoke out against them were accused of lying in the media. Fashion designer and Florence-native Roberto Cavalli was the loudest dissenting voice against the Della Valle brothers, and in response they put the club up for sale. It seemed like an empty gesture in response to the comments and nothing has happened since. In their eyes this is probably a great big “I told you so.”
Seeing Borja Valero be so instrumental for Inter on Sunday evening was a heart-wrenching reminder of a difficult summer, but the reaction of fans after the crushing defeat was not as you would expect.
After the likes of Marco Benassi and Giovanni Simeone were brought in, things suddenly seem a little brighter for those Viola fans. The clearout started to make more sense. It is perhaps ironic though that if a crushing 3-0 opening day defeat to Inter gave them tiny window of insight into what might be to come, it was surprisingly a glimmer of hope after some truly dark days.
New boss Stefano Pioli understands the supporters having played for the club in the times of Gabriel Batistuta under Claudio Ranieri. Simeone, and his substitute replacement Khouma Babacar tried their hearts out,even if their efforts did not bear fruit.
They understood that they could not expect too much from a team lining up with six new players, that they needed to give it some time. In Riccardo Saponara and Federico Chiesa, Pioli has two players that are ready to come back into the side, and with no European competition to worry about he has a whole week to work with his players before the next match. There are plenty of problems to be ironed out, but the encouraging signs from Sunday give the side a foundation to work from.
What the Della Valle brothers fail to comprehend about the supporters who fund the team is that they only want to see those who represent the shirt give 100%. If this newly created team can do just that, who knows where Fiorentina might end up.
