Guest Post: Fiorentina Needs a New Start

Fiorentina produced quite an unimpressive match last Sunday against Cagliari and the Tuscan team seemed quite blank, unemotional and totally lacking any desire.

Is it because it is mathematically sure it will stay in the A league for this season? You bet.

The team from Florence just lacks heart, avoids taking any effort and plays the ball as if it were made of steel. Honestly, how supporters still pay the ticket to follow the team is unknown. A team that is unwilling to gift its followers with at least a victory, or a goal.

Their last match ended up with a pathetic draw. It's not as if Cagliari put any effort in either. The Sardinian team also lacked any direction, presenting a decent defense, albeit because Fiorentina lacked any real attack, while totally stagnating on the opponent's side of the pitch.

The second half of the match was even more depressing. Cagliari started producing more and more penalties, forcing the referee to interrupt the game with a tiresome series of interventions. On the one hand, the Sardinian team benefited from the intervention of Thiago Ribeira, who created some good occasions to go to goal, but none ever became reality.

The whole game developed around the midfield. If there is any reason why soccer is not popular, it is because of midfield playing. Sure it may be fine and dandy with players who do not have to sprint or dribble, but it kills all the passion.

It could be it's the end of the season, but it also seems that both teams lacked skills.

It is not surprising that the majority of Fiorentina supporters whistled in disapproval of Diego della Valle, the shoe maker tycoon and owner of the resurrected Fiorentina soccer club. Unexpectedly, some applauded him, as if approving his willingness to shave some fatigue off his players. At the end the 0 - 0 was quite lapidary and all went home with a bitter taste in their mouth.

Fiorentina really needs to pull it together for next season, and maybe even try to better its tactic during this one; albeit it seems a hard task with a team of performers with barely sufficient skills.

The best one was Neto, with an above average performance which improved towards the end of the match. Natali, Romulo, Olivera and Felipe all reached a sufficient level of effort and tactic, but they never turned it into a concrete goal opportunity.

The performances of De Silvestri, Pasqual, Kharja, Lazzari Marchionni and Cerci were below average. They spent too much time in the mid-pitch area, ran out of breath, performed poorly at chasing the ball, and never pushed it to the limits. The Florence soccer team needs more passion and players who can deliver.

Let's not forget the stormy past of this football club.

In recent years it has seen economic disaster and complete dissolution. Thanks to Della Valle's money the team was graced back in the A league after just one year and has ever since played below ancient glories. This closing season accounts for one of the worst ones.

Fiorentina really needs to pull it together if it does not want to roll back to the B league, which would mean less money income, and a less valuable investment for a business man like Della Valle. It may ultimately mean total dismay all over again.
Matt is passionate about Italian soccer and spends all his summers in Tuscany apartments in Florence while catering the needs of tourists looking for Tuscany villas to rent.