Fiorentina are enduring a truly shocking Serie A season. They find themselves at the bottom of the table and after Veronaโs win over Atalanta, La Viola are the only team in the league without a single win.
Ominously enough, no team has survived relegation from Serie A after having a points tally that Fiorentina currently have.ย
What is most surprising about the situation is that the Florence club have a pretty decent team in general. Not long ago, they played in two consecutive European finals and even though they lost those finals, they were quite a threatening unit under Raffaele Palladino last season.
As the situation gets toxic, we look at key reasons why Fiorentina are in a dire situation.
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Poor managerial appointments
When Fiorentina went from Vincenzo Italiano to Palladino, it was viewed as a very good decision as both managers have similar ideas. But when Palladino departed because of what he described as disagreements with the board, Stefano Pioli came in.
While the Italian is a Serie A winner, he is a completely different manager as compared to Palladino. Maurizio Sarri was keen on the role but the job was handed to the ex-Milan manager and it didnโt work out, as players struggled to get any clear instructions about how to approach games. The team now lacks an identity.
Paolo Vanoli has offered a glimmer of promise but the problem goes deeper.
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Relationship between Fiorentina fans and players
Some weeks ago, Edin Dzeko publicly confronted Fiorentina fans after a poor performance against AEK Athens, promising them that things will turn around, urging them to rally behind the side. This was followed by another bad performance in the league, leading to the Bosnian again facing the fans and bearing all their anger.
The Artemio Franchi echoes boos constantly these days, playing a role in the atmosphere becoming one of resignation โ almost as if it is signalling impending doom. A lack of motivation has settled into players, with things not looking great off-the-pitch.
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The desperate stadium situation
The Artemio Franchi resembles a construction site these days. A part of the stadium has been brought down to build the new stadium but due to lack of finances, the process is taking far more time than initially expected.
All of it screams crisis, as the club have invested certain amount of money in the project and due to issues with the municipality, it isnโt proving enough. This is causing financial strain and games appear to be non-serious on a weekly basis. It has impacted the home atmosphere, playing a role in a horrendous home form.ย
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Poor squad building
Fiorentina still have holes in the squad. Dzeko has looked well past it and Roberto Piccoli, who was signed for a major fee, hasnโt fired. Moise Kean impressed last season but due to tactical instability, he is facing the possibility of not being played to his strengths.
David de Gea has been poor and has seen his weaknesses come to the fore again. Albert Gudmundsson has barely made a mark since arriving from Genoa and a hefty amount of money was spent to land him permanently too.ย
Constant chopping and changing of the side hasnโt helped, making the clubโs best players look much worse than they are.
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Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN
