Stefano Pioli addressed the media as Fiorentina coach for the first time since 2019 this morning, his first press conference since retaking the reins. As you may recall from his first stint, he wasn’t effusive last time around and hasn’t changed in the intervening 6 years. He stuck to well-trammeled ground when asked about tactical or personnel choices, which is fine, but he also displayed the gravitas that endeared him to us last time around.
With that in mind, let’s sift through his comments and
see what we can find.
1. Target: Top 4
It’s early and everyone’s high on that purple bong but it’s significant that Pioli named Champions League qualification as his goal. That’s going to be a tall order, of course, to climb 2 more places in the table, especially for a club that hasn’t qualified for the premier continental competition in 15 years, but this is the right time of the year to be ambitious.
It’s also not a total purple bong target. Napoli will fall off (Antonio Conte in his 2nd season and in the Champions League is historically rough). Inter Milan is in transition, albeit still stacked. Atalanta’s gone beyond transition and could be unrecognizable next year. Juventus is rebuilding again and has to cope with the Champions League. AS Roma, Lazio, and AC Milan are starting new projects too. The top of the table is as open as it’s been in years, and Fiorentina, despite a new coach, has more continuity than anyone near it.
Hey, stop bogarting that thing. Take a rip and pass it, dude.
2. A glimpse at the early pecking order up front
Pioli was asked about both Albert Guðmundsson and Edin Džeko. He was effusive about the former, saying “Guðmundsson has quality. He’s an intelligent player, he knows how to find space. He’s strong, he knows how to provide solutions to the squad.” He added that the Icelandic forward is “anarchic” in a way that makes the attack unpredictable, which is what he wants (he also called out Jacopo Fazzini as having similar qualities).
On Džeko, the mister said, “...he’s a very intelligent player, a champion, a person of high profile and substance. He’s a player and a presence very important to our squad.” While that’s high praise, it sounds like Pioli views Guðmundsson as more critical to his team’s style and sees Džeko as a leader who can fill in as well. It’s a long season and I might be reading too much into this but I can’t help but think that it’ll be Albert next to Moise Kean in the season opener.
3. Stevie Pegs is the emotional ballast
We all knew this from how he handled himself and the team after Davide Astori’s death was the only thing that kept everything from collapsing. Pioli is, above all else, a fundamentally sound human being, a leader who ensures emotional stability in a group of young men; in case you’re unaware, young men tend to be the least emotionally-stable people on earth.
He offered us another example when he was asked about his captain for next year. He backed Luca Ranieri, of course, which is hardly a surprise, but then struggled to keep himself together while explaining the importance the Fiorentina armband holds for him, and ah hell, I’m choking up. Just roll the tape.
— (@giul91) July 16, 2025
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