Pre-match
There were no major selection surprises in either camp. Cher Ndour got the nod for Fiorentina, while Nicolò Zaniolo ominously made his return to the Artemio Franchi. The big news ahead of kickoff was Paolo
Vanoli handing the armband to David de Gea despite Luca Ranieri starting; the captaincy is often more important for fans than for the players themselves but it’s still a remarkable decision that hints at fractures within fractures.
Speaking of bad relationships, the denizens of the Curva Fiesole staged a 20-minute boycott of the stadium to hammer home yesterday’s statement.
First half
Vanoli threw a curveball: it wasn’t a 3-5-2 but a 4-5-1 with Fabiano Parisi on the right wing and Albert Guðmundsson vaguely on the left. Would it have worked? We’ll never know, because after 7 minutes, Parisi played a ball through for Moise Kean to chase. The Moose caught up to it outside the Udinese area and got a touch before getting smashed by Maduka Okoye, earning the goalkeeper a straight red and forcing Kosta Runjaić to sacrifice midfielder Charles Kabasele for backup GK Rǎzvan Sava.
Rolando Mandragora’s ensuing free kick skimmed the bar but he got another chance from a more central location and didn’t risk putting it over. The Mandrake put his wrinkly brain on display and, after Nicolò Fagioli touched the ball over to him, he smoked it low, under the wall and just past the crocodile, for a brilliant goal. Sava should’ve done better, but it was a really clever strike, and right as the Curva was filling up, too.
Now up a goal and a man, Fiorentina was able to settle in. Udinese saw a surprising amount of the ball but never really threatened aside from a Zaniolo cross-shot that trickled well wide, but it felt like the Viola were in control even without the ball, although they couldn’t quite figure out how to put it to bed, at least until Albert Guðmundsson wiggled away from pressure at the top of the box and fired in a missile with his weaker left foot. No idea where that came from but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
With a 2-0 lead and a man advantage, Fiorentina finally started to display, dare I say it, some swagger. Kean had a couple glimpses at goal and Fagioli put a good look over the bar, but deep in stoppage time, Nicky Beans turned provider. Pietro Comuzzo (wearing the ham bandage after a head clash with Keinan Davis) won the ball, Dodô carried it forward down the wing, and Fagioli looped the cross into an unmarked Cher Ndour, who duly headed home, putting the game to bed and sending the hosts into the break with smiles on their faces for the first time this year.
Second half
Udinese came out with some intent, winning 3 corners in the first 8 minutes (and letting Oumar Solet get his head to all of them) and pressing Fiorentina’s defense quite well, but that could only last so long. The breakthrough came from the excellent Fabiano Parisi, who dribbled through 3 defenders and into the Udinese box before lancing a shot that pinged off the upright and came right back to Moise Kean’s feet, giving him the easiest goal he’ll score this year.
This being Fiorentina, of course, a clean sheet was out of the question. To be fair to David de Ga and his defense, Solet’s strike was sensational, but c’mon, man.
Fiorentina didn’t let the insult go unanswered, though, as moments later Soulet completely whiffed on an audacious touch, allowing Kean to race in behind and slot the ball past Sava for his second of the night, which also gave him the opportunity to hit the griddy for what felt like the first time this year.
With the scoreboard reading 5-1, Fiorentina created a few more chances, with both fullbacks particularly involved, but nobody could put the finishing touch on a 6th. That’s fine. When the triple blast arrived, it sparked a level of release that could’ve led to another flooding Arno.
Full time
Goals: Mandragora 21’ (ass. Fagioli), Guðmundsson 42’ (ass. Parisi), Ndour 45’+4 (ass. Fagioli), Kean 56’ 68’ (ass. Dodô)
Cards: Parisi 40’, Ranieri 65’, Nicolussi Caviglia 85’; Okoye red 7’, Zanoli 39’
What we learned
The solution is never as simple as, “Durr, just change to a back 4,” but it made a big difference from back to front. In defense, Comuzzo looked miles better in a back 4, Pongračić was fine, and Ranieri was much better in an off-ball roll. In midfield, Fagioli had space to drop into the back line and get on the ball as the centerbacks split and the fullbacks pushed up. The wingers were excellent: Parisi on the right was a dribbly little terror and Guðmundsson got a free role on the left, safe knowing that Ranieri would hold down the fort behind him. Kean, in turn, had the freedom to attack the width of the pitch in behind.
What really jumped out to me was the fluidity on display. Cher Ndour was often the farthest-forward midfielder in the first half but also did a great job dropping in to cover for Dodô, who popped up all over the damn place, including on the left wing several times. Ranieri bombed forward a few times to good effect as well but was more reserved. Fortini was much more dangerous cutting in from the right with the threat of a left-footed player overlapping behind him.
In short, this system seemed to improve everyone even though it’s new. That fluidity will only improve with time on the training ground. We’ve seen hints of the back 4 system working much better and this just confirms it, even though it’s hard to conclude too much from the actual game due to the abnormal context. I don’t know why Vanoli took so long to make this change when it was RIGHT THERE all along, but thank goodness he has. Maybe, just maybe, this saves the season. Probably not, though.
Quick hits
-Fiorentina can win a Serie A game!* That’s what we fuckin learned!
-Udinese still caused problems at the back, particularly from set pieces in the second half. That’s a concern.
-I love Luca Ranieri but I don’t think he should be the captain. He’s committed to the shirt like nobody else on the roster and works very hard but he’s such a goofball that he’s better having the freedom to act like a doofus without the burden of the armband forcing him to perform gravitas. That’s not him. Free him.
-In the waning moments, Mattia Viti subbed in and went to leftback, pushing Ranieri into the middle. Maybe Vanoli sees Viti as more of a fullback despite his physical profile.
-Nothing’s fixed with the fans, who turned their backs on the team at full time. The players ran straight into the tunnel. It’ll take more than a single, somewhat fluky result to get the Curva back onside, but a few more wins could fix a lot of the toxicity around this club.
*Fiorentina can win a Serie A game when the opposing goalkeeper gets sent off in the first 10 minutes and the opposition sacrifices a striker rather than a midfielder, allowing the Viola to dominate the game in a way they probably won’t again this season for 80ish minutes, so maybe this isn’t really sustainable at all.
What’s next
The win rockets Fiorentina up to, well, 20th place with 9 points. Nuts. The Viola remain at least 4 points from safety so any celebrations are very premature. This team is still busted as all hell and needs to show that this victory wasn’t a flash in the pan or a false dawn or whatever deceptive brightness cliche you want to use. Beating Udinese, even like this, means nothing if everyone reverts to form.
We’ll get a better idea on Saturday at Parma, which will be the final game of 2025. 2026 begins with a visit from Cremonese. The former is hovering above the drop zone while the latter’s flying high in mid-table, but both should be winnable games. Take 6 points and add a new sporting director in Fabio Paratici as well as some work in the January mercato and the Viola could yet Houdini their way out of these handcuffs they fastened around their own wrists.
