Three things to watch for
1. Urgency, please
Fiorentina is all but safe for next year. There’s just one scenario in which it gets relegated: lose every remaining game while Cremonese wins every remaining game, and then lose the subsequent 2-legged relegation playoff final. Given that the Grigiorossi have won just 6 games this season and 1 in their past 21, it would be an all-time shocker if they won out. Because this is Fiorentina and all-time shockers seem to appear with distressing regularity, though, winning a single point from these next 3
games would make me breathe a little bit easier.
The Viola we’ve seen in the past 3 weeks have played with a disgusting lack of intensity. It’s not a matter of ability: we saw this group ramp up to get a huge win against Crystal Palace, after all. Since then, though, Fiorentina’s lollygagged to 3 straight without a win, earning lucky draws against Lecce and Sassuolo and then getting waxed by Roma. None of those results have had anything to do with talent (okay, maybe the Giallorossi one somewhat) and have had everything to do with effort. It’s very clear to anyone watching that the players are checked out. Everyone just wants to get to the beach and forget this miserable season.
In some ways, I get it. Paolo Vanoli’s gone after this season. So is half of the roster. These guys know it’s pretty much done. The issue is that, with the subsequent couple games coming against Juventus and Atalanta, this Genoa game is Fiorentina’s best chance to get that point and ensure survival. If Vanoli can motivate these guys one more time and get anything out of this game, I won’t care about the final couple weeks. If we get the same lackadaisical approach from the past several weeks, though, sphincters will start to tighten just a little bit, especially since Cremonese’s got last-place Pisa on the menu for this matchday.
2. It’s evaluation time
Despite my misgivings, Paratici and company are pretty sure that Fiorentina will be in Serie A next year. If that’s the case and I’m just being paranoid (entirely possible!), these final games don’t have any meaning. The only real use is evaluating players for next year. That puts Vanoli in a tough spot if he’s ordered to start certain guys so the brass can figure out whether to keep them around. It could also explain some of the recent pathetic performances; why go hard if you’re not getting your minutes on merit?
Regardless, everyone’s playing for their Viola future. The main focus is probably the loanees. Nobody seems certain about redeeming Manor Solomon, Marco Brescianini, and Jack Harrison. Solomon’s talented but never healthy and for the salary he’d require, there are probably better options. Harrison’s attitude is exemplary but his ceiling is as a 4th winger on a good team. Brescianini’s the big question: He’s shown some juice but faded out sometimes. It’s tough to judge him in the context of a team that isn’t trying but the DS is probably every bit as curious as we are about him.
It’s not just the loanees, though. Paratici’s already told reporters that he’s going to reduce the squad size and that means a lot of regulars can expect to be shuffled off this Viola coil. For my money, Albert Guðmundsson, Marin Pongračić, Robin Gosens, and Roberto Piccoli are the likeliest of this week’s starters to move on, but again, I don’t think anyone’s safe (although maybe getting the hell out of this Florentine morass is actually safety). It’ll be weird to watch Fiorentina as a scout rather than a fan and try to guess which way Paratici will jump on these guys.
3. The carousel slowly starts spinning
We’ve known for months that Vanoli wouldn’t be coaching this team next year and the past few weeks have provided all the confirmation we needed. Paratici’s obvious intent to clear out every remaining piece of the staff and build from the ground up are obvious—if he’s sacking the groundskeeper, the coach doesn’t stand a chance—and figuring out the next manager is likely at the top of his list.
By gawd, that’s Daniele de Rossi’s music. The ex-Roma midfielder’s name has been bandied about Florence for the past few summers and has emerged again right on cue. He’s done a fine job at Genoa, leading the Grifoni to mid-table safety despite a pretty limited squad, and may be looking for a larger challenge. As a younger manager with name recognition, he’s the sort of candidate Paratici’s probably considering to lead this new project. I doubt it makes any difference in the game but the Body Language Experts will be keeping a very close eye on this one.
Possible lineups
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Ted’s Memorial Blind Guess Department
The bookies favor Fiorentina but not by too much and that feels about right to me. Vanoli’s done a decent job getting his boys up for games that matter over the past couple months and he could well convince them that this one matters. This is also prime biscotto territory, so a scoreless draw really wouldn’t surprise me, even though de Rossi might have a fit of apoplexy if he thinks his guys aren’t trying. Pretty shocking that this comes down to whether or not the players care.
Regardless, I’ll take the usual 2-1 win for Fiorentina as the squad revs up for the final time this season, ensuring survival and then mentally heading somewhere sandy with a little paper umbrella in a coconut. Kean (who’s really pushing to play so I wonder if he’s got some performance incentives in his contract) seems like a decent bet to score off the bench. It’s been a minute since we got a Robin Gosens goal, too, so why not a Goose goal? On the other side, I’d love to see Fiorentina buy Jeff Ekhator and him scoring against the club increases the odds, so I’ll pick him to get the consolation in a disjointed game between two teams that aren’t really interested in being on the pitch.
Forza Viola!
