Fiorentina market, victory over Juventus may drive Paolo Vanoli away from viola
Florentin soccer: Paolo Vanoli managed to give the Viola a salvation that was all but a foregone conclusion until last winter, and he ended the season by winning his team’s last away match on the field of eternal rival Juventus. It is precisely this success, always keenly felt by the fans, that could be an important building block for his stay on the lily-white bench. This very detail, however, paradoxically risks alienating him from the square that over the months has come to appreciate him.
“To be evaluated only for a victory against Juventus would be a disappointment. In fact, if they did that at the club then I hope they don’t keep me,” Vanoli said at the end of the victorious day in Turin. “I have been at Viola Park 24 hours a day, and I don’t want to stay for mere gratitude. I want to do it, if anything, to grow Fiorentina. The important thing is to bring it back to higher levels. The management has always been close to me, now a high-profile figure like Paratici has arrived and he will decide. But there will be no meetings during the week, now I’m resting.”
The success at Allianz Stadium came with a net 2-0, signed by the goals of Ndour in the first half and Mandragora in the second half. A result that had very heavy consequences on the Bianconeri’s standings: Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus, with Champions League qualification already strongly at risk, slipped to sixth place on 68 points, hooked by Fabregas’ Como. A débâcle that triggered the reaction of Spalletti himself, visibly tried in the post-match: “Clearly, this is a very bad result: we played a very bad game in many respects, while in others the episode did not turn in our favor.” The Bianconeri coach added: “I first of all need to question myself, because if I come to the field today and my team offers this… Have I done everything to bring the players in the right mental condition?”
For Fiorentina, the one in Turin represents the icing on the cake of an extraordinary comeback. The Viola had already clinched mathematical salvation on the penultimate home day, drawing 0-0 against Genoa. A goal that had also automatically triggered the redemption of midfielders Marco Brescianini and Giovanni Fabbian, bought outright from Atalanta for 10 million and Bologna for 15 million, respectively, for a total investment of 25 million euros. It was on that very occasion that Vanoli had already shown his temper, attacking those who had criticized him in the most difficult months: “For four weeks you people have been putting Paolo Vanoli on trial. And, in all this, I had to save the team.”
The future of the purple bench, however, remains shrouded in uncertainty. Paratici, who arrived at Fiorentina last February in a dramatic standings situation – just 17 points and just one length ahead of the relegation zone – had already made it clear that no renewal would be automatic, not even in case of salvation. Among the profiles evaluated by the management are Andoni Iraola, who is considered difficult to reach, Domenico Tedesco and Fabio Grosso, the latter steadily rising in the corporate hierarchies. The name of Roberto De Zerbi, who remained unemployed after his abrupt farewell to Olympique Marseille last February and has been approached by Fiorentina already in previous months, is not to be ruled out either.
Vanoli, for his part, tries to play his cards by betting on continuity and work done in conditions that are anything but easy. His position, however, is not armored, and the coming weeks will be decisive to see if the coach who saved the Viola will also be the one charged with relaunching them toward more ambitious goals.
