Pioggia Viola : AFC Fiorentina

Hard times in Florence, another not-great youth intake leaves Vincenzo Montella scratching his head. Head of Youth Development Vincenzo Vergine really has his work cut out for him with this lot, they did decide to sign (11) candidates but the best of them aren’t Italian. Perhaps the arms race with the rest of the league is catching up with them, they are still well behind giants like Juventus despite facility upgrades. This class is most likely just organizational filler, keeping the U-18 squad stocked while a number of players get pushed to U-20 to be loaned out.

Max Wijngaarde (CM - Netherlands) : Low bar this year, but Wijngaarde is definitely the best player that came in this year. That isn’t to say he isn’t a good prospect, there is just quite a bit of work to do and scouts are hopeful that he can develop his tactical acumen enough to match his physical gifts. At 6’-4” with tremendous speed it’s easy to see why scouts are holding out hope, right now he’s just overpowering opponents and dominating in the air while being a little exposed in the open field. He is known for short simple passes, which is actually a good thing for Montella’s tactics, it may be awhile before the club can tell if he’s a senior level player or a bench option.

Tobiasz Adamczyk (CB - United States) : Super weird American with a clearly non-American name signing for an Italian club, but it doesn’t matter because he fits the mold for Montella’s central defense. Another speedy CB who’s a very good passer, he’s a bit of a ‘tweener’ but can fit to the ball playing defender role. He’s more suited as a Libero or a DM / Destroyer role, but Fiorentina don’t use players in those capacities. His passing and speed will give him a longer leash, but if he doesn’t improve his understanding of the game he won’t go very far.


U-20 : The U-20 side is definitely rising up to be an international power, they are already untouchable domestically so European success is a great sign. They would win the U-20 Italian Cup for the third time in a row while also taking the International Cup with a 2-0 win over Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s U-19 squad. They would make it to the UEFA Youth League final before losing 1-1 on penalties to Ajax’s U-19 team, a good team to try and emulate. As some senior squad players get pricey more and more of these players will be given a chance to succeed on the senior level.

U-18 : A muted performance compared to the U-20 side, but this team has mostly been relegated to the youth intake and anyone under 17 years of age. Just about every 17 year old gets moved to the U-20 squad to play or be loaned out, but a number of players that have arrived via transfer help boost their profile. They would win the U-18 Division 1 title again and the U-18 Supercoppa with a 5-2 win over Cremonese.

Time to completely up end the whole system, this is an outrage! haha

Not a fantastic intake but glad to see that both the U21 and U18 sides are able to compete and succeed just like the senior squad.

Let's hope Wijngaarde can elevate things with his potential!

Oh god that is a reach Justice haha I like it though

The conclusion of the season not only brought more trophies, it also brought a close to one of the longest running off-field subplots of the year. Once the senior squad training facility upgrade was completed in January it wasn’t a secret that Vincenzo Montella wanted further upgrades to the youth facilities along with further upgrades to the senior squad.

“We have completed some work, but he [Rocco Commisso] knows we need to go further. The youth setup needs to be improved, there is a lot that needs to be done to stay on top.”

Montella isn’t one to air his problems with ownership, but it was easy to read between the lines. Inside sources indicate that Montella had placed a number of requests with ownership that were denied, and then he tried again in May and wore them down. Montella had developed a plan for updating their data analysis group, using a model seen in the Premier League as a template, and managed to get a substantial upgrade to facilities and staff numbers. All of this also came with a £50M increase in payroll, more than enough to pay the new analysts and hopefully keep a player or two in town.

Montella has good reason to push ownership, things are going well but they will need to continue improving or risk getting left behind. Even though the club is piling up transfer funds they still have an income problem and can’t go out and drop £150M on new players like Juventus. Finishing the season on a record (59) game unbeaten streak in Serie A, a 34-5-0 record, 1st in goals (110) and goals allowed (16) really helps paper over how far behind they are compared to some of the biggest clubs in Europe. The dirty little secret that won’t be all that secret next season is that the club is struggling to make money. Outside of transfers the club only made £1.8M, in comparison Juventus made £190M. Fiorentina has moved up (12) spots to a 21st ranking, but that doesn’t just come with a pile of cash. Montella is going to need to keep winning to bring in sponsorships and he won’t shut up about building a new stadium.


Another subplot for the 2022-23 season was the running joke that Fiorentina finished in 1st and 2nd. Cagliari last won the league in the 1969-70 and haven’t been all that close since, their most recent honor was winning Serie B in the 2015-16 season so finishing 2nd is quite an accomplishment for them. How did they do it? With (4) Fiorentina players on loan, primarily GK Maximo Fazio and CB João Mubenga. All of the loanees started substantial minutes and Fazio gave Bartłomiej Drągowski a hard time in the race to win best Serie A GK. Cagliari weren’t the only team leeching off Fiorentina as Alberto Fabrizio won the Serie A golden boot for SPAL with (20) goals, beating out Pedro who finished with (17). Montella either needs to fire his scouts or pay them better, a few of these players may have earned a spot in the senior squad for next year.

At least it shows quality in depth?!

Next challenge is for you to finish with another team in the top three haha

The approvals for a Vincenzo Montella statue outside of Artemio Franchi are in the works, if he walked away right now he would be a Fiorentina legend for all of eternity. Luckily for I Viola L’Aeroplanino isn’t flying off anytime soon, Montella has expressed an interest in remaining at Fiorentina “indefinitely” and seems to be telling the truth after turning down some pretty high profile job offers. After the job he’s done Fiorentina has transitioned into a tier of expectations where he needs to keep winning, ideally the Champions League is now the bar but staying on top of Serie A is the more realistic goal.

In the face of some financial pressure the club is going to need to get a little leaner, but that isn’t going to alleviate any of the pressure on Montella to win. Juventus, Napoli, Inter, Milan, and Lazio are all going to spend to get stronger while Fiorentina isn’t going to spend anything on new senior players. This will make things hard on I Viola, but the coaches and ownership are confident in the players they have on hand.

“We brought all of these players, these great talents, to play for us. We don’t buy they just to spend money, we want them here and they want to be here, to play, to win” said Montella prior to leaving for their preseason tour.

Of course, with no games to play the buzz has moved back to a new stadium. Montella is openly pushing for a new stadium and the city of Florence seems open to the idea as well, the only road block appears to be ownership’s willingness to spend the money. If Fiorentina can continue winning, continue drawing more and more fans, pretty soon there won’t be any excuses left. This is likely still years away, but that doesn’t mean Montella is going to shut up about it.


This season could be a real tipping point for Montella and Fiorentina. The squad will be getting much younger which means any success can be sustained for years, barring any transfer defections, and they won’t need to dip into the transfer market unless someone forces their way out. Even if players are sold there may be ready replacements, this season could really be the foundation of the club’s future for the next 3-5 years.

It sounds a promising prospect!

Time to build a new stadium and fill it with history

Vincenzo Montella isn’t going to make any tactical changes after the best season in club history, but he is tweaking the squad to fit his approach even more closely. On the surface there are some fairly significant changes to the squad, but all of the changes have been made in an effort to maximize his tactics.

Goalkeepers
No surprise, Bartłomiej Drągowski (25) is back and keeping things solid at the back. The team captain has been a rock at the back and earns his keep every season, Alban Lafont (24) is an over-qualified backup that eases the load in cup games as needed. Montella continues to be spoiled here.

Best Player : Bartłomiej Drągowski (Captain)



Defenders
After enjoying one of the most solid back lines in Italy the team has opted to rip off the bandaid, or blow up the bandaid, as salaries continue to soar. Armando Izzo and Lyanco are gone in favor of the players that tended to outshine them in the second squad, Roberto Cannata (19) and Alberigo Maldini (20) might be the future of Italy’s defense on the international stage and Fiorentina is lucky to have them both. The coaching staff is not at all concerned about a drop off in play, these two proved themselves last year and will get the chance to follow up on it. Taking their place in the second squad is Nicolò Santoro (18), Xabier Agirre (18), and João Mubenga (19). Santoro is a lock for a starting spot after coming off the bench a bit last year, Agirre and Mubenga will fight for that last starting spot but the odds are in Agirre’s favor. Every one of these players is perfect for Montella’s system, their speed and passing ability is almost more suited to a Libero than a Ball Playing Defender.

Pol Lirola and Luca Pellegrini have been sold, the vultures finally got their way, but it’s more likely that fans won’t even notice. LB Florentino Firenze (20) has asserted himself as a truly elite player and might ascend into the World Class tier of talent. Firenze is a fan favorite as he continues his run as one of the best defenders, if not players, in Serie A. A little in his shadow is RB Federico Marino (18) who is also on his own star trajectory, both of the bring the speed and technical skill that keeps Montella’s attack running. Backing them up are youngsters Silvino Danta (18), Mamadou Kanté (17), and bench super sub Smoke Monday (18). While this roster appears loaded, a serious injury could land Montella in hot water. There isn’t much depth behind these guys and the best of those have been sent out on loan, this is definitely an area of the rebuild that could blow up in their face.

Best Player : Florentino Firenze (Vice-Captain)

Midfielders
The midfield rebuild that was executed last year worked out incredibly well, the biggest risks the team faces right now are salary demands. Maxence Caqueret (23) was excellent last year and takes over as a Team Leader this year, he will once again be paired with Jude Bellingham (20) in the double pivot. Neither of them did much scoring last year, but they aren’t being relied on for that. If they can continue commanding the middle of the field like last year Montella won’t need to worry at all. Daniele Albano (19) and Franck Blanc (18) are back as the super talented second squad, the club isn’t ready for them to take over first squad duties just yet so injuries might be an issue here. Claudio Gomes (23) remains a bench option, his ability to handle both DLP and BBM make him a very valuable commodity despite being passed over for a starting slot.

Pelayo Morilla (22) is entrenched as the team’s creative lynchpin at CAM. He had a down season in terms of goals and assists last year, which makes him look vulnerable on paper, but he’s such an important part of the attack that Montella doesn’t care too much about those issues. As long as he keeps running the kind of high-paced attack Fiorentina needs to maintain in order to win he isn’t going to find himself on the bench. Nicolò Branzino (19) did well enough off the bench last year to earn himself a starting spot in the second squad when Evander was shipped out, but that doesn’t mean Roman Mexès (18) won’t be able to pass him. Lyon practically gave him away after starting (9) games for them in the 2021-22 season, so Branzino will need to prove he belongs in the starting lineup on a weekly basis.

Best Player : Pelayo Morilla

Forwards
The left side of Fiorentina’s attack might be gone after this year, after the price Martin Terrier commanded it doesn’t seem outlandish to think I Viola could get £150M-200M for these two. Talles Magno (21) draws all of the attention in the attack, his partnership with Firenze on the left is an ongoing nightmare for opponents. He’s doing everything he needs to, but the goals and assists aren’t quite there, the media and coaches have predicted a breakout season for him. Daniel Maldini (21) is now going to stick around all season, after scoring (20) goals with (9) assists for AC Milan in 2021-22 he will have the opportunity to prove his worth over the course of a season. He has Talles Magno in front of him, but his ability to play either side of the field means he could fill in as needed. Abdou Fall (20) is now the starting RW after the sale of Riccardo Orsolini, a fact he used to spin a sizable raise and it still might be a bargain. He continues to be Montella’s best youth recruit and has the upside of being the club’s best attacking player if he continues to develop. He will be backed up by long time bench option Eugenio Barzini (20) who also earned himself a raise. If fans were excited about Firenze, they are going to love super sub Giuseppe Viola (19) who was born to play for Fiorentina. After a year on loan at Liverpool he is primed for a breakout season, his ability to play both wings means he will see the field quite a bit even if there aren’t any serious injuries. The only player in the U-20 squad ready to step in is Elia Ferrari (18), but he’s not ready to contribute more than an emergency start and only plays RW. Too many injuries at LW could see Fiorentina struggle quite a bit.

To put it simply, Pedro wanted to be Fiorentina’s highest paid player with some eye watering escalators based on International appearances. Fiorentina just couldn’t afford that kind of money on a player who wasn’t of an elite caliber, Degnand Wilfried Gnonto (20) was good enough last year that Montella was willing to give him a shot at the starting job. It might be rough losing Pedro, but Gnonto has improved his average rating each of the last three seasons and his (16) goals for Pisa in 2020-21 are a good sign that he can score enough to make a dent in things. He’s going to need to break out this season, and fast, because a player that has coaches drooling is now backing him up. Hélder Lavado (19) was stolen from SC Braga in 2020-21 and promptly started lighting things on fire, scoring (23) for Livorno and then (19) for Porto last season. Lavado has been the club’s hottest prospect for a while and now that he seems to be blossoming his rise to stardom might pass right through Gnonto.

Best Player : Talles Magno

This is set to be a very youthful team!

I scouted Drągowski because of this story in my own save, he looks really good and moved very cheaply recently.

Cannot wait to see what this young side is capable of achieving

Two very good and talented keepers, and the rest of the squad is looking good too! So much potential! I recognise Talles Magno from a career I did in Brazil - he was really good for Vasco da Gama.