Pioggia Viola : AFC Fiorentina

Leave it to Vincenzo Montella to turn a postseason after winning a stunning Treble into a massive ball of stress. Media outlets starved for drama over the course of the season got everything they could have wanted over the span of a few weeks, the purple confetti hadn’t even been swept up yet in Florence when reason to worry about the sustainability of Fiorentina's success leaked.

The first problem was money. Lots of money. News leaked that outside of transfer income Fiorentina posted a £34M loss, which says something about the state of Serie A’s TV deal compared to the Premier League, while a team that had a terrible season (Juventus) posed £47.5M in profits. Inside sources indicated that Fiorentina is going to look at their current payroll, specifically the youth system, and they are going to need to cut salary very quickly. The other way to fix that gap is by increasing income, which brings us to the juiciest story of the postseason. As usual Montella made his postseason pitch for a new stadium, as usual he was rejected, but this time the conversation was leaked to the press. It wasn’t a secret that Montella wanted a new stadium, it isn’t a secret that Fiorentina fans want one, but this was the first time someone (likely Montella) had leaked some internal communication that made ownership look bad. Rocco Commisso was angry, Montella was angry, nobody walked out of this happy but that didn’t do anything to advance the stadium issue.



All of the internal drama overshadowed how incredible Fiorentina’s season was, a 3-0 win over Lazio helped retain the Coppa Italia and the Champions League win made for a quintuple. The Serie A-Coppa Italia-Champions League treble is what really mattered, Fiorentina’s trophy cabinet is filling up quickly. The winning helped I Viola move up to 3rd in the European Club Rankings, a (5) spot improvement that also helped push Serie A up to 3rd. On a personal level Fiorentina saw a (20) year old record fall (no pun intended) as Abdou Fall’s (37) goals topped Luca Toni’s record of (33).



Another good year for the silverware case and Abdou Fall is really starting to be recognized for his talent. Fall would top Serie A in goalscoring with (30), finish 2nd for the Champions League Golden Boot though he was tied with Gabriel Jesus at (7), and win the European Golden Shoe. He wouldn’t be the only Fiorentina striker turning heads with Curicó, on loan at Real Madrid, leading La Liga with (27) goals. Hard to tell if that had more to do with Curicó or the squad around him, but that didn’t stop Marca and La Gazzetta dello Sport from reporting a permanent move was “imminent” when it definitely is not. Fiorentina defenders dominated the Champions League Defender of the Year Award with Federico Marino and Alberigo Maldini finishing behind Florentino Firenze.

Serie A Best Player : Marino, 6 goals, 7 assist, 8.08 rating
Serie A Best Young Player : Federico Marino
Serie A GK : Maximo Fazio
Serie A Defender : Federico Marino
Serie A Midfield : Franck Blanc
Serie A Striker : Degnand Wilfried Gnonto
Champions League GK : Bartłomiej Drągowski
Champions League Defender : Florentino Firenze
Champions League Midfield : Maxence Caqueret

Come on board, get this new stadium built!

Got through this the other day. You've done amazing with Viola, long may it continue.

If winning their first Champions League was a shock, winning back-to-back titles was some kind of miracle from the Gods. Now Vincenzo Montella has the task of making the fantastic seem mundane, he’s done it in Serie A as the rest of the league seems to melt away behind them but can he get Fiorentina to a place where the Champions League is a realistic goal every year? This season might be the first year, the fan base and media haven’t caught up to where the club is now so Montella won’t face cries for him to be sacked if they don’t three-peat. Despite their club ranking and recent success they are still far off from the stature of a Real Madrid or Barcelona where the slightest bump can get even the best managers sent packing.

There is always a little sense of YOLO around Fiorentina as they soar near the top of European football, but Montella definitely has the club and ownership thinking about the future. There are also subtle signs that Montella is in it for the long haul; after a few high profile clubs came sniffing around (primarily Bayern Munich) the rumor mill around Montella taking a position elsewhere has been shut down. There is no doubt some big clubs would hire him, but his messaging on the issue has warded off most serious rumors with more than a few joking that he “bleeds purple” and won’t leave unless he’s fired and even then he might not go quietly.



Once again the primary issue that will be in the background of every conversation about Fiorentina will be a new stadium. The money appears to be there, the club are on top of the league and just added a second Champions League trophy to their collection. The club is struggling with non-transfer income and a new stadium would bring in more match day revenue along with a host of sponsorship options, they can always get better kit sponsors but they will likely never approach the value of a new stadium.

It can only be a matter of time before the hierarchy at the club give in, surely?

Once again Vincenzo Montella needs to oversee a near total teardown of his starting roster, but unbelievably they might not have an issue with that. The strength of the team (defense) will remain so the rebuilt attack will have some cushion, the club is very confident in the players now in a position to lead the team forward. Tactically the team will be the same, if anything they could be better as young players have more starts under their belt and get even more suited to their role.

Goalkeepers
It only took an endless string of Serie A GK of the Year awards on loan at Cagliari to force Montella’s hand, but it finally happened. Maximo Fazio (20), who was purchased from Reggina for £130K, has been handed the keys after a shock exit by Bartłomiej Drągowski. This probably had more to do with Fiorentina wanting to keep Fazio, who signs a new contract, than Drągowski wanting to leave. I Viola’s defense is so dominant that Fazio will have plenty of cushion to grow, but frankly he might not need it after looking like a star at Cagliari. Souleymane Bamba (21) is the new backup / second squad GK after spending the last two seasons on loan at Marseille, Alban Lafont became a victim of cost-cutting moves much to the chagrin of I Viola fans. The French-Ivorian saw (38) starts at Marseille last year with a 7.22 average rating so Montella felt it was time to bring him into the fold. Getting so young in the net is a little concerning, but the team is so good defensively it probably won’t matter.

Best Player : Maximo Fazio

Defenders
Musical chairs at central defense as two players leave town for greener pastures (bigger paycheck) while Montella has a deep stable to work from. Roberto Cannata (21) remains as the undisputed leader of the CB group, Xabier Agirre (20) earns a promotion from the second squad as many feel he has passed Alberigo Maldini (who was sold) and now represents the second best central defender on the team. The Spaniard will now be able to work on his international resume as one of the most promising defenders in Europe. Nicolò Santoro (20) remains on the second squad and will be joined by Rassano Gemignani (21) who spent last year on loan at Manchester United. Graziano Nervi (20) spent last season on loan at Inter and will do his best to snag Gemignani’s spot if possible, both of them get to prove they can play in Montella’s system after good spells on loan.

Team leadership moves to the wingbacks with Florentino Firenze (22) now the Captain and a permanent fixture at LB with Federico Marino (20) now the Vice-Captain at RB. Mamadou Kanté (19) and Silvino Dante (20) are back as the most overqualified backups in Europe, these two could be starting for Montella if they didn’t have Legends blocking them. Montella continues to enjoy an embarrassment of riches at wingback with (4) solid bench options that can all play LB/RB, but only (2) can be on the roster. Smoke Monday (20) and newcomer Gérard Michel (18) will come off the bench almost every game and will need to prove they belong with French-Tunisian wonderkid Fedi Thamri (18) just waiting for a chance at senior football. Right behind him is Francis Itou (18), another French recruit, who could see time if anyone gets injured. This group is deep and extremely talented, anyone planning to contain them is going to have their hands full.

Best Player : Florentino Firenze (Captain)

Midfielders
The midfield has been almost outright gutted minus the two players set to lead the group. Daniele Albano (20) is now the starting DLP with youngster Sinan Pasha (19) getting a promotion after loan spells at Inter and Wolves. Franck Blanc (20) is now the starting BBM with the highly exciting Mauro Luciano (19) backing him up after two seasons at Eintracht Frankfurt. The Italian / Argentine has declared for the country of his birth (Argentina) and he plays like a stereotypical Argentine, his pace and ability on the ball have led some to call him the Next Messi or Next Maradona. He’s quick to wave those comparisons off, primarily because of his position, but he’s hard to miss on the field as he terrorizes the opposition with the ball at his feet. Birahim Guèye (20) remains as a solid yet unspectacular bench option who handles both positions in the double pivot well, the fact that Pasha and Luciano passed over him despite their lack of experience tells you everything you need to know about him.

CAM sees a bit of roster turmoil combined with a player feeling slighted after being heaped with so much praise early in his career. Pedrinha (20) seems to have blossomed into a very solid player with the kind of speed and attacking swagger Fiorentina have lacked. Pelayo Morilla was well loved and was more than worth his transfer fee but he never achieved the heights Montella had hoped for and Roman Mexès never lived up to the potential shown at Lyon. Pedrinha’s seasons on loan (AC Milan then Tottenham) were enough to convince Montella the risk was worth it, many have compared him to fellow Portuguese CAM Bruno Fernandes and many think he could be much better in time. Nicolò Branzino (21), hurt by his failure to be promoted to the first squad, is going to be sweating his spot on the second squad. He went from being loved to widely panned as a bust and might be the kind of talented player that just needs a change of scenery. He has a lot to worry about with Kike Moreno (20) sitting on the bench as a super-attacking sub that looks closer to Pedrinha’s level than Branzino’s. Moreno had a weird half-and-half season on loan last year at Parma and Sampdoria (where he played RW) after some complaints that he wasn’t being managed properly at Parma. His time at Sampdoria was transcendent and his ability to be a CAM-RW backup made him irresistible. The midfield turnover may have created a higher ceiling for the squad by importing some flashy offensive players, the CAM is the center of that risk for Montella.

Best Player : Daniele Albano

Forwards
Another segment of the team that was basically blown up, but much like the midfield the team has traded solid performers for a much higher ceiling. This group has the potential to be the culmination of Daniele Pradè’s hard work filling the system with talent. Abdou Fall (22) remains, and likely will never leave if Montella has his way, and could keep getting better after a true breakout season saw him lead the team and league in goalscoring. He could just maintain that level and be considered one of the best players in Serie A, any uptick could put him on a continental level that might bring big clubs calling. Juninho Rivellino (20), back after (2) years on loan at Sevilla, looks like a major upgrade at RW from the departed Eugenio Barzini. The Brazilian speedster shows a wider skillset and a sharper eye around the goal than Barzini combined with the kind of dribbling and ability to take on defenders that Fiorentina lack. On paper he didn’t have a great year in (19) starts at Sevilla, but Montella and his staff have a sky-high valuation on him. With LW being almost completely wiped out it left a gaping hole Pradè was clearly trying to prepare for, time will tell but initial indications are that at least the first squad vacancy has been filled. Mohamed Yellès (20) can play both sides but is a much stronger LW, where he will start, he spent the last two seasons at Liverpool and Bayern Munich so he certainly has the experience needed in bigger leagues. Giuseppe Viola (21) gets promoted from the bench to the second squad without much competition for that spot right now. The man seemingly born to play for Fiorentina now has a chance to show that he belongs there, there are a number of players like him that can play LW/RW so he doesn’t have long to prove himself. Elia Ferrari (20) get promoted from the U-20 team as a solid LW/RW bench option, but he’s likely just keeping a roster spot warm for Laurent Félix (18) after Fiorentina spent so much on him. The French youngster is lurking but looks to be headed out on loan to Schalke 04, anyone who wants to keep their spot on the left is going to need to break out these year or risk getting passed over.

The striker slot is now Hélder Lavado’s (21) to lose after a long season of friction ended in a Champions League final outburst by Degnand Wilfriend Gnonto. Lavado was excellent with the second squad, nearly matching Gnonto’s scoring, so Montella has no issues with promoting him. He caps off what could be a devastating attack for I Viola, if his positioning improves his speed would make him nearly impossible for defenders to handle. Curicó (19) is now the second choice striker after a very solid season at Real Madrid, the Brazilian was also part of Cagliari’s squad two years ago so he isn’t totally new to Serie A. He didn’t start the season as Real Madrid’s starter but became a favorite of Victor Skrypnyk by end of season. Two Frenchmen are lurking, Mathias Marseille (18) and Ismael Masséna (18), but they likely aren’t ready and will stay on the U-20 squad unless something goes very wrong.

Best Player : Abdou Fall

Looking forward to seeing how these players step up now they have been handed the opportunity to prove their worth. A big season ahead for these young players.

Some big kit news for the two-time defending Champions League winner with the addition of two bigger kit sponsorships. A (3) year deal with Sky Italia and Toyota, an old sponsor back for better times, represents quite a boost in income for Fiorentina. The club now ranks 4th in Serie with a reported £48M in commercial income to find themselves well behind AC Milan (£71M), Inter (£73M) and Juventus (£148M).


Arsenal fans may love this, or hate it, but Nike decided to go with a different look this year. They aren’t going to wow anyone with this look, but with the way they are playing they can wear anything they want.

Quite like the kits especially the home design!

Vincenzo Montella is exceedingly glad that ownership listened to his pleas to stay in Italy for their preseason camp. The rest was sorely needed as the club flew to just about the most remote location on the planet for the FIFA Club World Cup in Australia. The tournament normally would have flown under the radar a bit but Pep Guardiola getting sacked by Manchester City and then rapidly hired by Liverpool created a media storm around his first game in charge. His first game in charge didn’t go so well and Montella used that momentum to get through a tough final against Manchester United to hoist the trophy for the first time.

A really long list of fixtures were waiting for the team as they came back from Australia, this basically turned into a youth showcase as Montella desperately needed to let his players recover. If the club was going to make another run at the Champions League he would need well rested players to do it.

There are certainly worse way to prepare for a season.

Making it to third in the European club rankings didn’t seem to matter, in fact it felt like all the traditional giants decided to throw their weight around and let Fiorentina see exactly where they stood.

“We didn’t want them to leave, I didn’t tell them to leave, but when a player says to me they want to go... I don’t want them to stay, not because I don’t think they have a place on the team, because they do not want to be a part of the club.”

Montella seemed disheartened by the mass exodus of players, many of which quickly became fan favorites like Maxence Caqueret, but it only goes to show how far Fiorentina have to go even after winning back-to-back Champions Leagues. The senior squad sale was paired with a massive clean out of the youth system as it became bloated with players too old for the U-20 side but not quite good enough to earn a senior squad spot. Financially this made sense, even with some players being sold at a slight loss, a few big moves like Ivan Castro to RB Leipzig (£32M with a cut of a future sale) more than make up for marginal losses.

Everyone knew Daniel Maldini was extremely likely to leave and the Italian media had an absolute field day with rumors of a return to AC Milan. The first team to come calling was Everton with a £48M bid, but they weren’t the last by far. Norwich, Watford, PSG, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Atlético Madrid all got involved and the prices quickly started climbing. The saddest part is that AC Milan were priced out so quickly that they never formally submitted a bid and had to sit back as Chelsea took it to £80M. Manchester City looked like a front runner but they quickly transitioned to Talles Magno in an attempt to get a better player for less, but they wouldn’t go to £75M as the Brazilian was able to choose between Barcelona and Arsenal with identical bids.



The gutting of the roster proved to be wildly profitable as the club closed their transfer business with a reported £1.3B in the bank, this was right about when ownership decided to reopen a fresh wound and bank £300M for investments. This set off howls from fans, and inside sources indicate it upset Montella as well, since these funds could clearly be used to finance a new stadium. Ownership declined to address the issue and the pain continues.

Senior / Major Transfers (Out)
Daniel Maldini (LW, Chelsea) £80M
Maxence Caqueret (CM, PSG) £77M
Talles Magno (LW, Barcelona) £75M
Jude Bellingham (CM, PSG) £74M
Pelayo Morilla (CAM, Bayern Munich) £70M
Degnand Wilfried Gnonto (CF, Bayern Munich) £67M
Alberigo Maldini (CB, PSG) £65M
João Mubenga (CB, Chelsea) £50M
Ivan Castro (CM, RB Leipzig) £32M
Bartłomiej Drągowski (GK, Sevilla) £30M
Eugenio Barzini (RW, AS Monaco) £27.5M
Roman Mexès (CAM, AS Monaco) £25M
Alban Lafont (GK, Norwich) £22.5M

Senior Transfers (In)
-

Final Transfer List (Impact Signings)
Leonardo Zoratti (CM, Inter - Italy) £8.5M
Gianluca Venezia (RW, Atalanta - Italy) £8M
Enrico Trinca (LW, Atalanta - Italy) £7.5M
Lassana Djaló (RB, Ajax - Netherlands) £3.5M
Vinícius Antonio Arauxo (RB, Benfica - Portugal) £3.1M
Théo Aubyn (CB, Lyon - France) £2.3M
Giordano Ghizzardi (CB, Inter - Italy) £1.5M
Tihomir Ivanovski (GK, AC Milan - Macedonia) £1M
Pape Samba (CF, US Orléans - Senegal) £1M
Badara Lô (LB, Tours - Senegal) £250K

Looks like winning the Champions League did the trick, being stuck behind Gianluigi Donnarumma also helps a bit, as Fiorentina make some headway with youth players at the traditional big clubs. Definitely new to see Fiorentina spending so much money on youth players, but with a transfer budget big enough for multiple top tier clubs it makes sense that Daniele Pradè should roll the dice on even more expensive players. The dutch RB Lassana Djaló might be the crown jewel here despite the prices paid, the major drawback of signing an incredibly fast wingback who can cross and pass well is that the system is loaded with them. That doesn’t mean Djaló can’t make it, it just means he’s going to have a harder time than most.

It seems the board are determined to upset everyone and not build this new stadium. I wonder what it may take for them to finally give in?

Vincenzo Montella has quite the challenge before him, winning the Champions League twice in a row is difficult but winning it a third time would be a whole different animal. Only three teams have managed a three-peat, Ajax and Bayern Munich are the only non-Real Madrid clubs to do it and the last time it happened was in the 1975-76 season. Most assume Serie A is in the bag, so the real test will be keeping the Champions League trophy in Florence.


GROUP E
Arsenal (England)
Fiorentina (Italy)
KRC Genk (Belgium)
Sparta Praha (Czech Republic)

An easy group in terms of being able to advance, but possibly hard to win. Fiorentina has been dominant, and they are the defending champions, so they have a slight edge on a loaded Arsenal squad. Kylian Mbappé is the headliner with former Fiorentina target Nicolò Zaniolo conducting the attack, I Viola’s defense will have their hands full. KRC Genk and Sparta Praha will probably offer little to no resistance, but Montella will not admit that publicly. Montella can’t complain, the other Italian teams in the tournament can. Cagliari gets off the easiest with a group of Benfica, Trabzonspor, and Young Boys with a chance of advancing or winning the group. Lazio (Atlético Madrid, Spurs, Olympiakos) and AC Milan (Bayern Munich, AS Saint-Étienne, Ajax) are going to have their hands full with some of the most difficult groups this year. There isn’t really a true Group of Death, but if Lazio can get back to being a top team their group has the best claim to the title.




This season Juventus finally did what Fiorentina can’t, or won’t based on their approach to the transfer market, and loaded up on new talent. The return of Massimiliano Allegri came with a huge splash on the transfer market, but at the time it didn’t do much as the club sat in 9th. The biggest addition to the squad was landing N'Golo Kanté on a free transfer from Real Madrid, a massive boost to Allegri’s 5-3-2 even at his age. Kanté would man the DM / anchor man, forming a bit of a 3-3-2-2 to help clog up the middle of the field and hopefully slow down Fiorentina’s attack. Filippo Zinani (£63M) would come over from Atalanta, Lucas Digne (£27M) from Porto, and Aymeric Laporte (£15.5M) from Manchester City to help bolster a squad starting to languish in the middle of Serie A. Allegri would have the bonus of being in the middle of a brutal run for Fiorentina, going Roma-Juventus-Inter with the Champions League sprinkled in isn’t fun for anyone.

Things looked rather promising for the hosts compared to recent outings, controlling the center of the field helped reduce Fiorentina’s dominance there but it ceded the sidelines to Fiorentina’s quick attack. Allegri never planned on having the ball all that much so Juventus were fine allowing I Viola to keep the ball, but things went a little sour at 13’ when Daniele Albano opened the scoring for a 1-0 lead. Juventus were able to respond at 20’ when their young striker Abraham pulled off a bit of wizardry at the near post. A cross from Gedson Fernandes at the endline looked destined to be booted clear by Roberto Cannata but the usually quick defender was a little too casual and Abraham snuck in and deflected the ball between Cannata and the post to catch Maximo Fazio off guard. Allegri would take the 1-1 and go right back to trying to clog up the field.

The first 20’ of the game really brought back the atmosphere at the Allianz Stadium with fans looking forward to putting away their upstart rivals. The next 70’ of game time sucked the life right back out of it as Juventus fell away, trading defensive-counter attacking for playing on their heels desperately trying to stay in the game. At 29’ Pedrinha delivered the kind of goal Montella knew he could, a deflected corner would be sent out of the box and make its way to Pedrinha lurking above the arc. With everyone packed into the box and now rushing out he had plenty of time and sent a stunning screamer into the upper right corner of the net. Alessio Cragno never stood a chance of stopping it, the crowd hid his view just long enough that he couldn’t get there if he’d had an extra two steps to do it. Things really got away from Juventus at that point and 2-1 felt more like 10-1, slowly the hosts turned to fouling to slow things down. An 80’ goal from Abdou Fall sealed it, not that Juventus came close any time during the second half, and Montella could leave Turin with a smile on his face once again.



On paper this game got much easier even before Arsenal showed up for the game. Kylian Mbappé, Rúben Dias, Viktor Fischer, and Riccardo Orsolini were all out injured, at least two of those players were a huge blow to the hosts. Montella always has confidence in his defenders, but with Mbappé out it would be a huge weight off his mind. The Emirates was still loud and very red even though this game was essentially a dead rubber barring a 15-0 win, Unai Emery was very interested in making a statement and using the momentum for the next round.

Emery stuck with his 4-2-3-1, usually a bad move against Montella, but a key injury for Fiorentina (Federico Marino) left the right side of the field a little weak. Mamadou Kanté lacks the connection Marino has with Fall and it showed, it also didn’t help that Ferland Mendy was having a great game opposite Fall. Fiorentina weren’t controlling the ball as much and Arsenal were fouling I Viola quite regularly while escaping any serious consequences. A number of fouls on Fall and Mohamed Yellès brought Montella to screaming at the head referee and anyone on the sidelines willing to listen. The screaming only got louder at 29’ when Yellès would be sent careening into the hoardings and come up clutching his side, youngster Philip Rijkaard would need to come on for what turned out to be a broken rib. Héctor Bellerín would escape a booking for that and increase Montella’s sense of outrage.

Emery’s rough approach was working and Bernd Leno was having a very solid game, holding things 0-0 was a bit of a win for Arsenal considering Fiorentina’s advantage in the shots department. All of that went to hell at 60’ when Rijkaard would score from the left of the box on his senior debut. After that feel-good moment, Emery didn’t have any answers and that was enough to win the game. Montella was hardly happy despite the result, he had to be escorted away from the officiating crew after repeatedly asking how (23) fouls and broken ribs could only result in a single booking.


Concerns about the offense, specifically the left side, melted away for a while after the season opened with a 8-0 beating of Torino at Artemio Franchi. Then those fears came rushing back when the second squad put up a stinker at AC Milan in a 0-0 draw where they looked as out of sync as you might expect from a rebuilt roster, perhaps it was the mood in the San Siro but Montella left that game feeling sour. Nicolò Branzino took a lot of heat for the dull performance, while likely unfair it seemed to be the start of a bad season for the former wonderkid.

The AC Milan result turned out to be more of a bump in the road as Fiorentina handed out hefty punishments on a weekly basis. A high powered offense combined with allowing only (6) goals in all competitions helped fuel an unbeaten first half with the draw at Milan the only time they failed to win. KRC Genk (8-0), Sampdoria (7-0), Sparta Praha (6-0), Roma (9-0), and SPAL (9-0) all found out how bad things can get when I Viola are running on all cylinders. Finishing the first half with (78) league goals and only allowing (6) is great way to hold an (8) point lead in 1st.

Anyone focusing on Fiorentina’s situation at LW ended up getting blindsided by their RW and Hélder Lavado elevating himself as a top player in Europe. Abdou Fall would continue his ascent, scoring (20) goals, and Juninho Rivellino would add (10) as his backup for 3rd best on the team. Lavado’s (19) would be impressive as well, it’s been a while since someone pushed Fall as the club’s top scorer, both of them benefiting from the improvement of Mohamed Yellès on the LW. Yellès’ (8) goals and (8) assists were more than anyone could have hoped for after the position was gutted, it was a huge boost for Montella to see a highly regarded prospect making good on his potential.

Fiorentina’s reward for ripping through Serie A and the Champions League would be a date with Bayern Munich in February. After getting through Arsenal the Germans would prove to be an interesting test. If the rebuilt squad can keep up their form a third trophy might just be in their future.




As usual the Serie A Team of the Year was loaded with Fiorentina players as Europe / FIFA mostly ignored I Viola. The only player to gain recognition wasn’t playing in Italy, youngster Mathias Marseille put on quite a show at Porto on his way to a Golden Boy award. Montella isn’t all that concerned about awards as long as the team is winning, but being ignored like this never feels good and doesn’t help keep players in purple.





European Golden Boy : Mathias Marseille - (16) Goals / (2) Assists
FIFA Best U-21 : Mathias Marseille (Porto Loan)
Serie A PoY : Daniele Albano
Serie A GK : Maximo Fazio
Serie A Defender : Federico Marino
Serie A Midfielder : Daniele Albano
Serie A Striker : Degnand Wilfried Gnonto


Montella had quite the revolving door at his medical center, yet more proof of how well the team has built depth in their U-20 squad. The team would be battered by a number of injuries, most of them in the 2-3 week range, but a few broken bones would make things really hard. August would see Federico Marino damage an ankle ligament in the first game of the season, knocking him out for (2) weeks. September would see Gérard Michel (leg cut), Marino (twisted ankle), and Giuseppe Viola (pulled thigh) miss anywhere from 2-4 weeks. Viola would set up residence in the medical center with his second injury in October, pulling his thigh a second time and missing a further (2) weeks. Things only got worse for Viola in November with a broken leg that would knock him out for (3) months and force Montella to call up youngster Philip Rijkaard. There must be something in the water in Florence as broken bones kept coming, U-20 GK Baldassarre Piano would suffer a lower back stress fracture and be ruled out for (6) weeks. Silvino Dante twisting his ankle would turn out to be the least impactful injury of the month as December got ready to kneecap Montella. Marino would be injured yet again, pulling a hamstring, and miss (2) weeks including their second matchup against Arsenal. The LW crisis came back when Mohamed Yellès would break a rib against Arsenal and be ruled out for at least (4) weeks even with the use of a specialist.

Hopefully another Champions League title is awaiting at the end of the season.