When Fabio Paratici left Tottenham at the turn of the year, he was expected to turn things around at Fiorentina.
The club avoided relegation under Paolo Vanoli but since then, a familiar sense of dread has returned. La Viola spent significantly in the summer transfer window, shelling out €150m with Fabio Grosso at the helm after his promising stint at Sassuolo.
But things haven’t gone to plan, despite the supposed ambition and the desire to embark on a new project. Grosso failed to win a single game out of the three opening ties and has now been sacked as manager.
Vanoli is expected to return, and it doesn’t say a great deal for Paratici’s judgement.
Too many cooks and all that
Grosso was never helped by Fiorentina’s decision to sign over ten players in the same window. That was evident in his selection, as the backline changed every game.
Another ex-Tottenham representative Radu Dragusin was meant to be a key figure of the back four. Instead, he has struggled, regardless of which partner he has played with. Strangely, young Viery looked like a better signing that Dragusin in the loss to Torino.
Midfield has issues too. Christ Oulai joined after a good World Cup but Grosso never had a plan of how to use him alongside star man Nicolo Fagioli. He wasn’t keen on using the pair together but was forced into the decision at the weekend. This confusion left the midfield in a mess, suggesting Paratici never quite had a plan.
Worse than that, the Italian delayed Moise Kean’s exit until the last two days of the window. When the deal went through, Fiorentina were still left scrambling for a replacement, as they signed Beto.
Mateo Pellegrino started under Grosso and scored against Torino, but it came as a result of a keeper error. The attack looks like a misfit, even if Alieu Njie impressed in phases.
Managerial calls make little sense
Paratici had no reason to get rid of Vanoli in the first place. The ex-Venezia boss did very well over a few months in the previous campaign.
Saving Fiorentina from the drop should have been enough to keep the job but the ex-Tottenham director wanted a shiny, new toy. Paratici has now made another drastic decision.
Fiorentina are struggling with funds to build their new stadium, forcing them to play in a half broken Artemio Franchi every two weeks. Despite all that, Paratici spent big money and is now left scrambling for quick fixes.
