Position: 8th
Points: 56
Last season: 7th, 62 points
Best Serie A scorer: Arthur Cabral, eight goals in 28 Serie A games
Rating: 6.5/10
Season overview
There were two Fiorentinas this season, in truth, the one that competed in Serie A and the other that they kept up their sleeve for cup competitions. They never really threatened to manage the top-six finish their squad could surely have mustered in the league but they more than made up for it in the Coppa Italia and Conference League. Dull and predictable in the first half of the campaign, they kicked into life after the World Cup break – perhaps benefitting from having relatively few players on duty in Qatar. Their biggest regret will be that without that sluggish start, they could surely have finished much higher up the table.
Turnaround moment
There was actually a moment when Viola fans were genuinely scared of getting dragged into the relegation fight and it was relatively late in the season. It took a trip to the Stadio Bentegodi in late February to kill off those fears with a convincing win over Verona which banished such thoughts entirely. The result seemed to relax the team as they went on a winning run – both in Europe and domestically – which completely contrasted with their previous form. It helped to take them to two cup finals and the brink of the European places before more stuttering form saw them slip back to midtable.
The coach – Vincenzo Italiano
There were calls at some stages for Vincenzo Italiano’s bald head on a plate, but the club stayed strong and were rewarded in the long term with a brilliant winning streak. He chopped and changed his 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 – particularly the central defensive pairing – but got it right more often than not throughout the campaign. Initially, his tactics appeared a little too predictable and the Viola were vulnerable to the counter-attack but they gradually became quicker and more clinical and ended up as one of the better sides to watch in Serie A this year.
Player of the season- Cristiano Biraghi
If he’d hit form a bit earlier, then there is little doubt the flying little Brazilian Dodô would have been the people’s choice, but he struggled to adapt to his new surroundings at the outset. Instead, it was assist machine, free-kick specialist and captain Christiano Biraghi who was the most consistent throughout the campaign. Not always loved by his own supporters, he nonetheless was a vital contributor from both an attacking and a defensive standpoint throughout a season which saw him shine at home and abroad although the Conference League Final against West Ham saw him struggle and cause a penalty after being left bleeding by objects thrown by Hammers’ supporters.
Disappointing Player of the Season – Pierluigi Gollini
It was meant to be a glorious return for the former youth team player but things went wrong for Pierluigi Gollini almost from the start of his spell back in Tuscany. He was supposed to challenge – and probably oust – Pietro Terracciano as a first choice, but instead, a series of errors made him regularly second choice. He appeared to blame others but should have shouldered some responsibility of his own. Neither he nor the club were happy about his role so when the chance came to ship him out to Napoli in January, there were few regrets on either side.