Forza Fiore

[Ryan Owens]

Forza Fiore

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Fiorentina are a football club who really should be better than they are. In the 2016/2017 season, they finished eighth in the Serie A and crashed out of the the Europa League during the Round of 32 against Borussia Dortmund. For the third time in two years, they find themselves with a new manager: former Italian international Giovanni Montefiore. The former defensive midfielder boasts a rich playing career, having previously spent time in the top flights of Italy, Spain, and Argentina. After his playing career, Montefiore began gaining his coaching licenses after taking a job as a youth coach with his last club, Newell's Old Boys in Argentina. The "Maestro of the Midfield" as he was called is now ready to take on his first management challenge with Fiorentina.

It won't be easy: the club have no European money to rely on for this season and although the team boasts a litany of young talent, they have proven ineffective in keeping their prospects in the past. With the financial constraints placed on La Viola this season, Montefiore may be forced to sell off some of his best young talents just to keep the accounts in the black. With some creative work in the transfer market, and a few very good nibbles from foreign clubs with much larger chequebooks, Fiorentina may be able to play well this season and create a strong platform on which to develop, like Tottenham did with the sale of Gareth Bale. But with the club at a point now where the playing squad is only ever likely to place in the top-10, it will need to be strengthened if Fiorentina want to find themselves in Europe again.

Domestically, the Serie A is gaining ground. Following the scandal-plagued years of the early-2000's, the league looked to be nearly decimated. As time goes on, the days of Football Italia might just be coming back. This is in no small part thanks to Juventus' resurgence as a continental juggernaut; but unless some clubs can begin to really challenge Juve for top spot in the league, Italian football will begin to face the same fate as German football did during the hegemony of Bayern Munich. Right now, the Milanese clubs are working toward building competitive sides and Fiorentina will not want to be far behind for too long. In fact, AC Milan may be an example of how to come out of a period of extended mediocrity if they are able to live up to expectations in this season. More likely, the two clubs in Milan will be excellent examples of how not to come out of a bad spell.

How to progress forward? That is the task of the newly-minted manager who takes the reigns from the short-lived Paolo Susa. Can he restore the Prandelli hope? Can he return Fiorentina to European football before they are relegated to a perennial mid-table side? He certainly believes he can. This is the story of how he will go about doing it.


AN: The story of Fiorentina's comeback begins here. I am particularly interested in sharing the business side of things in this go around since I have determined that, ultimately, that is where the biggest problem lies with most of these former giants of Italian football. We need to ensure that our bank balances are strong so that we can compete. I will be looking to clubs like Atletico Madrid and Tottenham to see how they managed to grow from modest mid-level players to perennial competitors for Champions' League football. Wish me luck, it ain't easy.

 

[Ryan Owens]

Fiorentina Announce Travel Plans This Summer

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AFC Fiorentina have announced that they will hit the road this summer. Newly-appointed manager Giovanni Montefiore, who hails from the Tuscan city, wasted no time in making plans. A trip to South Korea will be just what the club needs, he thinks, to prepare for the upcoming Serie A season and, one assumes, garner some much-needed foreign merchandise funds to replace some of the money they will lose out on without European football this season.

A release from the club's Managing Director, Sandro Mencucci, said that he was "pleased to bring the club's brand to the emerging Asian market" and looked forward to helping football grow in South Korea. "The players will not only play against some of the best club sides in the K-League, but they will spend some time working with the children of Korea to help them grow not only in their skills but also in their love for the game," he said. "We are confident that this trip is the first move in developing a symbiotic relationship with the football authorities in Korea."

Montefiore said that he looked forward to testing the players' abilities against a different kind of opponent. "The football culture in Korea is very different to what we know here in Italy: it is usually faster, more physical, less tactical. I am looking forward to testing my players' resolve and their quickness against this kind of opponent. It will let me see what exactly I am dealing with, where I might need to strengthen, and how we will respond when we get back into European competition against other clubs who share in the Korean style."

The club's captain, Davide Astori, tweeted recently that he was "excited to go to Korea to play and meet young footballers."

 

[leckuno]

Good luck mate. I'm doing something similar. Starred with Genoa and now at Napoli. I'm only buying Italian players though. Check out my story as well for the players that I've signed.

 

[biglol23]

Literally sat down last night and considered starting a story with Fiorentina. Aside from Arsenal they are a club that I have followed since a little boy - all thanks to Championship Manager Italia (25 years old now I think).

New save started last night with me making a decision today whether to just play or play and post.

One tip - Toure from Monaco is a solid RB who is available to loan.

La Viola!