Viola Nation
A Fiorentina blog for Viola fans
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Viola Station 107: The more things change
In Episode 107 of the Viola Nation podcast, hosts candidly dissect Fiorentina’s shaky season ahead of the Sassuolo clash, admitting low morale and doubts about the team’s relegation odds. They review recent highlights and missteps, then react to Fiorentina’s surprising second win, questioning if optimism is warranted. The episode also marks a McMike milestone, features concise analysis from Producer Mike, and includes a humorous ad‑read slip by Tito. Hosted by the Sport Social Podcast Network with music by Windchime Weather, the show blends tactical talk, stats, and personality‑driven banter.
Sassuolo 2-4 Fiorentina: Match report
Fiorentina pull off a thrilling 3-2 comeback against Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium on November 2, 2026. After falling behind to Armand Laurienté’s 25th‑minute strike, the Viola equalise in stoppage time via Mateo Pellegrino’s header from Alieu Njie. The second half sees Njie score a stunning solo goal and Pedro Gonçalves assist Giacomo Mastantuono for the winner in the 79th minute. Fiorentina finish the match with a 25%‑filled crowd, while Sassuolo’s David de Gea concedes three goals. Key moments include a late red card for Drǎgușin and goal‑scorer Víctor Valdepeñas netting his first senior goal.
Sassuolo vs Fiorentina: Lineups and how to watch
Sassuolo head into their November 2 clash with Fiorentina despite missing key players—Kristian Thorstvedt and Ismaël Koné are suspended, and Luca Ranieri and Marin Pongračić are injured. Manager Paolo Vanoli sticks with the same 4‑3‑4 XI that beat Atalanta, featuring Berardi, Esposito and Laurienté up front. Fiorentina line up a 4‑3‑4 with de Gea, João Mário and a forward trio of Njie, Pellegrino and Mastantuono. The article also lists legal streaming options and live‑tweet updates.
Fiorentina 2-2 Atalanta: Match report
Fiorentina grind out a 2-2 draw at home to Atalanta on October 29, 2026. Despite missing Luca Ranieri and Marin Pongračić, Paolo Vanoli’s side dominate early, with Marco Brescianini forcing problems and Alieu Njie heading the opener in the 53rd minute (assisted by Jimenez). João Mário equalises five minutes later, also set up by Njie. Atalanta respond through de Ketaelaere (41') and later Nicola Zalewski (74'). Both teams finish with three yellow cards each, and referee Federico La Penna even leaves the pitch injured late on. Fiorentina’s defense, bolstered by Viery and João Mário at left‑back, holds on for a point after a tactical battle and a controversial non‑penalty for Atalanta.
Fiorentina vs Atalanta: Lineups and how to watch
Paolo Vanoli sticks with the line‑up that nearly upset Inter, inserting Viery into a defense missing Marin Pongračić and Luca Ranieri while trying João Mário at left‑back again. Fiorentina field de Gea; João Mário, Viery, Drǎgușin, Jimenez; Brescianini, Fagioli, Ndour; Mastantuono, Pellegrino, Njie. Atalanta line‑up features Carnesecchi; Bernasconi, Obrić, Kristensen, Zappacosta; Elmas, Ederson, Gaetano; Zalewski, Krstović, de Ketaelaere. The article also lists legal streaming options and live‑tweet updates for the October 29, 2026 clash.
Inter Milan vs Fiorentina: Preview
Inter Milan host Fiorentina on Sunday, 25 October 2026 at 11:30 GMT in Milan’s San Siro. The Nerazzurri, fresh from a mid‑week Ukraine tie, remain in top form and are expected to dominate a struggling Viola side that has slumped after the international break. The preview spotlights three key factors: Fiorentina’s chance for a moral victory by showing defensive resilience, the importance of tracking Inter’s deep midfield runs, and the need for the Viola to finally convert their scarce chances. With cloudy but dry conditions forecast, the match promises a classic top‑team showdown and a test of Fiorentina’s growth.
Loanee reports: Serie A
With Fiorentina out of European competition, Viola Nation shifts focus to the club's loanees across Serie A. The piece reviews five young prospects: Torino defender Pietro Comuzzo (21) has 8 starts, 1 goal but defensive lapses; Parma midfielder Giovanni Fabbian struggles in a struggling side with 6 appearances; Cagliari’s Jacopo Fazzini drops to the bench after tactical changes, logging 7 starts and an assist; Torino’s Niccolò Fortini shines with a goal‑line clearance but faces a hip injury; and others are noted. Grades range from C+ to D, highlighting their mixed impacts and future potential.
Okay, fine, let’s talk about switching to a back 3
Viola Nation’s Paolo Vanoli weighs the pros and cons of switching Fiorentina to a back‑three. He argues modern tactics render rigid formations obsolete, but examines how a 3‑5‑2 would sacrifice key attackers like Mastantuono and Alieu Njie, while a 3‑4‑2‑1 or 3‑4‑3 could preserve talent such as Fagioli, Ndour and Cristo Inao Oulaï. Vanoli doubts the defensive trio’s ball‑play ability—questioning Marin Pongračić, Radu Drăgușin and Viery—and warns that without proper rotation the buildup becomes static. He stresses mental resilience over formation tweaks, noting his own past success turning a broken back three into a back four. The article dissects whether a tactical reshuffle can revive Fiorentina’s faltering season.
On benching Luca Ranieri
Fiorentina extended defender Luca Ranieri’s contract on October 8, but his first game afterwards saw a costly error against Genoa and a quick substitution. Coach Paolo Vanoli then benched him for the Como match, where substitute Marin Pongračić scored the lone goal. The author argues that benching Ranieri after one mistake is unfair, pointing out tactical mismatches with Radu Drǎgușin, the inconsistent performances of both defenders, and the potential of younger centre‑back Viery. He stresses the importance of backing players to maintain confidence and squad stability, rather than reacting harshly to isolated errors.
Fiorentina vs Como: Preview
Fresh off an embarrassing showing against Genoa, Fiorentina tries to get its act together back at home against Como, which has descended to earth after a bright start, including a deflating defeat at Feyenoord on Wednesday, but still hovers in 7th place. If you’re keeping track at home, that’s a lot better than 19th, which […]
Where are they now: Fiorentina 2001-2002
The 2001 season was full of promise for Fiorentina. Roberto Mancini had taken over an outfit that finished 9th the previous season but won the Coppa Italia. Getting thumped 3-0 by Roma in the Supercoppa stung but 7 losses in the first 10 Serie A outings heralded doom, a doom which was soon confirmed by […]
Is Fiorentina always bad after an international break?
Following a miserable performance at Genoa on Saturday, a lot of the talk about Fiorentina has been along the lines of, “Why is this club always so bad coming out of the international break?” The Viola precarity over the past year and a half certainly colors my perception of that but I’m as prone to […]
Genoa 2-1 Fiorentina: Match report
Pre-match It looked like Daniele de Rossi (reportedly coaching for his job after Genoa had taken a single point from its first 5 games and scored just 3 goals) had trotted out a 3-4-2-1 featuring Hamed Junior Traoré in midfield. Paolo Vanoli shuffled things, bringing Christ Inao Oulaï into the midfield alongside Nicolò Fagioli in […]
Genoa vs Fiorentina: Lineups and how to watch
Late news Daniele de Rossi picks Hamed Junior Traoré (Fiorentina beffata) in central midfield and the creaky duo of Stephan El Shaarawy and Junior Messias in attack. Paolo Vanoli springs several surprises. Víctor Valdepeñas returns at leftback but the real news is farther forward. For the first time this season, Nicolò Fagioli and Christ Inao […]
Genoa vs Fiorentina: Preview
This unprecedented 3-week international break is winding down and that means Fiorentina is ramping back up for its trip north and west to take on Genoa. Even though this pits the 19th-placed team in Serie A against the 17th, the respective trajectories of these sides couldn’t be more different: the Viola are undefeated since sacking […]
OFFICIAL: Luca Ranieri extends his contract until 2029
Even though the transfer window is shut, Fabio Paratici and his team are hard at work. The latest fruit of their labor is a contract extension for Luca Ranieri. His deal was set to expire in 2028 but he’s now added an additional year with a club option to take it all the way to […]
Fiorentina, Serie A, and long range shooting this season
After 5 games of this season, one of the more interesting trends I’ve noticed across Serie A is the increase in long shots. This year, teams are averaging 5.02 shots from 0utside the box. Last year, that number was 4.4. In a lot of ways, that’s a good thing. The number of things that are […]
What Fiorentina can take from Fagioli’s showing against France
Italy battled to a 1-1 draw with France a couple days ago in one of the international break’s marquee matchups. There was plenty of Fiorentina-adjacent intrigue as Moise Kean missed an open net after a great ball from Michael Kayode but it was Nicolò Fagioli’s performance that raised some eyebrows. Wearing number 10—the first time […]
Viola Station 106: The international break pause
We’re mired in this international break with no end in sight so why not talk about Fiorentina? Good thing there isn’t much to discuss over these first five games. Beyond, you know, how an entirely new squad comes together under a coach who was hired just 3 games into the season after his predecessor led […]
Fiorentina’s trophy-winning 2023-2024 Primavera team is completely gone
I spend a lot of time worrying about the pathway from youth level to first team for Fiorentina and for Italy in general. This summer, the Viola have obliged me with an example of the player churn that curtails development and puts everyone involved into a bad situation. I’m ignoring the team that won the […]
Ranking Fiorentina’s second-time-around players
As we await the end of this interminable international break, finding Fiorentina stuff to write about has gotten tricky. Fortunately, drew t suggested this last month: Who left the team and subsequently returned to the greatest success? For the purposes of the exercise, I’m not counting anyone who was on the books and got loaned […]
Fiorentina 3-0 Pisa: Match report
Pre-match Paolo Vanoli chopped and changed, bringing Marin Pongračić, Víctor Valdepeñas, Christ Inao Oulaï, Marco Brescianini, Wilfried Gnonto, and Mateo Pellegrino. Paolo Bianco made a bunch of changes to his XI as well. The bigger news was that the newly-built roof covering the Curva Fiesole had its floodlights switched on for the first time. It […]
Fiorentina vs Pisa: Lineups and how to watch
Late news Paolo Vanoli shuffles the deck a bit, giving Arthur Atta and Nicolò Fagioli the day off. Christ Inao Oulaï and Marco Brescianini replace them. Marin Pongračić gets a rare chance at the back and Mateo Pellegrino returns up front, supported by Wilfried Gnonto making his first Viola start. David de Gea continues ahead […]
Fiorentina vs Pisa: Preview
Fresh off its first Serie A win of the season, Fiorentina returns to the Coppa Italia. Having brushed aside Benevento, the round of 32, the Viola earned a Tuscan derby against the vile Pisa (boo hiss). It’s the second derby running for the Torri; they dispatched Empoli on penalties in the previous round. The match […]
Venezia 2-4 Fiorentina: Match report
Pre-match Giovanni Stroppa had a defensive crisis on his hands but figured out something. Matías Moreno and Simon Sohm both started. Paolo Vanoli made a bunch of changes, including Viery at leftback and Alex Jimenez at rightback. Alieu Njie started on the left wing and Beto got the nod up front. Also, full credit to […]
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