Fiorentina only confirmed their Serie A status on the final day of last season so a top half finish looks like marked improvement this time around...but there's still a huge sense of disappointment in Florence. This is a club that deserves much better.
Rocco Commisso completed his takeover and kept Vincenzo Montella on board as manager. The season didn't initially start well with back-to-back defeats from their first two league games but very respectable draws with Juventus and Atalanta set off a 6 match unbeaten run which gave the fans reason for optimism but that didn't last long. They won only once in their final 10 games of 2019, picking up just 1 point from the last 6. Montella was sacked after losing 4-1 at home to his former club Roma.
Beppe Iachini came in to steady the ship and did a pretty decent job of it. His pragmatic approach made the Viola better defensively and more difficult to beat. He lost just 2 of his first 9 games in charge (W3 D4) before the Coronavirus pandemic halted the world of football.
The Viola initially struggled to get their rhythm back after lockdown but finished the season with a really strong run of just 1 defeat in their final 9 Serie A matches (W5 D3) to move well clear from the relegation places and into the top half.
Federico Chiesa remains something of a polarising figure who can be anonymous at times and sensational at others. He still finished as top scorer with his highest tally of 10 league goals in what was an inconsistent season. Erick Pulgar was a great summer signing - making things tick in midfield and providing a constant dead-ball threat. Nikola Milenković had another solid season at the back. The sparkle was provided by Franck Ribery who rolled back the years with some magical performances. Who knows where the Viola might have been if he hadn't missed a large part of the season with an ankle injury?
Many saw Iachini as a stop-gap manager but he has been given a contract extension for one more season. The veteran coach has mostly been seen as a promotion or relegation fight specialist throughout his career so it will be interesting to see if he can take Fiorentina further up the table where they want to be.
