Having led Fiorentina to a top 10 finish in the previous season, Iachini was confirmed at the helm of the team while he was given a couple of new players like Amrabat from Hellas and Callejon from Napoli as the rest of the squad remained barely untouched.
Fiorentina started the campaign inconsistently as they won 2 but lost 3 of the initial 7 games and, quite surprisingly, coach Iachini, who had in the meantime lost Chiesa to Juventus, was sacked after a scoreless away draw to Parma. He was replaced by Cesare Prandelli, who had left fond memories at the club between 2005 and 2010.
Between weeks 8 and 13, Fiorentina would win no games, while having problems offensively. Then, an unexpected 3-0 away win over Juventus brought some confidence back, which was shattered following a 0-6 away defeat to Napoli.
In fact, inconsistency characterized Fiorentina until week 28 when, at the end of a home defeat to Milan, Prandelli resigned even though the team was still 14th and safe. Iachini was thus called back to the helm and it took him some time before straightening the ship up as they picked up just 1 point from the first 3 games since his return.
After that, though, Fiorentina turned into a very solid team, as in the previous season, and they lost only 1 out of the final 7 games, at home to Napoli, while keeping 3 clean sheets in the last 4.
Had Iachini been left in charge of the team and not too hastily sacked, Fiorentina could have gone for more than just a mere survival. However, to Prandelli’s credit, Vlahovic, capable of 21 goals in the end, started scoring only after his arrival.
For sure, Fiorentina had an uneven squad with players who failed to meet the expectations, like Callejon, or proved quite disappointing at times, such as Pezzella and Amrabat. Despite being often injured, Ribery managed to produce 7 assists and was the sole real support for Vlahovic up-front.
With Gattuso at the helm, Fiorentina will have to invest wisely in order to stay clear of the relegation zone.
