September 2013: at the very end of the last summer transfer market session, most of Fiorentina’s supporters were convinced about the likely possibility of reaching the Champions League zone because of a competitive roster. May 2014: the initial expectations were not fullfilled as Fiorentina only qualified for the upcoming Europa League. At a first glance, it may seem that the 2013-2014 season was a missed chance for la Viola, but this assumption turns out to be superficial and incomplete when we deeply analyze the whole period between September and May. In fact, despite bad luck and repeated injuries of key players, Fiorentina managed to reach the 4th position in Serie A, achieving at the same time a brilliant results in both Europa League and Coppa Italia.

 

Results. Is not easy to answer whether Fiorentina achieved the initial goals with a sharp “yes or no”. The sudden injuries of Mario Gomez first (7 months) and Giuseppe Rossi then (4 months), reset and reshuffled the original aims of Montella’s team and also lowered the mood and the expectations of Viola’s supporters towards the new season. Like in 2012-2013, Fiorentina reached the 4th position in Serie A. However, this time Fiorentina played 53 matches (15 matches more than Roma), reaching the final match of Coppa Italia (against Napoli) and losing to the eternal rivals of Juventus in the Europa League round of 16.

 

Key player of the season. 16 goals in 21 caps (plus one goal in three caps in Europa League) confirmed once more the “top player” status of Pepito Rossi. Indeed a great addition for “la Viola” and the Italian national team. During the first part of the season, he literally took Fiorentina by hand after Mario Gomez’s shocking injury scoring 14 goals, most of them of pure class, in 18 caps. Rossi came back in May, after he suffered his third injury in January, with an even increased motivation, managing to score two goals and provide one assist in the three games played after coming back. Then, talking about top players, how to forget Juan Cuadrado? No matter if Montella plays with 3-5-2 or 4-3-3, this incredible “right-side factotum” can easily play as a defender as well as forward/wing in a 4-3-3 or a right side midfielder in a 3-5-2. With 11 goals, several assists and a marked leader attitude, Cuadrado has strongly contributed to fulfill the absence of Mario Gomez and support Rossi, resulting as the second top scorer of the team with 11 goals (plus three in Europa League and one in Coppa Italia).

 

Flop players of the season. Fiorentina’s defenders didn’t have a relaxing season... In many matches - especially on the flanks - Pasqual and Tomovic didn’t manage to give the solid contribution that everyone was expecting from them. In that respect, having to move Cuadrado as right back defender says it all. Another player who didn’t satisfy the expectations is Alessandro Matri. Said that it is extremely difficult to either replace two incredible players as Rossi and Gomez or to play with such a pressure on the shoulders, he started in January (loan from Milan) in the best possible way with two goals and one assist in his first match against Catania in Florence. After this initial exploit, three months of almost no-contribution followed (he only scored one goal in Europa League) and many missed chanches during the final part of the season which relegated him on the bench.

 

Best moment. If, by any chance, you were to type “Fiorentina” on YouTube, one of the most clicked videos is the footage of the incredible match against Juventus on October 20th. There is no way to describe the multitude of different feelings concentrated in the last 15 minutes of the match (“15 years in 15 minutes” as the popular video on youtube.com titles), in which Fiorentina scored three times with Pepito and once with Joaquin. After that match, Juventus recovered from the shock and started an impressive streak of victories, just further highlighting how meaningful that match was. Worst moment. In this positive season of Fiorentina, there is one detail that made many supporters upset. Infact, to counterbalance the positive record of ten victories in away matches there was the negative record of six defeats in Artemio Franchi, which in the past years used to be the fortress of Florence. Particularly, three matches against Inter, Lazio and Milan, likely killed the aims of Fiorentina instead of boosting them towards the reaching of the third place during the most important part of the season.

 

What do they need for the next season. At the end of the day the biggest similarity of the last to versions of La Viola is the feeling that “the best is yet to come”. In fact as well as Pepito Rossi did last year, Mario Gomez is still to show his full potential (or even half of it). There is a bit of fine tuning work to be done for the sporting director Daniele Pradè and technical director Eduard Macía in order to improve an already competitive team. First by trying to keep Cuadrado, which seems very difficult as Barcelona and Real Madrid are looking for a flanker with his profile, and the Colombian international perfectly fits in the Spanish La Liga. Then, one right and one left back defenders are mandatory to allow Montella to properly play with 4 or 3 defenders. Another “todocampista” is strongly suggested because, as happened one year ago, the midfield of Fiorentina still suffered without players like Pizarro or Borja Valero or Aquilani. And finally, if the goddess of injuries will stop its persecution, we will see the “old but brand new” forward couple Gomez and Rossi playing together. Hopefully.