The stupidest team in the world somehow claws its way into a win despite unloading an entire clip at its own foot. Pre-match Both managers made some changes. Vincenzo Italiano dropped Nikola Milenković from defense, experimented with a pairing of Giacomo Bonaventura and Arthur in midfield, and stuck with Riccardo Sottil after the winger’s remarkable performance against Sassuolo. Richy Hayen brought in Denis Odoi and Ferran Jutglà, sparking speculation that he might actually be using a back 3, but it was clearly a 4-2-3-1. The fans sure offered different perspectives, too. The Club Brugge trav ..read more

Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images A couple of interesting wrinkles for both sides. Late news Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Italiano fields a very attack-minded lineup with Giacomo Bonaventura and Arthur as the double pivot. Nikola Milenković drops to the bench, while Riccardo Sottil gets a chance after his fantastic showing against Sassuolo over the weekend. Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen has made a number of changes. The biggest one is veteran fullback Denis Odoi in midfield, which allows the Belgians the flexibility to switch to a back 3 at any time. Starting center forward Ferran Jutglà o ..read more

The Viola prepare for their stiffest test yet in the Conference League. Given some of the recent margins, that’s not a reason for optimism. Fiorentina emerge from the pleasant haze of the season’s best win for an entirely different challenge. Yep, it’s time for the first leg of the Conference League semifinal against Club Brugge. This will be the first meeting between these sides, although the Viola have taken on Belgian opposition in the past; strangely enough, the only win against a Belgian side Fiorentina’s ever experienced was the 2-1 win over Genk in the group stages in November. The ref ..read more

Photo by Andrea Martini/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Viola try to dodge a hangover against one of Serie A’s bottomfeeders after crashing out of the Coppa Italia in the semis. Fiorentina has to shake off the numbness of an awful loss to Atalanta and resume its Serie A campaign. The opponent this week is a flailing Sassuolo. In 23 previous meetings, the Viola hold a W9 D7 L7 record, including W2 D1 L2 over their past 5 meetings. The reverse fixture ended 1-0 to the Neroverdi in a frustrating match that featured a ton of stoppages for VAR. The referee for this one is 31-year-old Matteo Marcenaro ..read more

Photo by Stefano Nicoli/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The Viola are heading for a summer of massive changes, and that may include their best player. It was clear before Atalanta unceremoniously shoved Fiorentina out of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday, but it’s even more obvious now: the Viola are preparing to tear the team down to the studs this summer. Vincenzo Italiano and Nicolás Burdisso are moving on. Joe Barone is gone, which is still impossible to really process. A third of the first team regulars are out of contract. The club is going to look very different at the start of ..read more

Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images Reaching through the numbness to find some sort of meaning in a non-causative universe. 1. Vincenzo Italiano’s reaction time is glacial. Fiorentina got battered in the first half. Atalanta got the ball forward quickly and attacked the space in front of the defense, getting Charles de Ketelaere or Teun Koopmeiners running with the ball at the back line in a series of 3-v-3 or 2-v-2 breaks. That’s where the first goal came from and the same approach could’ve resulted in 2 or 3 more before halftime. What Atalanta was doing so well was pretty simple. Gianluca ..read more

Hey, guess who recorded a podcast before some unfortunate things happened today? Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots recorded an episode on Saturday. Remember Saturday? It was a day of sunshine, joy, hope. The birds sang l’inno della Fiorentina. And you know what? McMike and Tito (no Producer Mike in this one) leaned into it, striking a tone that’s way more optimistic than what we usually do around here. Don’t worry. We thought it was weird too, but bear with us. After a heartbreaking loss to Atalanta in the Coppa Italia semifinal second leg at Atalanta, maybe that kind of happiness can h ..read more

Every red card looks like a Renaissance masterpiece. | Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images The Viola do everything possible to beat themselves and eventually succeed. Pre-match Atalanta was coached by Tullio Gritti as Gian Piero Gasperini was forced to watch from the stands due to his red card in the quarterfinal against AC Milan. Gasp’s top lieutenant didn’t do anything surprising with his lineup. Vincenzo Italiano, on the other hand, left just Luca Ranieri in his XI from the win at Salernitana on Sunday. First half It took just 8 minutes for the hosts to pull the tie level. In fairness, i ..read more

Both teams roll out their strong lineups for the second leg of the semifinal, with the Juvenuts already waiting in the final. Late news Atalanta coach Tullio Gritti (Gian Piero Gasperini is still suspended for a red card he picked up in the quarterfinal against AC Milan) hasn’t sprung any surprises, trotting out what looks like his (or Gasp’s) first-choice XI. Fiorentina mister Vincenzo Italiano has done something similar, opting for Giacomo Bonaventura over Arthur in the middle while changing most of his starters from the win at Salernitana over the weekend. Lineups Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Carne ..read more

Photo by Cesare Purini/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images The Viola are ready for another summer of turmoil. The latest news from the Fiorentina org chart isn’t too exciting. Recruitment expert Nicolás Burdisso may be on his way out, with AS Roma hoping to bring him back to the capital. With Vincenzo Italiano reaching one foot out the door and the still-shocking death of Joe Barone, it seems pretty clear that the Viola have reached the end of a cycle and will restart it over the summer. That turmoil is matched by the looming roster churn. In retrospect, it makes sense. With Italiano on the w ..read more