The newly appointed Technical Director must decide whether to retain the coach or make another change. Nothing is off the table. Key obstacles for any potential candidate include resolving the existing contract of the dismissed coach Pioli and the club`s perilous league standing.
The current footballing rerun of Groundhog Day has purple colors and the frightened faces of a group of players who repeatedly believe they have reached a turning point, only to find themselves back at the bottom of the table hours later. Consider how often you`ve heard that a victory could change Fiorentina`s season? And how often does the match seem balanced, only to end in the opponents` hands? And how often do people question what will happen next—whether the team will enter a training retreat or if the coach will be dismissed? The answer is: practically every week. The success against Udinese was supposed to mark a shift, but it didn`t: the subsequent trip to Parma plunged the club, the team, and the fans back into the deepest gloom.
Vanoli`s Instability
Following the defeat, no drastic decisions were immediately taken, aside from maintaining the ongoing media silence. The players have a day of rest, no further retreat is scheduled, and training will resume at Viola Park throughout the week. For now, Paolo Vanoli remains Fiorentina`s coach until Sunday`s match against Cremonese at the Franchi stadium. After that, everything will depend on Fabio Paratici, who is soon to become the club’s technical area director.
Although the focus at Viola Park remains on the players` responsibilities, Vanoli`s position is tenuous. The results speak for themselves, mirroring the struggles of his predecessor, Stefano Pioli (Vanoli’s average points per game is 0.71, compared to Pioli’s 0.40). Furthermore, some of Vanoli’s decisions have been questioned, such as the baffling introduction of Fortini at halftime in the last match. Most critically, the team continues to show character defects, playing with evident fear and collapsing immediately after the first negative incident.
The Candidates and Paratici`s Dilemma
Paratici will immediately face a crucial choice. On one hand, he could confirm Vanoli or replace him with a quick-fix interim coach, such as Beppe Iachini. This approach would be aimed solely at achieving survival, delaying the start of a new, long-term project until next summer.
The alternative is a clear, radical, and challenging choice: identifying a high-profile manager with whom to start building the future Fiorentina immediately, without losing any time in the desperate race for survival. This second option presents two main problems: financially, the club is already carrying the significant burden of the three-year contract previously granted to Pioli; and strategically, it is difficult to find a top coach willing to take on the club`s current predicament.
It is therefore possible that Paratici will first sound out Pioli regarding his availability to return. Should Pioli refuse, he would necessarily have to agree to a contract resolution, allowing the club to mitigate financial losses. Among the plausible names for a high-profile appointment are Paulo Sousa (who previously managed the Viola from 2015 to 2017, gained relegation battle experience with Salernitana in 2023, and currently coaches Shabab Al-Ahli in Dubai) and Thiago Motta (who is still under contract with Juventus).
It will not be easy for Paratici to find the right person, and crucially, to persuade them to accept this difficult challenge.
