Fiorentina enter the international break with a problem that cannot be hidden by the early promise of Paolo Vanoli’s second spell: the goals against have arrived too easily. Five league matches have produced 12 concessions, a total that leaves the Viola with the second weakest defensive record in the division, ahead only of Venezia on 13.
The coach and the club
Vanoli’s immediate task is to turn a collection of players into a functioning side. The club’s ambition is to reach the top half of the table as soon as possible and then assess what may follow, but that route begins with a far firmer defensive foundation around David de Gea.
At the current rate, Fiorentina would allow 91.2 goals across a 38-match season. It is an alarming projection, shaped by the heavy defeat in Rome, two goals conceded at home to both Frosinone and Torino, another two at Venezia, and Lewis Gilmour’s goal last weekend.
There were encouraging individual signs against Napoli, particularly from Radu Dragusin, while De Gea also responded after being drawn into the scrutiny surrounding the opening run. Yet Vanoli’s concern goes beyond any one defender or goalkeeper. He must establish the shared instincts, positioning and concentration that make a defensive unit dependable.
A team still learning its moments
The defensive issue has not belonged solely to the back line. Fiorentina’s forwards and midfielders have also made poor decisions without the ball, while isolated lapses have repeatedly carried a high cost. Vanoli has stressed that his side still struggle to understand the different phases of a match, a familiar issue for a group that has not yet become a true team.
- The collapse in Rome set the damaging tone.
- Frosinone and Torino each scored twice in Florence.
- At Venezia, a lost ball while playing out led to Hainaut making it 4-2.
- Gilmour was then left free near the penalty spot from a corner after Mastantuono failed to track him.
Mastantuono has otherwise been among the most praised figures of this period, but those two episodes underline the wider point. At Venezia, his error in possession opened the way for Hainaut’s strike. Last weekend, he did not make the recovery run from the corner, leaving Gilmour unmarked. Such moments have fed the sense of a side lacking collective discipline rather than merely suffering from defective defending.
The numbers behind the concern
The raw total of 12 goals becomes more striking beside the expected-goals figure. Fiorentina’s opponents have accumulated 6.64 xG over the five rounds, meaning the Viola have conceded close to twice as many goals as the quality of chances would normally indicate.
A five-game sample remains small, and finishing by opponents is unlikely to remain so far above expectation indefinitely. Nevertheless, the gap also puts De Gea’s early performances under examination, even if his display against Napoli offered a measure of correction.
Vanoli is using the pause chiefly to work with his defenders, but the solution must involve the whole side. His principles are balance, running for a team-mate and sustained focus: simple requirements, yet ones Fiorentina have too often lacked since his return. The next chapter of their season depends on making them habits rather than instructions.
