Fiorentina return to the Ferraris with the international break behind them and a chance to give their season a different direction. Friday’s meeting with Genoa opens Serie A’s sixth round, but it already carries the weight of a match between two sides trying to move away from the lower reaches of the table.
Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa are still waiting for their first league victory. Fiorentina, meanwhile, have gathered four points from five matches under Paolo Vanoli after he replaced Fabio Grosso, whose three games ended in three defeats.
Vanoli’s first two results have brought a win in Venice and a home draw against Napoli. Eleven months ago he made his debut at the same ground, although little else now resembles that occasion.
Quick facts
- Genoa host Fiorentina in the opening match of Serie A’s sixth round.
- De Rossi’s Genoa have not yet won this league season.
- Fiorentina have four points after five rounds, compared with four after ten at the same stage last season.
- Vanoli has overseen a victory against Venezia and a draw with Napoli since taking charge.
- Fiorentina have been unbeaten in 12 of their last 13 Serie A matches under Vanoli.
- The club conceded 12 goals in its difficult opening to the campaign.
The four-point return has eased the mood in Florence, particularly after last season’s late escape from relegation trouble. The intention now is to look higher than survival, with a European place the longer-term ambition in the club’s centenary year.
Vanoli has encouraged a more adventurous approach, with Fiorentina expected to continue in the 4-2-3-1 used against Venezia and Napoli. The system offers greater attacking variety, with Franco Mastantuono and Pedro Gonçalves among the players asked to provide imagination behind the striker.
Pellegrino appears to be ahead of Beto for the central attacking role. Behind him, Gonçalves is in line to fill the space left by Atta, who remains unavailable.
The Portuguese forward arrived after scoring close to 100 goals for Sporting Lisbon and used the international break to work towards full fitness. Njie is expected on the left and Mastantuono on the right, despite the Argentine having completed only one full training session after returning from international duty.
Vanoli explained that Mastantuono has followed a carefully managed recovery plan and praised the youngster’s attitude. “Franco is young and recovers quickly from exertion,” the coach said. “He has impressed me with how disciplined he has been.”
Mastantuono arrives in Genoa after receiving his Argentina call-up and scoring his first international goal. His former River Plate team-mates have also reminded him of Genoa’s links with Boca Juniors, as well as De Rossi’s time with the Buenos Aires club.
Vanoli would settle for a more immediate contribution: Mastantuono’s fourth goal of the season. Gnonto is being kept ready as an alternative on either flank, bringing a more defensive option when required.
The Fiorentina coach has stressed that flexibility will matter at the Ferraris. “For me, they are all starters,” he said. “Some come on earlier, others later. Everyone must be ready for a very difficult match in Genoa.”
In midfield, Fagioli and Ndour are expected to continue as the established pairing, with Oulai available from the bench. The main defensive decision concerns the left side, where Valdepenas is slightly ahead of Viery.
Ranieri and Dragusin should form the centre-back partnership, with Jimenez on the right. Their task is to give De Gea greater protection after the 12 goals Fiorentina have conceded so far.
Vanoli has not treated that record as cause for alarm. He has projected calm ahead of a demanding fixture, aware that his young squad must still reduce the lapses and uneven spells that have marked the opening weeks.
There is nevertheless a broader rebuilding effort behind the match. Sporting director Fabio Paratici and the ownership sanctioned 13 summer arrivals, seeking a clean break from the side that survived only at the end of last season.
A return to Europe is the principal hope, while the Coppa Italia is also viewed as a realistic target within the club. First, however, Fiorentina must show in Genoa that the post-break period can become the true beginning of their campaign.
