Fiorentina’s 3-1 defeat at Como was too untidy to be reduced to one missed chance or one disputed decision. The Viola found a goal, struck the woodwork and repeatedly reached dangerous positions, yet they left Lombardy with another loss and a season increasingly shaped by the same old fragilities.
A match full of openings, but no control
There was enough incident at the Stadio Sinigaglia for the afternoon to have taken several different directions. Fiorentina produced six clear opportunities, had a further goal disallowed after a video review and felt Como’s opening goal should not have stood because of an apparent foul on Goncalves in the build-up.
Como, however, were just as threatening, creating seven notable chances and converting three of them. A high-scoring draw would not have been implausible; 3-3 or even 4-4 would have reflected the looseness of the contest. Instead, Como were the side who found the decisive moments.
- Fiorentina scored once, hit the post and created six clear chances.
- One Viola effort was ruled out after a review.
- Como scored three times from seven significant opportunities.
- Nico Paz headed in Como’s second goal after Valle was allowed space to cross.
- Como made it 3-1 in the 56th minute.
The concern for Paolo Vanoli was not simply the scoreline. After the third Como goal, Fiorentina faded for more than 20 minutes before producing a late response. In a side already short of confidence, that lapse carried its own warning.
A season pattern is becoming harder to ignore
The Como defeat did not arrive in isolation. It followed another setback at Marassi, a long run of poor results at the Franchi and a slide towards the foot of the table. Fiorentina have four points and sit second from bottom, only one point above Venezia.
The defensive numbers are even more troubling. Fiorentina have conceded 17 goals in seven league matches, the worst record in Serie A. At the same point last season, they had allowed seven fewer goals, despite defensive concerns already being discussed then.
That context gives the next fixture an uncomfortable weight: Fiorentina are due to visit Inter at San Siro on Sunday. The club’s supporters are also fearful of reliving the struggles of last season, with the current campaign beginning to take on a familiar shape.
Vanoli’s system faces a test
Vanoli has used three attacking creators behind Pellegrino, both at Marassi, where Oulai operated as an attacking midfielder in place of Goncalves, and again against Como. The arrangement has offered moments of invention, but it has left Fiorentina exposed whenever possession is lost.
With only two central midfielders protecting the side, opposition attacks have found room quickly after turnovers. The defence has then been left under pressure, particularly from aerial deliveries; Como’s Douvikas and his team-mates regularly found opportunities in the air.
The balance is also affecting Mastantuono. The Argentine has been asked to work the entire flank, a demand that can drain his sharpness when Fiorentina reach the final third. On Como’s second goal, he was unable to get back with Valle, who crossed freely for Paz’s header.
- Fagioli, Ndour and Brescianini are Fiorentina’s available specialist midfield options.
- Oulai has moved in and out of the side without establishing a settled role.
- Atta has not played since 20 September, and Fiorentina have yet to see his best form in Florence.
- A return for Atta could offer Vanoli an additional option and a route towards greater balance.
The need for a new foundation
A switch of shape would be easier with a genuine holding midfielder, an absence that has become increasingly visible. Adding another player in midfield could protect the back line and allow Mastantuono to operate closer to the central striker, or behind a front two, rather than repeatedly covering deep wide areas.
Como also field creative players, but their structure has greater physical security. Martin Baturina and, above all, Paz offer a different presence to Fiorentina’s lighter attacking profiles such as Goncalves and Mastantuono.
For Fiorentina, the issue is no longer whether there is talent in the side. The opportunities created in Como showed that. The challenge is to build a structure that survives the moments when the first pass is lost and the match begins to run away from them. With Inter next, Vanoli may have to begin that reconstruction immediately.
