Fiorentina are currently in 16th place in the Serie A standings, separated from 18th-place Lecce on goal difference, and are in a real relegation battle.
Despite finishing in the top eight in their last four Serie A campaigns and making two Conference League appearances in 2023 and 2024, La Viola haven’t been able to replicate such feats this season.
La Viola started their Serie A campaign with a 6-7 record, which eventually stretched to a 15-game winless streak. That was the first time it had happened since December 1970 to April 1971, which is one of the worst records in their 100-year history.
How exactly did all these problems erupt for La Viola?
Raffaele Palladino Steps Down!
On May 25th, 2025, Fiorentina confirmed in an official statement that Raffaele Palladino had left by mutual consent.
However, GOAL believed it was a result of a feud between manager Raffaele Palladino and sporting director Daniele Prade.
In his interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in September, he (Raffaele Palladino) had this to say: “I see football as a puzzle; all the pieces have to fit together for it to work. I’m proud of the work we did in Florence, but the conditions for us to move forward together were no longer there. Our ideas and visions were too different.”
This interview statement kind of supports Goal’s narrative that he left because of the strain on his relationship with the sporting director, Daniele Prade.
Raffaele Palladino was hired as the manager of Fiorentina in June 2024, replacing Vincenzo Italiano.
Palladino’s tactical impact was also a huge reason for why his tenure was successful, as he was a highly tactical, dynamic manager, often switching between the back three and the back four setup and getting the best out of players like Moise Keane, who finished second in the top goalscoring charts, and Nicolò Fagioli, who was also crucial to their campaign, whilst players like Gosens, Adli, De Gea and Mandragora were also integral.
During Raffaele Palladino’s time at the club, he guided Fiorentina to 6th place, their highest finish in 9 years, and to the UEFA Conference League semi-finals, where they were knocked out by finalists Real Betis despite reaching the finals in the previous two campaigns.
Pioli Turned Villain?
Shortly after Raffaele Palladino’s resignation, a few names were considered for the managerial role, including Daniele De Rossi, Stefano Pioli, and Alberto Gilardino, and Caughtoffside had also tipped Francesco Farioli as a possible replacement.
However, Stefano Pioli was appointed the permanent manager of La Viola, as he had previously coached the club from July 2017 to April 2019. The Italian is also a Serie A winner, winning the league with AC Milan in 2021.
His (Pioli’s) first stint at the club was marked by leadership and composure, and he also led the club to an 8th-place finish with a relatively young squad, getting the best out of players like Federico Chiesa, who burst onto the scene during that period.
Stefano Pioli’s second stint was relatively unsuccessful, as he failed to manage a single league during his four-month managerial stint at the club. Pioli averaged 1.14 points per game in all competitions, which is the lowest points tally average in his top-flight managerial career.
His (Pioli’s) stint eventually came to an abrupt end after a 1:0 home defeat at the hands of fellow relegation battlers Lecce, and he was immediately shown the exit. Pioli just managed just four points in 10 games at the club and was very justifiably shown the exit for a club of Fiorentina’s stature.
Unidentified Identity under Pioli
On several occasions, Fiorentina lacked a clear identity and structure, were uninspiring, and lost all of their big Serie A games under Pioli this season.
A number of times they’ve been unrecognisable, filled with wasteful attackers and a sloppy midfield; you could barely make out what the team was trying to create, like both games against Como and Pisa, where they failed to create a single big chance in those games.
Fiorentina conceded 16 league goals, with an expected goals figure of 17.12, in their first 10 games under Pioli, suggesting an unclear defensive structure and disorganisation.
The identity of the unidentified player has led to players like David de Gea, who was one of Fiorentina’s standout players last season; Moise Kean, who had the second-most goals in Serie A last season; and Albert Guðmundsson performing below expectations this season.
An argument can be made that this was the team’s reaction to how surprised they were by Raffaele Palladino’s departure, who they all held deep respect for, which could be a factor in why they never really bought into the idea of Stefano Pioli.
Poor Recruitment
La Viola spent €91.59m on players like Roberto Piccoli, Albert Gudmundsson, Simon Sohm, Nicolò Fagioli, Jacopo Fazzini, Robin Gosens, Tariq Lamptey, Jack Harrison and a few others.
This recruitment hasn’t aged well, and according to the Guardian, the then sporting director, Daniele Pradè, shortly before he left his job, had this to say: “The club put €90m at my disposal to build the team,” he pointed out last month. “If anyone is responsible for the current situation, it’s me.”
Pradè was trying to shield Pioli from the mess as labelled by the Guardian, and, in my opinion, also admitted that he had not assembled a proper squad with the €91.59m spent in the 2025/2026 season.
Players like Roberto Piccoli have failed to deliver, scoring only two league goals in Serie A this season in 10 starts and 23 appearances, despite being the highest-paid player in the transfer window, coming in for €25.00m from Cagliari.
Simon Sohm, who was the second-highest-paid player coming in at €15.00m from Parma, barely played for Fiorentina, lasting only six months and moving on loan to Bologna until the end of the season.
Redemption Under Paolo Vanoli?
Since Vanoli took over the Serie A giants, there have been some positives and some stability, and he has managed to take them out of the relegation zone, but they still remain in a battle for survival.
One of the things Paolo Vanoli did was to tweak the tactical formation, entirely ditching the back-three system for a more structured back four, which saw him get La Viola their first league win of the season in his sixth attempt and has resulted in only three defeats in their last 10 games.
Website: Sharemytactics
The winter transfer window has also played a part in the decent run of form, with players like Manor Solomon providing quality offensive width with his playmaking, passing and high pressing, which is a key ingredient for the survival battle. Jack Harrison, arriving from Leeds United, hasn’t hit the ground running just yet, but has been decent, as has Daniele Rugani, who brings calmness and Serie A experience to the squad.
In his (Vanoli) interview with DAZN Italia, in the build-up to the Milan game, when asked about the direction of the club, he said, “We’ve figured out where we are, the situation, and how to get out of it. We need to be united; it’s a long road. We’re having a bit more consistency.”
This has been building at the club and has translated into players like Moise Kean scoring in his last three games out of four. Players like Fagioli and Albert Gudmundsson have also been pivotal for the Italian giants in recent form.
Final Thoughts…
Fiorentina’s story this season has reminded us how quickly this can change, from a sixth-place finish last season to relegation battlers, with one of the league’s worst win rates at 19%, only ahead of Pisa and Verona.
Despite these negative stats and records, there is still huge optimism around the club about staying in Serie A, and they are still active in the European Conference League and would fancy their chances in that competition.
At the end of the day, La Viola are actually too good to go down in terms of their squad and financial resources; however, you cannot write off other teams like Lecce and Cremonese pulling off an upset, and it’ll be interesting to see how things unfold from here.