BatiGol Weekly 44: Incommensurate

This has been a season of disproportionate responses. A rocky beginning to the season had us questioning whether Paulo Sousa could handle the transition from Switzerland to Italy. Once he turned things around and Fiorentina ended up at the top of the standings for a couple of weeks while the rest of the league struggled, we began planning victory parades. A second-half skid saw us pillory management for refusing to buy adequate depth, even though this has always, always, always been the case for Fiorentina. So, now that the season's over and Fiorentina have, despite a lot of turmoil before the season, ended up in 5th place (more or less what we all predicted), what do we do now?

Hahahahaha I have no idea. Going back to the silver age Viola under Prandelli, there were always alternating periods of success and failure, usually as a result of a thin squad competing on multiple fronts. While Fiorentina never topped the league, the Champions League games against teams like Bayern Munich and Liverpool were pretty special and got us thinking that Fiorentina was about to take that last step into the global elite, but then crashed out in typically frustrating fashion. What I'm saying is that this has been Fiorentina's modus operandi since the Della Valles took over: sustained competence and the occasional glimpse of real greatness, but never anything approaching real excellence over the long term.

I'll be totally honest here. I was going to write something about the beauty of supporting a team that plays nice soccer being its own reward or something, but I've got a lot of training to do for work and I can't figure out what to say in the short window I've got here. Therefore, I humbly submit that you ought to draw your own conclusions about what this season means in the larger tapestry of liking Fiorentina and stuff, because I have no freaking clue.

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Latest news

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While not as emotionally wrenching, the news (check here) that Milan Badelj wants out is also a gut punch.

Here is our full report on and lamentations for Manuel Pasqual, who will be moving on at the end of the season.

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Comment of the week

Hat tip to Mike-R for encapsulating the spirit of this community perfectly.