BatiGol Weekly 78: All my rage

Fiorentina have won their past two matches, including one over their rivals. Pantaleo Corvino is building a club more lasting than bronze by buying promising young players who are doubtless going to pay dividends down the road. Carlos Sanchez has been reborn as a world-class defender after spending his entire career as an adequate but unremarkable midfielder. Federico Chiesa is starting to spread his wings, and Federico Bernardeschi has his plumage on display as one of the brightest talents in Italy. Everything’s pretty dang good, all things considered. So why am I so angry when I think of Fiorentina?

Well, for plenty of reasons. The past is a good start. I’m still mad about Tom Henning Ovrebo screwing the Viola out of a win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, courtesy of the Arjen Robben Diving Revue. I’m mad about the ignominious exits of players like Adem Ljajic and Mohamed Salah and Joaquin and Manuel Pasqual, for various reasons. I’m mad that Gonzalo Rodriguez will be joining that list soon. I’m mad that Paulo Sousa can’t get this team to string together a solid month. I’m mad that the Della Valles won’t invest their entire savings in this team to challenge for the Serie A title every season.

So even now, when everything is coming up Viola, hang onto that rage. Treasure it. Build a shelter for it and gently fan it, keeping the embers at a pleasing glow. Then, when you need to summon it, add a bit of fuel and blow on that coal and watch the ensuing conflagration that you never could have had without that fury. Because, as we all know, something’s going to go very wrong soon, and we may as well get ourselves ready for it.

Latest news

Wow, that’s a lot of transfer rumors. Good thing we’ve rounded them all up here.

Hey, did you hear that Fiorentina absolutely whomped Juventus? No? Well, then, educate yourself.

And as if that weren’t enough, the Viola donkey-stomped Chievo Verona next. Good times.

And don’t forget that Fiorentina travel to Naples for a Coppa Italia date with Napoli, whom they should have beaten just before the holidays.

Comment of the week

I got super far into the weeds last week and didn’t do a BatiGol Weekly and now there are too damn many really really good comments for me to pick one. So instead I’m copping out and saying that every single dang one of you gets the comment of the week.

That’s it for this edition of BGW. Let’s get reasonably rowdy for Napoli tomorrow, and maybe also get rowdy for Genoa over the weekend.