Do the Della Valle Brothers Actually Care?

For years, Fiorentina fans have been lulled into a false sense of security where the team does just well enough to break your heart and make you never want to watch football again until the next season. After a while you start to think about your relationship with the team and wonder “why do I keep coming back?” The heartache doesn’t change, your favorite players keep getting sold away, yet on the first day of the season you will be sitting on your couch, at the game, or just completely focused on the game even when you are working....(that last one may or may not be me). The point is we are hooked and cannot get away.

Luckily, we are not alone. Basically every other team in Serie A except for the evil empire of Juventus has fans that feel the same. As a fan, there are a few places that are easy to blame for the rocky relationship with our team. For instance most fans go right to the top and blame the owners of the team the Della Valle brothers. Other options are blaming the players, manager, and director of football Pantaleo Corvino. At the end of the day, they all have a bit of blame to share.

Going into this season there is actually a lot to be excited about. So maybe the Della Valle brothers do really care. In the past year, they were trying to sell the team because fans were in an uproar, but they also announced a plan to build a new stadium. They actually do care and want to put a successful product on the field whether they are a part of it or not. That actually should mean a lot to fans. They were going to sell the team, if there was someone that would be a better owner and take care of making the team better for the City of Florence. The new stadium is also a great way to show they care because they want to make it better for the fan experience in one of the greatest cities in the world (just my own opinion on how great Florence is).

The final reason to be excited for the season is that the team is looking stronger than it has in a while. The moves this offseason brought in players that should help Fiorentina get back into European football next season. Getting guys like Kevin Mirallis, Alban Lafont, Marko Pjaca, Gerson, and Edimilson Fernandes among others show that the team is taking this season seriously. When looking at this summer compared to the summer prior, it is night and day. This team is being set up to be a contender and nothing can be more exciting as a fan.

The excitement and the kind words for the Della Valles is all well and good. The problem is they can be doing just enough to break our hearts. This team is not set up to defeat Juventus in a season long battle and that is the absolute problem. I am excited for the season and will take whatever improvement the team has from last year, but it just isn’t enough. Being a fan is hard, but at least the team should finish slightly better than last season. If they can do well, maybe next summer the Della Valle brothers will continue to get top quality players and make the team the force we are all looking for.