Grazie, Beppe

It’s understandable to be a little sour about Beppe’s time at the club, but personally I am thankful for his time with us. Did we play swashbuckling football? No. Did we get back to playing in Europe? No. Did we end up getting relegated last season? NO! To me, the last of those questions is perhaps the most important. As Fiorentina fans we expect our team to play exciting football and challenge for European places year in and year out. That hasn’t happened for quite sometime and the team was drowning last year before COVID-19 halted the season in its tracks. Say what you want about his tactics or player selection, but he not only guided them to safety, but also a top 10 finish. After the disaster that was Montella’s second stint in charge I think pretty much any fan would’ve happily take a top 10 finish when Beppe was appointed in late-2019.

We can all agree he wasn’t perfect and sometimes his team choices were a bit head-scratching. For example, Duncan dominated in the opener against Torino and then immediately found himself on the bench for the next month or so. His tactics were outdated and he was often outcoached by other manager, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. He never had a true #9, lost his best player a day before the transfer window closed, and his captain has been out for the better part of the season. Not too many coaches could’ve done better with the obstacles he’s faced.

Unfortunately this is a results driven business and at the end of the day he just wasn’t bringing in those results. He did his job to right the ship last season, but he couldn’t pull the magic out again and was let go yesterday. We at VN want to thank him for his time and service to the club, we appreciate all of his effort. We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors and I am sure we will see him leading another team to Serie A very soon. Grazie, Beppe.

With that being said, I am extremely excited for the return of Cesare. However, I ask fans to be a bit patient with him and keep in mind this team isn’t the same one we had when he last coached. There is no Luca Toni, Gilardino, Pazzini, Mutu, etc. Cesare is doing us all a favor by taking over this club until we can find a long-term replacement and that is something to be admired. Cesare has always been a class act and his love for Firenze runs deep. He’s been fighting racism and homophobia in football for years and he’s exactly the man I want to get us back on the right track. It is definitely going to be rocky for a while so please don’t grow impatient. Don’t compare this go around with the first one because they couldn’t be more different between the team itself, but also current state of the world. This is going to be an fun rise, so buckle up and let’s go.

Welcome back Cesare, we’ve missed you! And so long, Beppe. We wish you every success!