David de Gea declared on his first day with Fiorentina that he aimed to "make history" with the club. Just three months later, it's arguable that he has already achieved that goal. The Viola secured their seventh straight Serie A victory on Sunday, defeating Como 2-0 away from home. This feat has only been matched once before in the club's history, back in 1960. De Gea's contributions have been pivotal. The Spanish goalkeeper secured his fifth clean sheet against Como, a record unmatched by any other keeper since his league debut on September 15th. His performance has been nothing short of remarkable, especially considering the challenges he faced.
Fiorentina were clinging to a 1-0 lead at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia when Edoardo Goldaniga controlled a long ball and shot from six yards out. De Gea blocked the initial attempt with his knee and then deflected Federico Barba's follow-up with his shin, quickly recovering to punch the ball away before any player could capitalize on the second rebound. Como's manager, and De Gea's former international teammate, Cesc Fàbregas, remarked, "I haven't seen a save like that in years." Fiorentina's fans debated whether it was even the best save they had seen him make in their colors. De Gea's heroics continued, including saving a pair of penalties and numerous other shots during the 2-1 win over Milan last month, which kickstarted this seven-game winning streak.
Who could have predicted this level of performance from a player who had been out of football for over a year after being released by Manchester United in 2023? De Gea was presumed to be easing into retirement, though he has stated, "I never thought about that. It was just hard to find motivation for a new chapter after 12 years at a top club." Despite this, he maintained his fitness through one-on-one training sessions with a goalkeeping coach and playing padel, but the transition to competitive action was significant. De Gea conceded three goals in his actual Fiorentina debut, a Europa Conference League qualifier at home against Puskás Akadémia. The signs for the season were not promising at that point. Fiorentina barely edged past the Hungarian side, needing a penalty shootout after drawing both legs. They managed only one other win in their first nine competitive matches under new manager Raffaele Palladino.
However, Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, has since become a city where football careers are rejuvenated. If De Gea's form has been extraordinary, so too has that of Moise Kean, who failed to score in 20 games for Juventus last season but has netted 12 goals in 15 for Fiorentina, including a stunning strike against Como. The team's overall improvement, along with the emergence of new talents like 19-year-old center-back Pietro Comuzzo, is largely due to Palladino's adaptability. He started the season with a back three and a high press but shifted to a compact 4-2-3-1 after initial struggles. The focus is now on maintaining a solid shape that is difficult to penetrate and allows for quick transitions. Palladino's approach is not rigid; Fiorentina reverted to a back three in the second half against Como to counter the opponents' use of width. Above all, Palladino seems well-attuned to his players' strengths and weaknesses, constructing systems that maximize their potential.
Certainly, Palladino is not one to coddle his players. After Sunday's game, when asked about the secret to Kean's strong performances, he replied, "Moise didn't play his best game today, technically, and I've already spoken to him about it. Obviously, everyone outside just sees his goal." Maintaining a grounded perspective is crucial. When Palladino was appointed to replace Vincenzo Italiano this summer, the question was whether he could fill the shoes of a man who led the team to consecutive Europa Conference League finals, not whether he could mount a Serie A title challenge. Fiorentina are neither minnows nor set up to compete at the pinnacle of the table. Their wage bill ranks seventh in the division and is less than half the size of Inter or Juventus's. Yet, with more than a third of the season completed, Fiorentina are one of four teams sitting just one point behind league leaders Napoli, with a plus-17 goal difference that ties them for second-best in the division.
As Alex Frosio noted in Monday's La Gazzetta dello Sport, "It's like the theory about bumblebees. Fiorentina aren't structurally built for flying, but they don't care and do it anyway." Perhaps the next game, at home against Inter, will serve as a reality check. "The lads are very ambitious," said Palladino. "We need to be ambitious, and we also need to understand that this is a peculiar league this season, with many teams in difficulty, numerous managerial changes, and so many teams that haven't yet found their rhythm. We know this. What we need to take from that is not to feel stronger than we are. We are a team that needs to work, stay focused, train hard with a spirit of sacrifice and teamwork... Then, maybe down the line, we'll look at the table and set objectives."
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
