Fiorentina's Nightmare on 100th Anniversary: Frosinone Spoils the Party

Instead of a celebration, it was a night of nightmares. On their centenary match and evening, Fiorentina crumbled under Frosinone's attacks and left the field to a chorus of boos. Alvini, after 18 attempts with Cremonese, secured his first Serie A victory. At Fiorentina, nothing seems to have changed from a year ago. The championship has just begun, but it's already an uphill battle for Fabio Grosso: last place, 0 points, 0 ideas, 0 goals scored, and a staggering 7 conceded after the 4 they let in against Roma. "We wanted to do justice to the spectacle of our fans, but unfortunately, we were too light and fragile, and the whistles are deserved," said the Viola coach. "I asked the lads to raise their level, to be more ferocious because in Serie A, no one waits for you. Paintings are useless without a wall to hang them on. We need to question ourselves. I am worried about the too many goals conceded."

Former Viola Stars Celebrate the Anniversary, but Defeat Arrives

No one in the Viola camp, despite numerous changes, imagined such a start. Not even the many illustrious former Viola players invited for the club's 100th anniversary, seated in the stands: Corvino, Ranieri, Prandelli, Terim, Batistuta, Rui Costa – who shared a heartfelt embrace, both warmly applauded and deeply missed – Toni, Mutu, Gilardino, Toldo, Baiano, Torricelli, Mareggini, Flachi, Ujfalusi, Adani, Dunga, and many others. Certainly not the fans either, who before the match put on another iconic display in the curva to honor this special birthday. Fiorentina, however, failed to repay them. Raimondo's goal that put Frosinone ahead was a painful blow, and Bracaglia's second goal was a knockout punch. The Viola team was not even fortunate; in a few minutes, they hit the post twice with former Madrid players Mastantuono and Valdepenas. At 0-0, Gudmundsson had a goal disallowed for offside. Palmisani made a good save on Atta's shot, but De Gea was equally effective against Monterisi. Grosso made five changes from the Roma match (introducing Jimenez, Pongraic, Valdepenas, Oulai, and Gudmundsson), but the problems in defense, inter-departmental communication, game creation, and attacking effectiveness remained. Frosinone is a team; Fiorentina is not.

And just a few days before the transfer window closes, the squad is still incomplete. With Kean (who was not even called up, with captain De Gea saying, "Whoever doesn't want to stay, leave") seemingly set for Como and his replacement yet to materialize – Zirkzee is proving difficult, and there's no response from Beto yet – Grosso found himself with no attacking substitutes, including wingers (Gnonto of Leeds is being rumored, alongside Torino's Njie). Thus, disheartened, he could only bring on three midfielders and two defenders. "I would have liked to have Kean, even for a short spell," admitted the Viola coach. "If God wills it, the market will end soon, and I am convinced we will complete the squad." In the meantime, Fiorentina continued to struggle in the second half, with Frosinone affording themselves the luxury of a third goal from their young striker Raimondo. "This victory is dedicated to Gianluca, a friend from Fucecchio who passed away," revealed Massimiliano Alvini. "The scoreline is wider than we deserved; we've improved compared to the loss against Juventus." It was a dark night for Fiorentina. And the 100th-anniversary show at the end of the game, with video greetings from Bove, a remembrance of Astori, the parade of former players and academy children, and light shows, felt like a discordant note. What a shame.