Why resurgent Fiorentina could be Serie A’s next title challengers

Viola are targeting European football next term

Off the field, the past six weeks have been incredibly tough for the fans and players of Fiorentina – following the tragic passing of club captain Davide Astori. But on the pitch, they’re on the way to being one of Serie A’s strongest sides.

No side can match Viola for form at present. Stefano Pioli’s men have won six games on the spin, conceding a single goal in the process.

With sixth-placed Fiorentina now just two points outside the European spots, the Coral News Team look at why they could be genuine title challengers next term…

Superb backline and a working system

The backbone of Fiorentina’s recent success lies in one of the league’s most well-balanced centre-back pairings.

A bit-part player for much of the season, Vitor Hugo has taken over a regular role, and quickly built a strong understanding with German Pezzella. The pair are both powerful and robust players, with an intelligent reading of the game.

They’ve left the creative parts of the game to the men on the flanks – namely left-back Cristiano Biraghi. He’s bagged three assists this term and netted the winner against Chievo Verona which started the current winning run.

Part of their impressive defensive record has coincided with a shift from the 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 systems they’ve played for much of the campaign to a current 4-3-2-1 with two holding midfielders.

They’re a match for any of the European pack

The main issue for Viola over much of this campaign has been consistency. The points they have dropped have often been against the league’s lesser lights. Two of their nine league losses in 31 games have come at the hands of sides currently in the relegation zone.