Florence, 16 December 2025 – Fiorentina’s retreat continues at Viola Parkwith the team flying to Lausanne per the last match of the League Phase of the Conference League. Paradoxically, even a defeat can be okay to get through and go to the playoffs in February. In case of victory, one of the top eight places would be available, leading directly to the round of 16 in March. Finishing training is scheduled for the morning (10.30 am, first fifteen minutes open to the press), while in the evening – directly from the Stade de la Tuiliere – Paolo Vanoli will hold the usual pre-match press conference, imposed by UEFA, together with a footballer. This will also end the press silence that the club has proclaimed since Sunday evening, at the end of the match lost against Verona.
The players continue to prepare for their next matches, while the fans are studying initiatives to express their discontentwhich however is rampant on social media, the web and the radio. In the last two evenings, among other things, it has been an explosion of firecrackers was recorded near the perimeter fence of Viola Parkexplains a note from Ansa. On the occasion, on both evenings, unknown persons threw firecrackers inside the structure. No injuries were reported. The event is probably attributable to the recent football results achieved by the team. The police investigations are currently underway. But a strong stance is expected on Sunday, when Udinese arrive at the Franchi (6pm), in a match that theoretically (now it is right to say so) should be won to give back a minimum of hope to the people, now largely resigned to relegation to Serie B despite the fact that the first round has not even finished. However, there will be around 600 Viola supporters following the team in Lausanne. Tickets for the away section sold out in a few hours in the week that followed the Bergamo pact, when it seemed that the team wanted to draw vital energy from the unconditional support of its people.
On the technical front, the bench remains in the hands of Paolo Vanoli, probably at least until Sunday’s match against Udinese. The coach is accused of not having changed anything on a tactical level. The team had seemed stronger against Juventus and with 4-2-3-1 they did well in the second half against Dinamo Kiev. But the revival of the 3-5-2 against Verona (with the consequent readings on the substitutions) brought him into the spotlight too. At the moment he is not in danger of being sacked, but it is clear that if he were not to win even against Udinese the chances of a change would be very high. They range from the promotion of Galloppa to the return of Pioli (still under contract), up to the candidacies of coaches who are experts in saves such as Ballardini and Iachini. Meanwhile, talk continues about the entry into the company of a new managerand, which can help the current ones to get out of this very dramatic moment, sportingly speaking.
Alessandro Latini
