A very important weekend awaits Luciano Spalletti and Juventus. Given that there are only two more weekends left in the 2025-26 season, they are all important these days. But with two matches against teams Juventus consider huge rivals, there will potentially be plenty of intensity on the field as Spalletti’s team looks to seal Champions League qualification and prevent a massive (extreme) late-season upset.
Juventus is one of five fixtures which will start slightly earlier than the usual lunchtime window on Sunday, with Fiorentina – now safe from any sort of relegation threat that has hung over Franchi for months – making their way to Turin for the Bianconeri’s final home game of the season.
With La Viola taking to the Allianz Stadium field this weekend, it’s only right that we bring back our best friend Tito for another round of questions about his favorite team, who luckily for him will not be relegated to Serie B this season. It hasn’t been an easy season for Mr. Tito, but he’s such a nice guy that he decided to take some time out for us to discuss some of the things that have happened over the last nine months that have led Fiorentina to one of their worst seasons in a very long time.
So let’s not wait any longer.
Here’s our conversation with the head of Viola Nation and a nice guy named Tito.
DP: Tito, Tito, Tito… It’s that time of the season again when you come to your other favorite SB Nation blog and chat with us. Sounds exciting, right? I’m guessing that’s almost as exciting as seeing this Fiorentina season actually end.
So, because of that, I want to ask you something: if you had to compare this Fiorentina season to something, what would it be? Pretend for a minute (or longer) that I’m a dummy and link it to something I know about instead of calcio words.
Vaccines: Well, Danny, you’re a cat man. Some people may also call the cat daddy. Of course, I wouldn’t go that far, but some people are saying so. Imagine for a moment that you have a cat that has been leaving a dead mouse somewhere inside your house once or twice a week for the last 9 months. You don’t know where the mouse is. Sometimes it is creatively hidden. Sometimes it takes days to find it, sometimes it happens quickly, it’s right there on your pillow.
Luckily, in this metaphor that’s actually in the process of getting away from me, your local vet knows a pet hypnotist and he’s got an appointment for you in a couple of weeks. Until then, you’ll just have to deal with the rats’ corpses. Does it make it better? Not necessary. I mean, a dead rat is a dead rat, even if you know it’s the last dead rat of the season. You can’t wait for this whole episode to be over.
Yes, this metaphor really escapes me. Apologize. I can only claim Fiorentina-induced psychosis from watching this team all year.
DP: So, the natural follow-up question seems obvious: what Is What has it been like watching this Fiorentina season, knowing that relegation was a distinct possibility for the vast majority of it until just a few weeks ago?
Vaccines: Fiorentina’s mathematically safe but spiritually speaking, this team deserves to be demoted. Do you remember that autumn when your friend Max Allegri named his Champions League contenders and ignored Fiorentina? Stefano Pioli made it a point to write on a white board in the dressing room as motivation, which is like a washcloth being mad that it is not considered a candidate for drying the Pacific Ocean.
Anyway, it’s been stressful, man. Besides the horror of being stuck in real demotion for the first time in nearly a decade, there are many attendant fears. For one thing, not many teams in the drop zone face midweek European games. Don’t get me wrong: the prospect of being demoted to the Conference League and winning was nice, but it was also physically and emotionally exhausting for everyone involved. Oh, and that exile? This would mean spending the club’s 100th anniversary in Serie B, which is too much of an insult to even imagine.
There is also the added stress of the renovation of the Stadio Artemio Franchi, which generates unexpected expenses on a monthly basis and gives the broadcast and matchday experience a real tinpot feel. Throw in the organizational chaos of losing 3 of the highest ranking back room personalities (Rocco Commisso, Joe Barone and Daniel Prade) in the same year as well as 2 head coaches in a matter of months and the stress of a potential sale in the wake of the owner’s demise and you get a unique cocktail of sadness that is truly a fitting symbol for any Viola season.
DP: And yet, despite the relegation battle being 100% real and having nothing to serve as a cheeky joke in your writing for a few weeks, Fiorentina still made it to the Conference League quarter-finals! Admit it, you’ll miss that competition, right? Even though you and I both know that you will not miss that difficult time of Thursday-Sunday.
Vaccines: I’m a big fan of the Conference League and that hasn’t changed. I find the highest level of ultra-optimization boring: every team is trying to be either PSG or Arsenal. Stylistic monoculture doesn’t do it for me. I know it makes me sound like a hipster (is that a term that applies post-2016?) and maybe I am, but the quirks and weird ideals you find in the third tier of European competition make the game very close to the game I play with my 30-plus players.
Not to get too philosophical, but I get more enjoyment from a game I can connect with on a personal level. When you get to the best clubs on the continent, I feel like playing FIFA.
So yes, I will miss it. There are always strange things going on in the Conference League, even if in the cruel world of Calcio Moderno, it’s not worth the trouble. In this age of efficiency over style, excess and stupidity are being squeezed out and I’ll find them wherever I can. Although I certainly wouldn’t mind making up an excuse as to why I’m not available every Thursday at 9am or for a few hours in the afternoon.
DP: But let me guess, you won’t miss this Fiorentina at all, right? You might not be exactly excited for the World Cup despite being in one of the host cities, but I’m guessing these are the 180 minutes you can’t wait for to become a thing of the past and then officially relive everything that happened this Fiorentina season once and for all.
Vaccines: I have seen bad Fiorentina teams. But even those bad teams had a spark. There were funny players or funny moments (Patrick Cutrone celebrating a goal by stealing Beppe Iachini’s cap, it’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen on the pitch). This group is so lacking in entertainment or character that I can’t believe it.
And come on, look at the rooster! Moise Kean transformed himself into Serie A’s biggest heel last year, powerbombing every pathetic loser who dared oppose him through the molten core of the earth. Dodo is small and always smiling. Fabiano Parisi is the king of rats. Rolando Mandragora sometimes scores from the parking spot. This should be a good and fun team and it just isn’t. Of all the terrible Fiorentina (Fiorentina? Fiorentina?) I’ve seen, none has left me as empty as this one.
So, to answer your question, yes man. I’m so ready for these 180 minutes to be over.
DP: So does this mean that there is anything – like Anything – Are you happy with this season? Is there any reason why Juventus supporters should be concerned about how Fiorentina might play other than their general hatred of the Bianconero?
Vaccines: The only thing that brings me joy as a Fiorentina fan is the knowledge that someday the exploding sun will swallow this cold, lifeless planet and leave no trace of it in a careless universe.
Fiorentina have done a good job over the last few years of getting their bodies off the ground and raising their level to meet Juve (e.g. 1-1 in the reverse fixture). As stated, this team is apparently already on vacation. The lack of intensity over the past month has been surprising; Even when relegation was still a mathematical possibility, the players were being outplayed in every game, trusting that Cremonese and company were so stupid that the results would not matter. I’m honestly a little upset that they were proven right.
Anyway, I don’t think the team is going to try any harder for the fans on civic pride or any other basis. For one thing, Fiorentina fans are still banned from away games after clashing with their Roma counterparts on a highway outside Turin earlier this year. The tifosi, who have been incredibly supportive of the team despite all its recent setbacks, have made it clear that they also find the level of effort unacceptable. The players have said all the right things, but their actions belie their words.
Dr. This team sucks and has shown no intention of doing so for weeks
DP: Prediction for this weekend? Dare I even ask?
Vaccines: realistically? Possibly something like a 3-0 routine in which Juve never gets out of second gear. Goals for Vlahovic (of course), Bremner (Fiorentina’s set piece defense is brutal) and someone really strange. Openda, perhaps? Any Primavera kid given a last-minute debut? David De Gea will make some good saves and everyone else will cheek by jowl.
Since I’m committed to this, though, I’ll be making the same 1-2 Fiorentina win prediction I write in virtually every match preview. The Viola would open the scoring when a seagull would pounce on the ball with its beak and drop it into the net over Michele Di Gregorio’s head. Vlahovic would score (of course) as Juve pushed everyone forward but De Gea would stand on his head and keep them out with 8 shots from the woodwork before a small meteor hit the pitch, forcing the game to be abandoned. However, footage of the incident would show that the impact bounced the ball into the Bianconeri net and the FIGC would retroactively count the goal and declare Fiorentina the winners.
And this is the most realistic scenario for an away win that I can imagine. Danny, it’s been a bad year.
DP: This means a lot to someone who has watched Fiorentina’s entire season. And because of that, we’ll end things right there. Tito, as always, we thank you for stopping by.
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