Would like to hear some opinions, this is my first thread so here goes... From following Fiorentina more closely the last 2 seasons, it's clear they have the talent to push on and improve a la Roma. They have the basis of a great team, with Gonzalo, Cuadrado, Valero, Rossi & Gomez the standout players, and an adaptable young coach. At the moment the low budget squad plays impressive football and is overachieving but performances seem to deteriorate in the second half of the season due to lack of squad depth/ injuries/ an ageing squad. 4th two seasons in a row is a great achievement nevertheless. The Coppa Italia would be great progress, but what exactly is needed to break into the CL?
We have more points now than we had at this point last season so a lot of it is just about timing. I think we're the third best side this season (better than Napoli) but we didn't get the calls and Gomez' injury was the real killer. Not that I think that Gomez is better/more important than Rossi but we all knew Pepito would go down at some point. Neto is confident now and next year we should get more points just based on his improvement. I think we need another central midfielder as Pizarro is declining fast and another forward.
We had a lot of momentum until the injuries, maybe another decent striker to rotate and take the heat off Rossi & Gomez would help. Completely agree with the central midfielder, would like to see a pure defensive midfielder brought in (john obi mikel might be available). An experienced head in goal for Neto to learn from (like Reina and Rafael at Napoli) would be ideal. Do you know how our commercial prospects are looking compared to Roma, Napoli and the stripes?
CM/WINGERS/STRIKERS I agree with Nicky, we need a quality CM brought in. Also, although I would hate to see it happen, I think Cuadrado will be sold this summer to finance other moves. Without him and with the injury proneness of Gomez and Rossi I would like to see another quality winger brought in - I believe Romulo will also be sold. Joaquin is good, but he can't play a full 90 and he is well past his prime. I would love to see some guys we already have (Bakic, Wolski, Acosty, Vecino, Salifu, Iakovenko) prove themselves worthy of more playing time, but I'm not convinced with any of them. It looks like Iakovenko will stay with Malaga on a permanent basis when his loan ends. If we do sell Cuadrado I hope it's to Bayern and we get Shaqiri as a part exchange - I think he is better than he is currently playing for them. I don't think very highly of Anderson, though it looks like we are working on bringing him in on a permanent deal. I really don't think much of Matri, thank goodness it looks like he won't be back. It also looks like we will sell Romulo, Iakovenko and Ilicic which I think are good decisions. Bernardeschi has been playing well in Serie B and I would love for him to get the opportunity to play for us. Matos has also been a pleasant surprise. I don't know what to think of Rebic (he seems talented but has been hurt), Vargas has played much better than he has in years, I think Matigol will play more consistently next season, Valero is pure class, Aquilani is good, but I again agree with Nicky that Pizarro/Ambrosini should not be back. CB/LB/RB Now getting to the point, I think the defense needs a total rethink, Gonzalo is quality, Pascual is solid but aging, and while I really hope Alonso comes back and reclaims the RB position, we just don't have the depth to challenge in Serie A. Tomovic and Savic are good, and Hegazy seems to be quality but missed this year, while it seems Camporenese has been our rising star for years but can't get playing time for us. Roncaglia is garbage, I think De Silvestri will be bought by Samp at the end of his loan, and I honestly don't know what to think of Diakite. I think a solid centerback and wingback (left or right) should be on the cards. GK Finally, I want to point out that I was completely wrong about Neto. Prior to this season I was convinced he would be our weakest link for a Champions League push, but he has completely proven me wrong. I now think he has the potential to be one of the top 3 goalkeepers in Serie A in a year or two. It looks like we have already signed a solid long term backup/competitor for Neto in Tatarusanu from Steau Bucharest on a free, so I think we are set here. Lupatelli is fine as a #3, and I think Rosati will return to Napoli in the summer. SUMMARY Again like Nicky, I think we are a better team that our current place in the table. However, we do have an aging team and I would like to see some of them (especially in the middle) replaced. GK - No change (assuming Tatarusanu signs on a free this summer) LB/RB - Purchase for depth (+1), sell Roncaglia, Compper, and De Silvestri, and I think Cassani is out of contract. CB - Purchase for quality (+1) MF - Purchase for quality CM (+2 - one of these should be a holding MF), release/sell Ambrosini, Pizarro, Ilicic, and Anderson. Also decide on Bakic/Wolski/Vecino/Salifu - if they aren't going to be good enough, sell them. WINGERS - Purchase for quality (+1 - I am going to assume Cuadrado will be sold here). I think Shaqiri would be a good replacement for Cuadrado as far as quality goes, and some depth wouldn't hurt because I am not sold on Vargas/Rebic/Joaquin/Bernardeschi/Matos/Romulo as the other winger but we have enough of a logjam here that there are sure enough bodies. I think we sell Romulo and Iakovenko in the summer. STRIKER - purchase for depth (+1), most of our logjam at winger have been covering as a ST, but a solid backup would be better. I pray Matri isn't back, Zohore is too young, Babacar is having a decent season in Serie B, but I think he will be sold along with El Hamdaoui. Apologies, that turned into my personal season summary along with what I would do to improve the team.
Like dimaradona10, I'll also give my opinions for you guys. ST We have quality but not depth. Gomez & Rossis are obviously world class acts and hoping they stay injury free for next season we'll see one of the most lethal striker partnerships in Serie A. Matos has a lot of promise, he just needs playing time to build experience. Matri can go back to Milan, I don't think anyone will miss him. We can maybe look into buying another youngster along with a veteran striker to rotate between Gomez/Rossi/Matos during heavy schedules. LW/RW Of all the players, Cuadrado is really one that I pray stays. But with his price tag and the clubs scouting him, it would be too good to be true if he stayed. But I do also think that he's on the verge of being one of the best wingers in the world and I would hate to see him go. There are reports ManU want Cuadrado for a part deal with Nani. While Nani isn't a bad deal, he's not Cuadrado. I think another class winger would add a lot more to our attacks. CAM/CM/CDM Valero and Aquilani are class and need to stay, especially Valero. Pizarro and Ambro are losing their touch as they're both aging. Another class CM and a good CDM are the main things we need in midfield. Maybe Gomez can lure Khedira over from Madrid (rumours are we're inquiring about Khedira at Madrid) LB/CB/RB Gonzalo, Tomo and Pasqual are great. Roncaglia faded into the bench. A LB/RB who pushes up like Tomovic has done lately would be ideal but I think overall our defence is quite solid. GK Neto has impressed me the most this season, he's become a class keeper. Tatar will be a quality back up. But we don't need a new no1
Thanks for replying guys. From what i've seen of Alonso at sunderland, he pushes forward all the time and isn't that good defensively, and he doesn't have great pace, but he's very good on the ball. Diakite at sunderland was a complete donkey, physical but not with the brain to match, though tbf he hasn't done badly here. Realistically who is available in the summer for our budget? My favourites are Drmic or Benteke for striker and Mikel or Parolo for defensive midfielder (probably the most urgent areas). Also like Reinartz of Leverkusen.
Drmic went to Leverkusen Looks like a possible incoming though http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2014/05/fiorentina-begin-negotiations-with-atalanta-for-bonaventura/ Edit - @HuntKop can we have a summer 2014 transfer thread please? can't seem to be able to make one.