The season before Vincenzo Italiano took the helm as Fiorentina manager was an agonizing one for the club as they spent much of it fighting the drop. Hardly had he begun the task of setting things right than top scorer, Dusan Vlahovic, was shipped off to Juventus in the January transfer window. Given these circumstances, few would’ve expected the seventh place finish he achieved with the club that season. Even fewer would’ve imagined that a season later Fiorentina would feature in two Cup finals. While they lost both, getting there remains a commendable feat.
Fiorentina played over 60 games this season, using more than 30 different players. The team would be overstretched if not for manager Vincenzo Italiano’s readiness to use all squad members, including reserves if need be. In his words “you need every player to feel connected to the values and the investments of the club. I let all my players know, even the reserves, that I will not abandon them, that they are always in my head, I need all of them.”
The third arm of HTT Academy’s three-pronged strategy of Discovery, development, and deployment aligns with this mentality. The biggest risk most academy products face when they move up to the first team or are bought by elite clubs is that of stunted development; countless players have suffered the fate of being forgotten at major clubs across Europe. At clubs with coaches and staff with the mentality Italiano displays, academy products can rest assured of getting the chance to contribute to the team and prove themselves.
Italiano is tipped to take charge at champions Napoli next season if Spalleti leaves as expected. Having masterminded Trapani’s promotion to Serie B, Spezia’s return to and retention in Serie A, and Fiorentina’s transformation all within the last 5 years, this appointment, should it materialize, will be well deserved.
