(The tape recorder clicks on. Pinned above my desk is the Champions League quarter-final draw, PSG’s crest circled twice. I keep looking at it and grinning like an idiot.)
Act I: A Wobble in Naples, Nothing More
Saturday 21st March, away to Napoli, and if I’m honest this was the one blip in an otherwise excellent month. We had 54% of the ball and precious little to show for it — 0.45 xG against their 1.52 — and Giovanni Di Lorenzo punished us right on the stroke of half-time, heading home from a Sam Beukema assist. Napoli 1, Fiorentina 0. My own staff called it “a very worrying performance,” which is fair, but I’ve decided to treat it as the exception that proves the rule rather than a sign of anything sinister. Every good side drops a poor one occasionally, even ones sitting pretty in second place.
Act II: A Friendly That Wasn’t Entirely Friendly
The international break gave us a run-out against Como on the 28th, and we won it comfortably — 3-2, 73% possession, 3.33 xG to their 0.86, the kind of number that says exactly what it should against a lower-league side. Francesco Pio Esposito opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 37th minute, which is a nice way to remind potential suitors what they’d be getting. The only mild grumble was a couple of minor knocks picked up late on — nothing serious, just the sort of thing that happens when you ask tired legs to do one more session before the real business resumes. Nobody missed a beat for long.
Act III: Pafundi’s Bad Week, and a Return to Winning Ways
Less welcome was the news from international duty. Simone Pafundi — seven goals and four assists in a breakout campaign — twisted his ankle chasing a lost cause for Italy against Germany and will be out three to four weeks. It’s a blow, no question, given the form he’s been in, but the good news is Manu Koné is already down to single figures on his own recovery clock and due back any day.
We shook off the disruption in style. Fiorentina 2, Lecce 0 at the Franchi on the 4th of April, in front of 35,253 fans — Harvey Elliott pounced on a defensive mistake to open the scoring in the 18th minute, and Valentín Carboni doubled it on 34 with a shot that clipped the inside of the post on its way in. Elliott picked up an 8.2 and the man of the match award for his trouble. It was our third home win in five, and exactly the response you want after a rare off day in Naples.
Act IV: Second Place, and a Draw Worth Getting Excited About
Thirty-one games in, we sit second — 64 points, level with Bologna but ahead of them, eleven behind Inter, comfortably clear of Napoli, who’ve now dropped to fourth after their own stumble. Lazio, for what it’s worth, just got taken apart 3-0 by Milan, Christopher Nkunku helping himself to a brace. Iain has had better weeks. I’m not going to pretend that isn’t satisfying to type.
And then there’s the news I actually can’t stop grinning about. The Champions League quarter-final draw is out, and we’ve got Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern face Barcelona, Real Madrid face Liverpool, and in a mouth-watering all-Italian derby, Inter face Lazio — so whatever happens, one of the two sides above and around me in this domestic race is about to take a European hit as well. Meanwhile we get PSG. It’s an enormous tie against one of the genuine superpowers of the modern game, and I would not have believed you back in August if you’d told me we’d be here, fighting for a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League final four in the same season.
Next time: Paris Saint-Germain away, first leg, and absolutely nothing to lose by dreaming a little.
