The fall of Fiorentina: How David de Gea and Co. went from shock Scudetto bid to becoming Serie A's worst team in the space of a year

On May 7, Fiorentina revealed that Palladino's contract with the club had been extended for an extra year until 2027. The news did not come as a surprise. Fiorentina were in the semi-finals of the Conference League and on course to qualify for the same competition via Serie A.

Less than three weeks later, though, Palladino was gone, having parted company with the club by "mutual consent" - despite leading the Viola to their best league finish for nine years.

While it was true that not all of the supporters had been convinced by the 41-year-old and his style of football, an alleged falling-out with sporting director Daniele Prade was believed to be the real reason for his unexpected exit.

"I see football as a puzzle; all the pieces have to fit together to work," Palladino explained in an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport in September. "I'm proud of the work we did in Florence, but the conditions for moving forward together were no longer there. The ideas and visions were too different."

Although he refused to get into specifics, it was abundantly obvious that Palladino had not wanted to walk away. Doing so clearly hurt him. But his departure also hit the players hard too.

Palladino had formed a strong bond with his team and his appointment had proven a godsend for the likes of Moise Kean, who had hit a career-high 25 goals in all competitions across the 2024-25 season, while Manchester United outcast David de Gea had also got back to his brilliant best during a remarkable run of form in Florence that sparked giddy talk of a title challenge this time last year.

As a result, the squad was stunned by Palladino's dramatic U-turn. "I have to say, the video calls and messages from the guys made me cry," the Neapolitan admitted. "I've experienced some great moments with them, and some very difficult ones, so something special was created. In fact, we still keep in touch today."

By time of Palladino's interview, it was already clear that Pioli didn't have anything like the same rapport with the players, with Fiorentina having picked up just two points from his first four games in charge.

Europe provided some relief, with the Viola winning their first two matches in the Conference League, against Sigma Olomouc and Rapid Wien, but they continued to struggle horribly in Serie A.

The  majority of the fans' fury focused on Daniele Prade rather than Pioli and his ever-changing system, with stickers being placed in and around the Artemio Franchi featuring images of the sporting director's face on the body of a pig, accompanied by the word 'Vattene' ('Leave').

The club's ultras had wanted him out for a long time, too, as they saw him as "the symbol of a sporting failure that has gone on for years".

Enraged by the sale of top players (most painfully to hated rivals Juventus), a controversial logo change and an alleged lack of engagement with the club's staunchest supporters, The Curva Fiesole had actually called for Prade to follow Palladino out of the club back in June.

"Prade: All roads lead to Rome... Take one and get the f*ck out!" read one banner hung outside the club's training ground.

In Prade's defence, he repeatedly insisted that he - and not Pioli - was responsible for Fiorentina's worst start to a Serie A season for more than 50 years, not least because relatively expensive signings such as Roberto Piccoli hadn't worked out at all.

"If there is anyone who can get us out of this situation, it is Stefano Pioli," Prade told DAZN Italia after the 2-1 defeat at AC Milan on October 19. "The rest is my fault, the protests from the fans are against me, and it is because the club put the strategy in my hands.

"There were also other elements that haven’t helped: our stadium is a building site and we cannot have all our fans there, while we have three tournaments to play in. I feel bad for the fans, for the President (Rocco Commisso), and the coach. If there is anyone who should be fired or resign, it is me."

There was an air of inevitability, then, about Prade's decision to step down on November 1 - the day before a vital relegation battle with fellow strugglers Lecce. However, his exit didn't alleviate any of the tension at the Artemio Franchi. On the contrary, it only intensified after a 1-0 loss that prompted a media blackout from the club before Pioli was eventually put out of his misery two days later with Fiorentina bottom of the league with just four points to their name.

Despite initial reports that the Viola considered re-hiring Palladino - that weren't denied by director Alessandro Ferrari - they ultimately turned to former Torino coach Paolo Vanoli to try to save their season.

"I'm proud to be back in Florence," the ex-Italy international said, "a city where I've already played and know what it means to win here." Unfortunately for Fiorentina, he seems to have forgotten how to win there - at least in Serie A.

Vanoli has already become the first Fiorentina coach since Ottavio Bianchi 23 years ago to fail to win any of their first four league games. Things had actually started reasonably well, with back-to-back draws away to Genoa and at home to Juve. However, after a dismal 1-0 loss to AEK Athens in the Conference League, veteran striker Edin Dzeko took aim at the negative atmosphere inside the Artemio Franchi.

"You can say that we suck, that we don’t deserve to wear the shirt, that’s all fine, no problem," the Bosnian summer signing told Sky Sport Italia. "However, if we are playing at home, then we need the fans to help us, not jeer at every misplaced pass.

"We’ve got to get out of this situation together, this is not right. If you need to jeer, do it after the final whistle, but during the match we need your support. It’s all true, we are not playing well, but we still need your help.

"We can’t seem to string two or three passes together, and that is not normal for a team like ours. The moment a player makes a mistake, the jeers start coming down, so then the next time he will feel anxious and perhaps not try to risk the pass, or he doesn’t want the ball at his feet. It all becomes more difficult.

"We need more support from the stands. I understand it’s difficult at the moment, and the stadium situation is a bit strange (certain sections of the Artemio Franchi remain closed due to ongoing construction work), but we've got to have more support when we are playing at home. Otherwise, the negative energy just keeps spiralling."

Dzeko's impassioned plea upset some supporters and led to the extraordinary sight of the striker grabbing a megaphone after the 2-0 loss to Atalanta three days later to address the away end at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo.

Dzeko's call to arms appeared to have the desired effect as approximately 4,000 Fiorentina fans travelled to Reggio Emilia the following weekend for the game against Sassuolo. What they witnessed, though, was one of their team's worst performances of the season so far.

"We must apologise to our fans," Vanoli told reporters after last Saturday's defeat. "In these situations, we need real men at this moment, not just players. This game was like an emblem of our problems. No more excuses, we need courage.

"It’s not about the system or anything else; it's about each player working for his team-mate, and I frankly have not seen that here since I arrived."

The total sense of chaos that has gripped the club was best exemplified by the bizarre circumstances surrounding the penalty with which Fiorentina had opened the scoring at the Mapei Stadium, with Vanoli claiming that Albert Gudmundsson had passed up the opportunity to take the spot-kick (a claim later denied by the Icelandic in a hastily deleted social media post) before Rolando Mandragora clashed with Moise Kean over who should step up instead.

"Enough is enough!" Vanoli said afterwards. "We have to play for each other out there, understand that every ball can be decisive, either in attack or defence. I have still not found the key to get into the heads of these guys.

"It's not Paolo Vanoli who has to make a change, but the players. My focus now is finding solutions, finding those players who can fight for this club."

Encouragingly for Vanoli, his players produced a much united showing in Thursday's Conference League game against Dynamo Kyiv, with both Kean and Gudmundsson on target in a morale-boosting 2-1 win, and the victory really couldn't have come at a better time. 

On top of the disappointing news that the work being done on the Artemio Franchi won't be completely finished until 2029, Amanda Ferreira, the wife of Fiorentina full-back Dodo, posted screenshots of some of the horrific abuse she and her husband had been subjected to after the Sassuolo loss. It wasn't an isolated incident either. Several other players were targeted, prompting Fiorentina to take action.

"The club has immediately put itself in contact with its players and the competent authorities to guarantee that every measure necessary is taken to protect the safety of our players, members of Staff, their loved ones and the families involved," read a statement released on Sunday.

"ACF Fiorentina, in thanking the many fans who already showed affection and support in the wake of these shameful episodes, reaffirm that there will never be room for intimidation, hate or violence at the club."

It is against this backdrop of bitterness and hostility that Fiorentina will host 19th-placed Verona on Sunday in what is effectively "a final", as Vanoli has admitted. Victory is imperative for the Viola, who are already seven points from safety as it is. Another loss would deal a devastating blow to their faint hope of becoming the first team to ever avoid relegation from Serie A after failing to win any of their opening 14 fixtures.

Defeat would also increase the pressure on club president Commisso, who will be once again absent from the Artemio Franchi as the Italian-born American recovers from back surgery. There have even been reports that the under-fire chief is considering selling the club but in what amounted to an open letter to the fans published this week, he insisted in an interview with La Nazione that he has no intention of walking away from Fiorentina - and especially not at this especially delicate time.

"All companies go through difficult periods," Commisso said. "But the foresight of those who lead them lies in learning from dark moments so we can come out stronger. I have never given up in any of my businesses, and I certainly won’t start now.

"We’re in a difficult situation and we have to get out of it in any way. We cannot allow Fiorentina to go down. Everyone must feel responsible, the club, the players, everyone who works around the team. But we need everyone: above all our fans. I miss you. Stay close to the team." 

Vanoli, Dzeko and the rest of the Fiorentina squad will be hoping that this latest plea doesn't fall on deaf ears - Fiorentina really do need all the help they can get right now.