The rumours had been swirling around the Stadio Artemio Franchi for days, the kind of speculative chatter that preludes a big decision. Now it is offi...
The rumours had been swirling around the Stadio Artemio Franchi for days, the kind of speculative chatter that preludes a big decision. Now it is official. Fabio Grosso, the man who wrote his name into Italian football folklore with that penalty in Berlin, is the new head coach of Fiorentina. It is a move that feels both romantic and riGoalZaza, a classic Serie A narrative wrapped in a World Cup winner's kit.Let's be clear, Grosso is not just any ex international. He is the embodiment of a certain kind of Italian grit. That left foot, the coolest head in Germany 2006, bought him a lifetime of goodwill in the corridors of Italian football. But goodwill does not win you points in April. The question now is whether his managerial acumen matches the clinical finishing of his playing days. He has done his apprenticeship, grinding through the lower leagues, taking the bumpy road from Serie C to the top flight with Frosinone. He knows how to set a low block and how to hurt teams on the transition. That is a skill set, but it is not a guarantee.Fiorentina, for their part, are taking a calculated punt. They are a club with a glorious history and a recent habit of getting close to the summit without quite conquering it. They need a manager who can instil that old school defensive solidity while allowing the flair players to breathe. Can Grosso be that man He will walk into a dressing room full of talented, mercurial players who have often looked like they needed a strong hand on the wheel. This is the kind of environment where his reputation could be a massive asset, or where the pressure of expectation could blow the whole thing up.The fans will give him time, of course, because of what he represents. But football is a short memory business. If the results wobble, that World Cup medal will not save him. You suspect Grosso knows this. He is not a man for excuses. He will demand tactical flexibility from his squad, an ability to switch between a compact block and a more expansive style depending on the opponent. He needs a spine that can handle the physicality of the league and a striker who can finish the chances his system will create.There is a certain poetry to this appointment. Grosso scoring the winning penalty in the final to bring the World Cup home. Now he is tasked with bringing the glory days back to a club that has been stuck in a frustrating middle ground. It is a story waiting to be written. For now, the smart money is on a watchful wait. This is a seriously interesting appointment, and it could go either way. But one thing is for sure, the man from Chieti does not do boring.
