On Location Serie A Scouting Report: The Evolution of Montella's Fiorentina

Fiorentina were left heartbroken on the final day of last season, when Milan cruelly denied them a much-earned Champions League spot with their late comeback against Siena.

The Viola regrouped this summer, but the subsequent sale of star striker Stevan Jovetic appeared to hamper Vincenzo Montella's prospects of replicating last season's success.

But with Giuseppe Rossi's injuries appearing to clear up and some excellent business in reinvesting the Jovetic fee received from Manchester City, the Viola could go one step further this season.

Despite a superior squad that includes former Bayern striker Mario Gomez, the Florence side's greatest strength is perhaps their innovative young manager, Montella.

"L'Aeroplanino" successfully utilised a 3-5-2 formation in his debut season in Tuscany, but with added funds to sculpt his squad, the side is evolving a little differently this season.

The magic trio of centre-midfielders from last season—David Pizarro, Alberto Aquilani and Borja Valero—remain intact, but the tactics and personnel around them have been tweaked to add greater diversity to the Viola's game.

On a visit to Florence last week, I met with staff at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, who provided some insight into how president Andrea Della Valle has worked closely with the Mister to develop the side during the summer.

Montella has expanded his tactical repertoire by signing a centre-midfielder with quite different characteristics to those usually associated with his team.

Veteran Massimo Ambrosini arrived from Milan, and his destructive qualities have helped to protect the more beautiful players at the heart of the side, seemingly decreasing the amount of time between losing and reclaiming possession.

With no intention of dropping one of the aforementioned magic trio, Montella has swapped formations at times this season, with a "Christmas tree" system allowing the integration of the 36-year-old by pushing Valero a little further forward, tucked in behind Giuseppe Rossi.

Montella's selection dilemma will become even greater when Gomez returns from injury, but the diversity in his tactics mean that the side will undoubtedly be superior as a result of this additional option.

If Montella maintains the four centre-midfielders and, as expected, Pepito and Gomez start, the options will be more limited.

Wide options Manuel Pasqual and Juan Cuadrado would need to be forced into a back four, which would give you an extremely attacking side.

With the ability of this team to maintain possession, that is an option, but with Ambrosini's inability to play back-to-back games, Montella's willingness to change will be ideal for this squad.

The other consideration will be whether to use traditional width, or to replicate the way in which the side played during the second half against Juventus last weekend.

Pasqual was brought back into a back four, and Cuadrado was switched to the left flank to operate as an inverted winger, with Joaquin deployed on the opposite side of the pitch.

The Spaniard offered a duel threat from the wide areas, as Pasqual tends to sit a little deeper than Cuadrado, with less tendency to gallop forward into the final third.

So Fiorentina were transformed into almost a 4-3-3 system, and with the greater fluidity from the addition of Matias Fernandez after Ambrosini's injury in the first half, the home side created waves after wave of attack.

It is something that Fiorentina should focus on more moving forward, as without wide options who are willing to carry the ball with pace and vigour, the opposition can force Montella's men to play through the middle, with the play becoming somewhat congested and therefore predictable.

As discussed last week on location, Della Valle's appointment of Montella was a brave one, with the manager keen to explore tactical variations that were untested to an extent in Serie A.

Moreover, his influence on their strategy in the transfer market has proven ambitious, which means even more credit should be awarded to the president. Such influence on footballing matters, both on and off the pitch, is rare in Italy, and by swerving away from the norm, Fiorentina have pushed their way to the forefront of innovation in Serie A.

It is an exciting project that Montella is fronting, and although more prestigious jobs will come his way, perhaps with greater financial reward, the former Catania coach should be wary of the lack of freedom he would experience at other clubs.

It has been an excellent season-and-a-half thus far for the Montella project, but with such a burgeoning manager, it is apparent that Fiorentina are not close to evolving fully into the side the manager has envisaged.

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