Paolo Vanoli returns to Fiorentina – Light from a familiar face in the Serie A storm

Last weekend, when Fabio Grosso left the Viola Park training ground with his phone flashing news of his dismissal, nobody would have believed Fiorentina were sinking to the bottom of Serie A with three straight defeats. They scored a mere one goal and conceded up to nine – a telling figure of a crumbling defence. But elsewhere in Europe, Paolo Vanoli was packing his suitcase for a return to the city that once called his name. The contract was announced on Tuesday afternoon: Vanoli returns to lead Fiorentina exactly one season after leaving. The decision came so quickly that many called it a 'lightning coaching change', but in reality it was a bet on a proven memory. It was Vanoli who took a team falling freely after 10 winless games last season, guided them to 15th place – safe enough – and produced the feat of reaching the Conference League quarter-finals before Crystal Palace stopped them. In that context, his return looks like a direct response to the survival equation. I remember interviewing Vanoli that season; he did not talk about formations but about 'an emptiness that needs to be filled'. Perhaps that is why the sentence I often write in my articles echoes: "When the stands are empty, I hear the heartbeat of football beating slowly." Fiorentina might be sinking into their own silence right now. But the blind spot of reusing a familiar face is excessive trust in the past. Vanoli returns with what he did before, while the upcoming opponent is a newly promoted Venezia, equally hungry for a win. Can he re-establish a compact defence to overcome the challenge ahead? Friday's match against Venezia will provide the answer. There is a rarely said truth: past achievements do not automatically revive. But I believe in those who have stumbled, for I stumbled before a microphone many years ago. "I once stumbled in front of the microphone, and I learned to stand up through words." Vanoli also needs his own words – not to speak to the press, but to continue the unfinished story on the pitch. The sadness of a champion is an empire collapsing at the height of glory, but Fiorentina are no longer at the top. They are at the bottom – and that might be the only place to restart. The contest has only just begun after three rounds. Look at the numbers: nine goals conceded, one scored, and a board that has just acted. Fans may not need a saviour; they need someone who dares to take responsibility and restore the club's rhythm.