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The Slow Rise of Ciccio Caputo

In an age when we tend to want everything yesterday, patience can be something of a vanishing virtue. It is easy to forget just how rewarding things are when they require a little time and effort. That is why there is so much to savour in the slow-cooked success of Francesco Caputo.

Read more at Football Italia.

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It’s Fiorentina v Cagliari again this weekend...

When the Scudetto lived in Tuscany and Sardinia

It seems impossible to consider now, but there was a time when Florence and Cagliari were the venues where the Scudetto got decided. For a brief moment at the end of the 1960s, two upstart provincial sides kicked the traditional powerhouses into touch and stood toe-to-toe for the title. It ended with Fiorentina grabbing their second league crown and the Sardinians their one and only title.

The two teams go head-to-head this weekend with much more mundane matters like Serie A survival at stake. But their more veteran fans will never forget the times when they were the superpowers of Italian football.

It was another Italy. The age of the Grande Inter was just coming to an end after their European Cup defeat to Celtic in 1967. Student protests, under the unimaginative name Sessantotto (Sixty-Eight), rocked the nation. And a young lad named Lucio Battisti was just about to release his first album.

The 1968/69 season was run by the youthful Viola who tapped into the spirit of the times. The team was dubbed the “yeah-yeah" Fiorentina due to the fresh-faced nature of its line-up. Giancarlo De Sisti pulled the strings, Luciano "Crazy Horse” Chiarugi gave a dose of “fantasia” and Mario Maraschi was the main hitman. All of which came under the watchful eye of chain-smoking Argentinian-Italian Bruno “Il Petisso” Pesaola with his lucky camel coat.

Their main rivals in the Scudetto chase were Cagliari, fired by the 21-goal season of Gigi Riva. The Sardinians were “winter champions”, leading the league at the half way mark. It was not until the 21st week of the campaign, when the Viola beat Lanerossi Vicenza and Cagliari lost to Juve, that Fiorentina set sail for the title.

It was clinched on an historic day in Turin with a victory over arch-rivals Juventus thanks to goals from Chiarugi and Maraschi. They finished the season with just one defeat all season - a home loss to Bologna in week five. From that point on, they were invincible.

Cagliari, however, would not be denied. A year later it was their turn to celebrate one of the most improbable triumphs in Serie A history. Probably only Verona’s Scudetto of the 1980s could rank as a similar surprise. The Italian championship crown simply does not do island visits.

Fiorentina’s title defence had started in perfect style with four wins in the opening four games of the season sending them to the top of the table. But on 12 October 1969, Cagliari came to call at the Artemio Franchi. It turned out to be a game which swung the balance of Serie A power in their favour.

A penalty from Luigi Riva, who else, not only gave the visitors victory, it also put them top of the table. It was a position they would not relinquish for the rest of the campaign despite the attentions of Juventus and Inter in the chasing pack. A 0-0 draw away to Milan on the penultimate day of the season was enough to secure them the title. Once again Riva finished as capocannoniere with 21 strikes.

This was not just about Rombo di Tuono (Roll of Thunder), however. A miserly defence in front of former Fiorentina goalkeeper Ricky Albertosi conceded just 11 goals all season. Angelo Domenghini provided another threat in the attack department. It was all masterminded by the wonderfully-monickered Manlio Scopigno.

Nicknamed “The Philosopher”, he was an eccentric figure. His playing career was cut short due to ligament damage and he threw himself into coaching with a passion. He started to gain a decent reputation at Vicenza but enjoyed less success at Bologna. It is reputed that on being handed a note from his President saying he was sacked his only response was: “This contains two syntax errors and an incorrect use of the subjunctive.”

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He took an unfancied Cagliari side and made them world-beaters.  They won the Scudetto in 1970 and many of their number played for Italy at the World Cup in Mexico including infamous own-goal merchant Comunardo Niccolai. “I expected almost anything from life,” quipped Scopigno. “But I never thought I would see Niccolai on worldwide television.”

Normal service would be resumed by Serie A after the Sardinian triumph, of course. Inter won the league the following year with Cagliari just seventh and Fiorentina a lowly 13th. The rest of the decade would largely be dominated by Juventus. But, for a little while at least, two of the most unlikely venues in Italy enjoyed the spotlight gaze of Scudetto glory.

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The summer is always a good time to get excited about your team - they don’t get to go out on the pitch and disappoint you ... yet!

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Baggio, Schillaci and Luciano Pavarotti - memories of Italia ‘90 and the coach who tried to steer the Azzurri to glory.

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A wee piece ahead of the Napoli v Juventus game

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It is not just the footballing pain, it is the empty feeling in the stomach. Literally.

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Baggio v Bernardeschi: Why The Pain, For Me, Will Never Be The Same

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I was there in the build up to that simmering summer of discontent in Florence. The tension in the streets and bars was thicker than poorly-sliced Parma ham. Surely, we thought, the transfer could never go through - how could the man who would become the Divine Ponytail be part of a deal with the Devil?

It’s important, I think, to understand what Roberto Baggio meant for Fiorentina fans nearly 30 years ago and also the position the club found itself in and its relationship with Juventus at the time. Those three poisoned ingredients made for a pretty bitter dish for supporters to have to swallow. Personally, I don’t believe anything in the modern era can come close.

The champion from Caldogno was the undisputed star of a decidedly mid-table side which had signed him despite serious injury in 1985 and nursed him back to fitness through the best part of two seasons on the sidelines. He repaid them with three glorious campaigns where he lit up the Serie A stage and, in 1988/89, formed the B2 partnership with Stefano Borgonovo which gave the Viola faithful hope for the future. They lost one part of that strike force in the summer of 1989 when the ill-fated Borgo-gol returned to his parent club, Milan. The prospect of losing the other half - who had helped take them into the UEFA Cup - was too much to take. This was Calcio’s brightest star and the world was about to be dazzled at Italia ‘90.

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Relations with the Bianconeri, and the power of supporters groups at the time, made a deal with the Turin giants unthinkable. It was less than a decade since Fiorentina fans felt Juventus had robbed them of a Scudetto on the last day of the season in that epic 1981/82 battle. The Ultras on the Curva Fiesole were a fearsome force and you crossed them at your peril. Their reputation across Italy was not the kind of organisation you messed with. The Pontello family - who ran the club at the time - was about to find out why.

The outrage from the Baggio sale was visceral and violent. The club headquarters were attacked and the Italian national team - on pre-tournament training near Florence - came under fire. I was back in the city when their prized player returned in the hated black-and-white strip and it was not a pleasant place to be. There was a sense of foreboding that only a Fiorentina win - and Roberto’s refusal to take a penalty - managed to allay. The huge police presence indicated that trouble was expected to erupt at any moment.

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So, to my mind anyway, Federico Bernardeschi heading to the place that should not be mentioned cannot come close to causing the same anger and pain. There’s a parallel, yes, in his growing importance to the team and the fact that he was helped back from serious injury. But his significance to this side falls well short of Baggio’s importance back in the day. The Divin Codino was about to play a key part in taking his country to the brink of World Cup glory - Berna has just failed to take the Under 21s anywhere near to a European title in their age group.

That might sound, a little, like sour grapes and there is no doubt that the present-day player has huge potential - some of which he has started to deliver on. He is a delight to watch on the ball, can fire off a powerful shot and takes a mean free-kick. But he is not, nor ever will be, Roby Baggio.

In the same way, I don’t think Viola fans are as powerful a unit as they once were nor is the relationship with Juve as bitter as it once was. Nowadays, it is more about mockery - those Antonio Conte wigs spring to mind - than it is about outright violence. And the Curva is not as intimidating a place as it once was. That does not mean anyone is happy to see Bernardeschi go but, rather, that the chance of them taking up arms in fury over his sale are rather unlikely.

Personally, too, the sting is not the same. When Baggio left, it felt like the club had lost something more than just a player. It had lost a talisman, its heart and the heir to the number 10 shirt worn by Giancarlo Antognoni. To see Juve take him in what was - at the time - a world record deal seemed to signal terminal decline at the club and would result in a string of seasons struggling to avoid relegation. Only time will tell if Bernardeschi’s departure - among so many others at the Tuscan club - will have the same impact. I have my doubts, somehow.

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Losing Roby still causes me pain to this day, if I am perfectly honest. There will always be a part of me wonders what might have been if we had been able to keep hold of him. I get the feeling, too, that the player himself has a little pang of regret when he talks about that torrid summer. He won titles, of course, by going away but what legacy might he have left in Florence had he remained?

Maybe it is just the age I was at the time of the transfers but I struggle to imagine doing the same about Federico Bernardeschi in 30 years time. It is a symptom of the modern game that players move on where back in the late 1980s I still believed in the Bandiera - the one-club player who becomes a symbol of their team. Nowadays everyone - and I mean everyone - has to sell if the price is right and the person in question is keen on the move.

So there’s a hint of bitter disappointment in seeing the talent from Carrara leave but it doesn’t come close to the anguish I felt when Baggio departed. Yes, I thought Fede owed us one more season and he did talk the talk of wanting to become a club legend. But those words wash over us now, as meaningless and empty as the gesture of kissing the badge one day and packing your bags the next. Berna can expect a tasty welcome when he comes back to Florence, of course, but I don’t think a police escort will be required. It’s painful to see him go but we’ll get over it. I’m not sure I can yet say the same about seeing Roby Baggio in black and white.

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Just a little something to get you in the Christmas spirit...

Away in Firenze

To the tune of a more famous Christmas Carol…

Away in Firenze,

No trophies for years

My lowly Viola

Have caused me some tears.

The cups and Scudetti

Have all passed us by

We’ve been to C2

And asked ourselves why?

But every so often

The Viola awake

With Bati and Baggio

We made others quake.

I love thee, Viola

Though you cause me pain

Your moments of magic

Convince me again!

Stay strong Fiorentini

And dream of the day

When we get our boys back

Both Jojo and Frey.

Bless all the Viola

So faithful and true

And a third Scudetto

One day let us view…

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Take Me To Church: Fiorentina’s High Hopes For Federico Chiesa

There's a magic buzz goes around a club when one of its little jewels starts to sparkle in the light of the first team. It's not just what they bring to the team that causes footballing hearts to flutter, it's the prospect of what they might bring in years to come. And right now, in Florence, there’s that kind of vibe about Federico Chiesa.

In a season where Paulo Sousa has come under fire for some of his performances and his proclamations, throwing the teenager into his starting XI has brought some welcome approbation. He has shown all the application, enthusiasm and personality you could possibly hope for in his attacking midfield role. A goal against Qarabag in the Europa League and assist against Sassuolo in Serie A were both match-deciding contributions. At a club occasionally criticised for the number of foreign veterans it employs he has been a breath of fresh Italian air.

He comes, of course, with a weighty surname for aficionados of the game. Dad Enrico was a bit of a player with Sampdoria, Parma and the Viola themselves. A classy hitman with a shot of surprising power and precision, he scored about 200 goals for his clubs and country. That's quite a reputation to try to live up to.

Chiesa senior, though, seems to have done a great job of taking pressure off his boy. He doesn't talk him up, in fact, he doesn't talk much about him at all. Some parents might look to bask in a bit of reflected glory but he seems happy to stay very much in the background and let his son make his own way.

It has been a bright start to young Federico’s career and it has had Fiorentini purring with pride. He has come through the ranks in Florence and is already delivering influential displays. He has a nice touch, good positional sense, can beat a man and - according to his youth team coaches - he knows where the goal is. That might well be in his DNA.

He's just one of a wider crop of young Italian stars causing a bit of a stir across the country. It's easy - and silly - to get carried away but that doesn't mean we can't get a little excited. Young Chiesa seems to have a mature head on his shoulders whenever he speaks and that can only help him cope with the inevitable adversities which might come his way. Calcio is littered with starlets who never quite delivered but the early indications are he can go on to produce the goods.

So carry on doing what you're doing Federico. That lovely mix of youthful exuberance, promise and passion is what gives all fans a little extra spring in their step. It's a magic spark that can raise even the most humdrum match or season. We like a new name to cheer and fan the flames of our optimism for the future even if, in this case, it's a name which also carries very fond memories of our past.