So then, hands up the wise guy who predicted that by October, Aston Villa, Bordeaux, Zaragoza, Feyenoord, Lokeren and Fiorentina would be leading the English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Belgian and Italian championships respectively.
Post-World Cup seasons often tend to get off to an unexpected start with all the most fancied clubs handicapped by the obvious consideration that many of their players have yet to recover from their World Cup exertions. However, while some of the above sextet seem certain to fade right out of league title contention (in some cases, even by Christmas), no one could claim to be astonished if Fiorentina are still up there come the climax to the Italian campaign next May. And the reason is simple - Fiorentina are coached by one of the most experienced and successful Italian coaches of the post-war era, Giovanni Trapattoni.
Fiorentina's last minute 1-0 home win against Udinese on Sunday not only kept them top of Serie A with four wins from four games but it continued an impressive run of Italian Cup, UEFA Cup and Serie A matches which has seen them win seven and draw one in eight games since the start of the season.
The winning-most coach in contemporary Italian soccer, 59-year-old Trapattoni has won seven Serie A titles in all, six with Juventus (1977'86) and one with Inter Milan ('89). Nor does his success story limit itself to Italy, for during three seasons with Bayern Munich, he picked up one Bundesliga title in the 1996-'97 season.
When he returned to Italy this summer at the invitation of Fiorentina owner and cinema tycoon Vittorio Cecchi Gori, many were willing to bet that, this time, "Il Trap" had bitten off more than he could chew since he faced two serious difficulties with a club which last won the "scudetto" in 1969. On the one hand, he brought with him his past as a successful coach to Juventus, a side traditionally loathed by Fiorentina fans. On the other hand, he came into an unsettled squad situation, with two of Fiorentina's greatest talents, Argentine captain Gabriel Batistuta and Brazilian Edmundo, seemingly anxious to get away.
When the new coach was presented to Fiorentina fans on the eve of pre-season training, he soon settled doubts about his club loyalties by performing a little jump to the sound of the traditional Italian fan chant - "Who's not Up for Juventus, Jump." Resolving the doubts of both Batistuta and Edmundo was inevitably rather more complex.
After seven seasons with Fiorentina, Batistuta seemed certain to realise an oft-expressed desire to move to a club with greater Serie A winning potential. After an unhappy initial six months in Florence, the enigmatic Edmundo had threatened to look for employment with a club in his native Brazil.
Trapattoni's commanding personality and persuasive words changed both players' minds, and both have repaid their coach's faith in the best possible manner. Last week, Batistuta scored all three Fiorentina goals in a 3-1 away win against AC Milan while Edmundo scored the 92nd minute winner against Udinese on Sunday.
As well as persuading both Batistuta and Edmundo to stay, Trapattoni personally supervised the Fiorentina player purchases, buying German defender Jorg Heinrich, Spanish midfielder Guillermo Amor, Czech defender Thomas Repka and ex-Juventus defender Moreno Torricelli. "We've picked players with an international track record and proven personality such as Heinrich, Amor, Repka and Torricelli but, mind you, our most important buy was holding on to Batistuta, a player that everybody covets," Trapattoni said.
Before the start of the season, Trapattoni continually suggested that his Fiorentina would start on the "third row" of the Serie A grid behind such as Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan. With league wins against Empoli, Vicenza, AC Milan and Udinese already under his belt, not to mention a first-round UEFA Cup elimination of Hadjuk Split, he now finds himself in an unexpected "pole position."
Fiorentina's next two competitive outings, away to AS Roma on Saturday October 17th and away to Swiss side Grasshopper in a UEFA Cup tie on October 20th, may tell more about the club's long-term seasonal prospects. For the time being, a jocular Trappatoni is playing down his side's title prospects, telling reporters on Sunday: "Before we can begin talking about the title, we've still got a step-up to climb, the last step. Thanks to a break next weekend (for Italy's European Championship tie with Switzerland) I've got two weeks to explain to my players where you find that final step."
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