Cesare Prandelli: The Purple Prince of Fiorentina

Depending on your fashion tastes, Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli is either the best or worst dressed man currently bossing a bench in Serie A. The Viola’s “Mister” seems to prefer purple tracksuits to the business suits his peers opt for, though he’s seemingly not opposed to donning a leather jacket over top to classy up the look.


Recently, he attempted to inspire his young players by wearing what appears to be a purple gortex jacket. Check it out:


Whatever you may think of the garb, you cannot deny the managerial skills. In 2006, the sexcellently-dressed Prandelli won the Golden Bench award for taking a team which had struggled to avoid relegation the previous season to a fourth-place Champions League spot. Calciopoli stripped the side of the opportunity to play in Europe and strapped it with a 15-point deduction at home for the 2006/2007 season. The Purple Prince, however, guided his boys to a fifth-place finish despite the deficit. They’re currently alive and well in the UEFA Cup this season and posing a serious threat to win the whole thing.

Prandelli has a knack for the timely substitution, an intuitive coaching ability that’s part genius and part dumb luck. His sideline manner is calm for the most part, and he seems to have a strong command of his troops.

Fiorentina are once again challenging hard for Champions League spot this season, and today’s win over Juventus took them a step closer. The fact that the team won without star striker Adrian Mutu makes the victory all the more impressive. While the side is undeniably inexperienced, it is also full of raw talent and enthusiasm. Is Prandelli the man who will lead these youngsters and the Fiorentina fans back to the glories of the early 1960s? If his loud outfits are anything to go by, the answer is a resounding, purple yes.

Fiorentina break 30 year winless draught

That's right. Fiorentina has just sunk Juventus away in Turin for the first time in 30 years. The three points are a massive boost for Fiorentina's hopes to secure the fourth and final Champions League spot ahead of A.C. Milan.

With the injury of Adrian Mutu that will sideline him for the next four months, Fiorentina's hopes for maintaining the fourth-place spot in Serie A slipped significantly. Much of Fiorentina's success has been directly attributed to the in-form Mutu, who's scored 14 impressive goals, third overall in Serie. Aside from hisscoring proficiency, Fiorentina 's team play has greatly been influenced by the Romanian. Mutu's injury could end their Champions League hopes.

Cesare Prandelli, Fiorentina's head coach, will now have to depend on his young and inexperienced players. But before we get to them, there are high calibre players and stars within the roster. Riccardo Montolivo, for one, has been regaining steam after a lacklustre start to 2008. The playmaker is again displaying the form that has gained him national team call-ups under Italy's Roberto Donadoni. Sebastien Frey, Fiorentina's French goalkeeper, has gained recognition as the second best goalkeeper in Serie A, second to Juventus' Gianluigi Buffon. Furthermore, Cristian Vieri is also on the payroll, providing a wealth of experience, though his overall form has been consistently criticized by the fans and media. Also not to be forgotten, Tomas Ujfalusi, Martin Jorgenson, Fabio Liverani, and Franco Semioli.

Although the team has its strengths, Adrian Mutu has been an irreplaceable figure for the team. His injury will now force the youngsters within the ranks to prove their worth to the team and fans. The three primary youth players for Fiorentina that all eyes will be fixed on are Papa Waigo, Pablo Osvaldo, and Giampaolo Pazzini. Of the three mentioned, Pazzini has been the only player to get national recognition. Pazzini has displayed his abilities on numerous occasions and has worked nicely in Prandelli's three attacker formation. Prandelli showed his faith in the youngster giving him the start against Juventus. Pazzini played well and worked hard for his side. Yet the equalizer was scored by the substitute Waigo, while the game winner was netted in injury time by the also substituted Osvaldo.

Prandelli's substitutes proved to be crucial in deciding the outcome of the match and boosted the confidence of the team and supporters, proving there still can be success without Mutu as long as the team can rely upon themselves to rise the occasion. It will be important for Prandelli to find consistent goal scorers from within his ranks to finish off the season with fourth place secured ahead of A.C. Milan. It will not be easy as A.C. Milan will be working in overdrive to challenge for that spot. With both A.C. Milan and Fiorentina in important secondary competitions, the Champions League and UEFA Cup respectively. Will Fiorentina prove that they have the drive and depth to hold A.C. Milan at bay? Or will they succumb to fatigue near the final stretch?

We will have to wait and see. In the meantime, we can still be entertained by a surprisingly resilient Fiorentina.