bluenine wrote:
Before you start promising Kroos a Gomez statue where Batistuta's once stood,
eheh, mmh-kay, not *that* level of legend
bluenine wrote:Gomez for Jovetic is a step down for la Viola.
Well, sure in terms of flair and potential, not so sure in terms of impact and end product.
Jovetic is a massive talent, he was naturally at the center of the gameplay, and it's a pity that la Viola hasn't got the critical mass to retain a player like him.
But... we've seen last season that consistent finishing was in short supply, while build-up and creativity definitely weren't.
Missing Jovetic will impact this somehow, but they've solid teamplay, classy midfielders, powerful wingbacks to make up for his contribution. Plus the additions of Rossi, Joaquin and Ilicic, and the expected further growth of Ljacic.
Jovetic, like most players of his kind, had long pauses during last season, but the overall performance of the team didn't seem to suffer much because of that. What they did miss through all the season was a top level finisher to better capitalize on their dominance when they were at the top of their game and to ease things off when they weren't.
bluenine wrote:Fiorentina have seen a lot of top stars in the last 30 years, Gomez has big shoes to fill.
Yay Fiorentina are not parvenus, they've a long history of hovering near the top level, they've had their fair share of great talents and they're very proud of it.
Still, in the last 25 years, how many pure strikers at a level comparable or superior to Gomez have they seen?
Batistuta for a decade, Chiesa for 3 seasons, Toni for 2... the list pretty much ends here.
You've also to consider the dynamics of the signing.
Most of the top talents Fiorentina enjoyed were recruited as youngsters, or relatively unknown, or after a dip in their career.
Very rarely they've been able to bring home an expensive player at the top of his game from a high profile club.
The closest thing in recent years, in terms of momentum and pricetag, was Toni, and still he came from a season in Serie B and from a seller club like Palermo.
Psychologically, this is a very important signing for the Fiorentina fans.
I mean, their Juventus arch-rivals are in full renaissance, back to back champions, yet again the richest and most influential club in Serie A... Yet they've been babbling about a "top player" signing in attack for three years, and all they got in the end was renegades Tevez and Llorente nearing their 30s.
While Fiorentina almost out of nowhere were able to sign the 26 yo most profilic striker of the european champions.
If Gomez will be able to fulfill the expectations and total in the region of 20+ goals, he will quickly become a symbol for them.
And Fiorentina has a penchant for symbols. Last year they opened a hall of fame in their museum. You know who was the only player younger than Antognoni that they felt to include? Not Baggio, not Bati, not Rui, no Toni... but Christian Riganò, the lowly leagues suburban striker that lifted them from C2 back to Serie A when they were demoted for bankruptcy in the early 2000s.
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