Vanoli considers surprise Beto start against Napoli

Four days out from the Franchi, Fiorentina's stadium, the head coach is weighing up starting the former Udinese forward instead of Pellegrino, who has returned to scoring form but has yet to head one in despite his reputation as an aerial threat.

by Gennaro SanninoWednesday 16 September, 21:11 CET· 1 hour ago

Vanoli — Foto: goal.com

Paolo Vanoli is considering a change up front for Sunday's game against Napoli, kick-off 12:30 CET at the Franchi. Beto, signed from Udinese, is pushing for a starting shirt in a straight fight with Pellegrino.

The change of coach has already lifted Fiorentina. After flat performances against Frosinone and Torino, the club have scored seven goals in their last two matches and started to look like a proper team. The upturn reflects badly on the previous head coach, Fabio Grosso, whom Vanoli replaced: Grosso had been backed with a transfer window judged a success but never got the group — in the club's centenary year — playing to expectations.

Vanoli will change his full-backs from the side that beat Pisa 3-0 in the Coppa Italia (Italy's cup competition) on Tuesday 15 September. The XI should look closer to the one that played Venezia. Defence remains Fiorentina's weak point, though there has been progress: Dragusin has played the last two games as a key figure at the back, while new left-back signing Valdepenas is still settling in.

Up front, Pellegrino is enjoying his best spell of the season, with three goals in his last few outings — but none with his head, a gap that matters given his reputation as an aerial specialist. Against an organised defence like Napoli's, Vanoli is weighing up dropping that profile and starting Beto instead.

Napoli arrive at the Franchi off the back of a 1-0 win over Bologna but are still tenth in the table with 6 points from 4 games, and their attack has struggled to score without Højlund. Knowing that Fiorentina's defence remains the weakest part of Vanoli's side, despite recent improvement, is something to build a game plan around.

The decision will only be made in Saturday's final training session. If Vanoli does go for the surprise, Napoli will find a different Fiorentina attack on Sunday than the one they have been studying, kick-off 12:30 at the Franchi.