Fiorentina part ways with Pioli as interim coach Galoppa takes charge

ACF Fiorentina announced on Tuesday that head coach Stefano Pioli has been officially relieved of his duties as first-team manager, with Daniele Galoppa appointed temporarily to lead the squad in the coming period.

In an official statement, the club said: "Fiorentina announces that Stefano Pioli has been relieved of his duties as head coach," adding: "The club wishes to thank the coach and his staff for the professionalism they showed during their tenure at Fiorentina."

The statement clarified that Galoppa, the under-20 youth team coach, will take charge temporarily, starting from this evening's training session.

Interim leadership under pressure

This dismissal follows a string of negative results that left Fiorentina in 20th place in Serie A without a win in the first 10 games of the season.

Pioli had returned to the Artemio Franchi stadium last summer, signing a three-year deal, but the season’s catastrophic league start placed his position on a knife-edge, especially after a home defeat to Lecce, which convinced the board to act rather than wait for a miracle in the press conference.

Despite the disappointing domestic form, the team had shown promise in the Europa Conference League, winning their first two matches in the competition, though that success did not translate into salvation in the league.

Galoppa is set to lead the squad in the upcoming Conference League clash against Mainz on Thursday, aiming to restore momentum in Europe while the league form remains a concern.

According to Football Italia, Fiorentina has already conducted initial talks with Paolo Vanoli, but the front-runner for the permanent role is Roberto D’Aversa, should the club decide to reset long-term plans.

Pioli’s career and Fiorentina’s future

Giuseppe Stefano Pioli is widely regarded as one of the pillars of modern Italian coaching, noted for his calm, disciplined approach and a balanced tactical method that emphasizes organization and resilience. Born in Parma in 1965, he began his professional journey as a patient defender before turning to coaching after hanging up his boots.

Pioli built his early reputation in Bologna’s youth ranks, then moved through S Italy’s lower divisions with clubs like Salernitana and Piacenza, before his first top-flight break with Parma in 2006. He subsequently coached multiple Serie A sides—Chievo, Bologna, Cagliari, Lazio, and Fiorentina—before a breakthrough at Milan began in 2016, though his tenure there was relatively brief amid high expectations.

His most celebrated achievement to date came with Milan, where he rebuilt a young, dynamic squad and steered the club to the Serie A title in 2021-2022, ending an eleven-year league drought and earning praise for a cohesive, high-pressing style. That success earned him further opportunities, including a return to Fiorentina in 2025, a move that ended abruptly as results in the league deteriorated once again.

Across his career, Pioli has been recognized for developing young players—Rafael Leão and Theo Hernandez among notable examples—and for instilling a disciplined, team-first mentality. His reputation remains that of a steady hand capable of rebuilding projects, even if recent league form has not reflected his best work.

In Fiorentina’s present moment, Galoppa represents a transitional choice as the club weighs longer-term options, including potential targets like D’Aversa or Vanoli, while aiming to stabilize a fragile campaign and recapture competitive momentum in both domestic and European contests.

Humor break: If this season were a recipe, Fiorentina just added a dash of chaos and forgot the spices—bon appétit to the Serie A chaos kitchen!
Punchline 2: Even Pioli’s coffee can’t wake a team that woke up on the wrong side of 10 straight games.