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No Mike this week, so it's just Tito in this one, but the presence of our most tactically-savvy guest ever should more than make up for it. Marco Lai (also subscribe to his Substack, because it's consistently fascinating) is a certified match analyst who's quickly become one of VN's favorite social media presences due to his fantastic analysis of Serie A matches. We were lucky enough to track him down for a conversation about Fiorentina's approach under Italiano. Our chat covered a range of topics, bouncing around from the abstract--the necessity of a striker who can press for a team that's predicated on pressing, tactical dogmatism, the burden on the wingers to create--to the more concrete--reasonable transfer targets, how Fiorentina can get more out of the number 10 spot, and the asymmetrical use of fullbacks--and it's safe to say that this is the most educational episodes we've ever done. Grazie mille, Marco, for the time, the knowledge, and the genuinely fun conversation. As always, thanks also go to Producer Mike Hines for producing this episode, and to Windchime Weather for our theme song (and check out Nate's other project Shaylee). We had a blast making this episode and hope you enjoy it too. Feel free to get in touch with us on the website or on Twitter, and if you like what you hear, feel free to drop us a rating and review. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The games are coming thick and fast for Fiorentina right now, so your favorite podcast idiots are back in the saddle. This time, we're looking back at how the Viola have looked over the first part of the season and how they've emerged from the restart, which naturally steers the conversation into the transfer market. With that out of the way, we also consider what this team's expectations ought to be for the rest of the year. Then, ahead of a weekend clash with the Giallorossi, we got in a rollicking discussion with Chiesa di Totti's Lord Commander Bren, who caught us up with everything happening in the Romaverse. Along the way, we learn that Mike's been brushing up his Italian, Tito's view on the nature of eternity (which involves a certain Viola midfielder), and which 1990s kids sports movie applies to Roma this year. Big thank you to Bren, whose taste in tracksuit jackets is impeccable, and to Producer Mike for doing the producing. Our theme music is by Windchime Weather (and check out Nate's other project Shaylee). As always, we had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening. If you've got any questions, hit us up on the website or on Twitter, and leave us a rating if we did an okay job. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the winter holidays wrapping up, your favorite Viola podcast idiots have a late present for you: an episode devoted entirely to you! That's right, Mike and Tito are here to tackle questions ranging from how to get Fiorentina back in the Champions League, the Primavera-to-US-insurance-salesperson pipeline, and the Hipster Super League. So settle into that ugly sweater, pour yourself another mug of nog, and dive into, well, your thoughts about this team. Along the way, you can also learn about McMike's uncanny resemblance to a certain pivotal Yuletide figure, Tito pulling the Reverse card and dropping some thoughts on viticulture, and Candle Talk with Mike and Tito. Thanks as always to Producer Mike for producing this one and to Windchime Weather for the music (and check out Nate's other project Shaylee). And finally, thanks to you for listening. Feel free to get in touch with us on the website or on Twitter, and drop us a rating and review on whatever platform you're listening to if you feel like it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Okay, we know this is a Fiorentina podcast, or at least a hipster wine/beer podcast, but when Juventus winds up under federal investigation for fraud, we've got to talk about it. And there's only one guy we trust to talk all things Bianconeri: Dom Penza. If we can't get hold of Dom, though, we'll grab Danny--the Blog Overloard at Black & White & Read All Over--to walk us through the Juve board's resignation and what exactly it entails. We'll also chat a little bit about the Juvenuts' January transfer market business and rest-of-season goals. Along the way, we'll learn about Juve's efforts to reunite the EU and the UK via transnational criminal investigations, whether or not Tito is just a deepfake AI, and one cool trick to spike Danny's blood pressure. Thanks as always to Producer Mike for producing this one and to Windchime Weather for the music (and check out Nate's other project Shaylee). Big thanks also to Signor Penza, who may support Juve but has the kind heart and gentle soul of a Viola fan. And finally, thanks to you for listening. Feel free to get in touch with us on the website or on Twitter, and drop us a rating and review on whatever platform you're listening to if you feel like it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your favorite friendly Fiorentina podcast idiots spend this episode searching for the meaning in these meaningless days without the Viola, and they come pretty close to finding some. The conversation ranges from the revolving door of the January transfer market to the two-steps-forward-one-step-back nature of the women's game in Italy to the return of the Blessed Adrian Mutu. And okay, fine, we'll give you some grudging World Cup predictions, along with all the Sofyan Amrabat propaganda you can handle. Along the way, we learn what you can expect when McMike brings you a birthday present, why Tito's genuinely worried about some Tuscan anti-Polish sentiment, and what word the Viola Nation legal department made us learn to keep us out of trouble. Thanks to Windchime Weather (also, check out Nate's other project Shaylee) for the music and Producer Mike for the production. As ever, we had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening. Drop us a rating and/or review if you're into that kind of thing, and feel free to hit us up on the website or on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've got a slightly different format today, featuring a shorter episode and just a single host. It's just Tito in this one, but McMike will be back shortly. We want to make this a weekly show but it turns out that getting both of us and Producer Mike in the same Zoom room every week is really tough, considering that we've all got other stuff going on, so this is our compromise: a shorter solo show whenever we can't all get together for a full-length one. So jump in for half of your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiot team's thoughts on the World Cup, the Viola players in (and out of) the tournament, some thoughts about how the club is being run as a whole, and a quick rundown of the transfer rumors that are desperately trying to fill the vacuum of domestic calcio coverage. Along the way, find out what I'm getting a certain special team owner for his birthday (and happy birthday, Rocco), a brief history of bald Viola midfielders associated with heavy armor, and sign number 572 that your despair indicates your understanding of how Fiorentina works. As always, huge thanks to Producer Mike for all his work making this listenable and to Windchime Weather for the music. Feel free to hit us up on the website or on Twitter, and feel free to leave us a rating and a review on whichever platform you listen on. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the Viola's season on pause for some reason nobody can quite explain, your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back to bring that splash of purple back to your life. We started off with a quick look at the AC Milan game and the absurdity that came with it before zooming out and trying to figure out where this team is right now after a wretched start, highlighting a few newer developments that have the good guys flying, well, maybe not high, but at least not into a smoking crater. After that, we turned our attention to the World Cup and what it means for the 5 Viola players there (we recorded before the Nicolás González injury hit, so just ignore all the stuff we said about him). We wrapped up with a surprise interview featuring an international man of mystery. Who is he? Guess you gotta listen to find out, suckers. Along the way, we learned that Mike's branching out into other types of football, that Tito's a sommelier of sadness, and that Producer Mike thinks we're number one and he's got the fingers to prove it. As always, thanks to Windchime Weather for the music. We had a blast making this and hope that you enjoy listening. Feel free to get in touch with us at the website or on Twitter (assuming it's still around by the time this is live), or to leave us a review on whatever platform you listen on. Thanks, and Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's not always fun to talk about Fiorentina, and it's even less fun to talk about Fiorentina during the international break. Nevertheless, your favorite Viola podcast idiots do their level best. This is a less granular episode and more of a zooming-out, higher-level (for us, so it's all relative) look at the club as a whole. We talk about the possibility of bringing back Saint Gabriel Omar Batistuta to Florence in an official capacity before looking at the org chart and figuring out what it means for the club, then do a quick run-down of the Fiorentina players who're on international duty. The best part, of course, is a chat with the ever-brilliant Massimo Basile (wait, were we supposed to bleep the name?). A long-time friend to the website and the podcast, Massimo gives us his inimitable insight into how Fiorentina's being run right now, what the office hierarchy looks like, and the difference between great ambition and great experience. Along the way, we also learned about some Poland-to-Tuscany Szynanigans, Mike's expertise on chaos, and which former players would and wouldn't make great club employees (and why it breaks Tito's heart). Thanks for listening. If you want to get in touch, hit us up on the website or on Twitter. Feel free to leave us a rating and review on whatever podcast service you listen on, and, as always, Froza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back to talk about a slew of topics. We begin with a breakdown of the Viola mercato (spoiler alert: we think there may still be gaps in the squad), then veer into how the team's looked on the pitch (another spoiler alert: not very good!), and wrap up with a discussion about what some possible fixes could be. Oh, and I guess it's worth mentioning that we touch on why Fiorentina owner and president Rocco Commisso is badmouthing our very own Mike McCormack in team press conferences, and how exactly we feel about it. Along the way, we learn about the Samuele Ricci slide whistle, that Mike lives a liquid IV, that Tito is VERY hungover, and that we should never, ever, ever name any names, under any circumstances. We had a blast making this one and hope you enjoy listening. If you want to get in touch with us, hit us up on the website or on Twitter, and feel free to leave a rating (unless you're on Mediacom payroll, in which case maybe don't do that, please). Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's happened. Everybody, it's happened. Fiorentina has played some games (albeit against your sister's boyfriend's cousin's amateur team), so the calcio is officially back and your favorite Viola podcast idiots are back to talk about how that makes them feel. Of course, because we're still at the height of summer, we're also going to run through plenty of transfer rumors while addressing the current state of the squad. Along the way, we learn about Mike's love of sending cheesesteaks through the international postal system, Tito's certainty that he can outplay a bunch of 6-year-olds, and that things on the screen of your cell phone might just be smaller than they are in real life. Thanks as always to Windchime Weather for the music and to Producer Mike for his unwavering, single-fingered support. We had a blast making this one, as always, and hope you enjoy listening. If so, feel free to drop us a rating and/or a review, and get in touch with us either on the website or on Twitter. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh hello. It's been a minute since we released an episode, but we've got plenty of good reasons: We ran out of gas. We... we had a flat tire. We didn't have enough money for cab fare. Our tuxes didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole our car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts! IT WASN'T OUR FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD! (Really, though, blame either Coronavirus or Disney or both.) As you maybe guessed by the title of the episode, we're talking transfers in this one. So yeah, we'll dip into Luka Jović and Pierluigi Gollini and Rolando Mandragora. We'll even talk about Dodô. We'll dive into some of the guys likely edging towards the exit. But, as you'd expect, we're diving in deeper to talk about potential additions, ideal upgrades, and how the squad looks at time of recording. Along the way, we learn about Mike's X-rated tattoo (and why you shouldn't touch that third rail), Tito's insatiable lust for more blasphemy, and Gollorius. Oh, Gollorius. You're the best. If you want to get in touch, you can find us on the website or on Twitter. Feel free to leave us a rating and a review to let us know how we're doing. Hope yall enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making it. As always, big thanks to Producer Mike for making us sound better than we are and to Windchime Weather for the music. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, this one isn't perfectly timed. Your favorite Viola podcast idiots recorded this on the Sunday before a certain afternoon at the Luigi Ferraris that devastated Fiorentina's European aspirations in the most brutal way possible, so our emotional and psychological states have, hm, deteriorated since then. On the other hand, maybe some bubbly optimism will help push some of those clouds away, even though our first topic is (sigh) Fiorentina's chances of qualifying for Europe and whether that would determine the overall success of this season. We also discussed the situation of Fiorentina's strikers, debating Arthur Cabral's role and possible reinforcements in the summer before veering into another topic that's a bit of a bummer: why the Viola play both up and down to whatever team they're facing that day. The highlight, however, is a conversation with Danny Penza, our favorite (only?) Juventus-supporting friend and boss of Black & White & Read All Over. We chew over what's working and not working for the Bianconeri with a view to figuring out what match day 38 might bring. Along the way, we learned that Mike is absolutely fearless in the face of jinxes, that Tito is ready to post advertisements for a big lad, and that maybe Juve should avoid Brazilian midfielders surnamed Melo. We hope yall enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it. If so, leave us a rating on whichever service you're listening on, and feel free to reach out to us on the website or via Twitter. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we languished in the international break, your favorite podcast idiots decided that, since there's not much happening with Fiorentina, we'd open the floor to the audience, and boy howdy did yall deliver. With Producer Mike's help, our conversation ranged from the Primavera to Fiorentina Femminile's struggles to possible transfer targets to the Coppa Italia and beyond. And we even had Serie A answer a question about when that Udinese game would be rescheduled, so that was nice. We also threw in a little conversation about Arthur Cabral, because who doesn't want to talk about Arthur Cabral? Along the way, we learned that Mike has some interesting marriage counseling options, that Tito might've missed a day or two in podcasting school, and that one of your hosts is pretty plugged into the severed toe market. We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it; if so feel free to leave us a review. You can also get in touch with us on the website or on Twitter. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back, Viola fans, and we're ready to talk about all the Fiorentina stuff that we didn't think was going to be a downer before we started recording this but realized that, wow, we sound pretty grim here. Yep, that means we're chatting about that Juventus game and Dušan Vlahović's return to Florence, but we're also commemorating Davide Astori (sempre con noi) on the fourth anniversary of his passing, looking at Fiorentina's chances the rest of the way, and trying to figure out what's going on with this roster right now. Along the way, we learned that Mike isn't made at his former large son (although he is very disappointed), that Tito will fight anyone who's mean to Lorenzo Venuti, and which of your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots is the big spoon. After that, we had a chat with former Viola Nation boss and current rock star (who just dropped an album that you should listen to and buy!) Lorenzo Landini, who's smart and funny and talented and probably too good to be hanging out with us. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it. Feel free to reach out to us on the website, on Twitter, or through email (sbn [dot] viola [dot] nation [at] gmail [dot] com), and, as always, Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's been a minute since we recorded one of these, so let's dive into it. Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots have their plates full. The conversation begins with a discussion of the winter transfer window and how the Viola did in it, and yes, we did mention Dušan Vlahović once or twice. That took us to the Coppa Italia, where we remained pretty giddy after a famous victory, and even managed to engage in some rare optimism while looking at the prospects for the rest of the season. Along the way, we learned what Mike's secret word was (prizes to anyone who can guess it (not really)), that Tito isn't very confident in his Albanian pronunciation, and that botflies are a good reason to panic. We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it, and if you want to get in touch with us, you can find us on the website or on Twitter. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, will you look at that? You blink and all of a sudden half of January's just gone. Normally, we'd be worried that Fiorentina wasn't going to buy anyone to reinforce a talented but flawed squad, but the arrivals of Jonathan Ikone and Krzysztof Piątek had us feeling pretty good about the men's team, while the arrivals of Vero Boquete and (still can't believe this is real) Valentina Giacinti have the women's team looking like maybe the best attack in league history, even if missing out on the chance to bring back Alia Guagni stings. The only fly in the ointment (at least at time of recording, which was the day before a certain abomination against Torino) was the byzantine complexity of postponements, double postponements, and whatever the league office is up to in the shadows. We're pretty sure it's nothing good, but that's just a hunch. Along the way, we learned that Mike's had a pretty scary couple of weeks, that Tito still can't figure out how to turn Serie A into an adjective--Serie A-ian? Serie A-esque?--and that we've finally found the best spot for a certain Russian striker, and it's behind the woodshed. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this one. Feel free to get in touch with us via the website, on Twitter, or even by email (sbn [dot] viola [dot] nation [at] gmail [dot] com), and feel free to leave us a rating on whichever platform you use to listen. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ho ho holy smokes, we're just about at the end of 2021. As a belated holiday present, how about a podcast retrospective over the past year, and especially over the team since one Vincenzo "Cousin Vinnie" Italiano took the reins? We'll look at the best and worst moments--and yes, a certain game against some Notts County cosplayers features prominently--but, because there's nothing else you can talk about this time of year, we also dive into the mercato. That means predictions galore, which are always fun for us to make and for you to roast us for in another month. The stars of the show, though, are ultra-talented VN staff writers Nick di Gruccio and Ben Lualdi, who braved the weather, the time zones, and a faulty internet switch (no, really) to share their thoughts on the season that was and that still is. Along the way, we learn that Mike is nosing in on Tito's regular bit and that Tito may never recover. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this one. Feel free to get in touch with us via the website, on Twitter, or even by email (sbn [dot] viola [dot] nation [at] gmail [dot] com), and feel free to leave us a rating on whichever platform you use to listen. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might not know this about your VN staff, but we’re usually a little behind the times. It’s why McMike’s got an endless supply of 1990s movie references and why all Tito's music is from 2006 or earlier. It’s also why we’re only just getting this post-Cagliari episode of the podcast out right now (okay, that’s actually entirely on Tito, so direct any irritation his way and not towards the Mikes, please). Anyhow, we had a rollicking good time on this one. We opened up with a chat about the Cagliari game, trying to figure out what went right (hint: it’s the Saponaraissance) and how Fiorentina can keep it going. We then pivoted to a conversation about Dušan Vlahović’s future—hopefully not with Juventus—and how Rocco Commisso’s handled it before wrapping up with a back-and-forth about what (if anything) the brass has learned from this whole fiasco. Along the way, we learned that there may be a new addition to Mike’s wine Mount Rushmore, that Tito really really can’t speak Swedish, and that it’s great when the Viola have already messed everything up, because that means there’s nothing left to mess up. We’d also like to highlight McMike’s anniversary (aaaawwwwww) and thank Judith for lending him to us. We’d also like to point everyone in Producer Mike’s direction; he’s had a hell of a couple of weeks and deserves everyone’s best thoughts. As always, we had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening to it. Special thanks to Windchime Weather for the music. If you want to get in touch with us, you can hit us up on the website, on Twitter, or via email (sbn [dot] viola [dot] nation [at] gmail [dot] com. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A back-and-forth game that results in yet another encouraging loss against a top team. A wantaway superstar. Despicable stupidity from the fans. It's pretty much just another day in the life of a Fiorentina fan, and your favorite podcast idiots are here to break it all down for you. We start with a discussion of the loss against Napoli and then move onto a look at where the Viola are at this point in the season (spoiler: it's better than last year) before moving on to a conversation about what's happening with Dušan Vlahović and his contract. Then we wrapped up with the most disappointing topic imaginable: the racism that Fiorentina fans displayed against Partenopei star Kalidou Koulibaly and what has to come next. Along the way, we learned about Mike's chocolate milk tolerance, Tito's hedgehog memories, and how to ensure Fiorentina stop playing with ten men. We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it. Feel free to hit us up with questions or comments on Twitter, email, or on the website, and feel free to leave us a rating on whatever podcasting service you're using. Thanks and Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After knocking off Genoa, Fiorentina made it three wins in a row, which means we got to see our first Viola win streak in almost exactly two years. That's exactly the kind of minor trivia to which your intrepid hosts will never overreact, which is why we kept our heads and absolutely, positively did NOT succumb to any sort of giddiness. And yeah, we recorded this before the Inter Milan game, so just imagine how that ended for us. (Not well.) Along the way, we learned that Mike’s happiness is inversely proportional to Fiorentina’s, Tito will geek out about world class number 10s turned librarians, and why being on a boat with Vincenzo Italiano might be a bad idea. We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it. We'd love to hear from you on the website or Twitter, and feel free to leave a rating on whichever service you found us on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices