The capture of Ribéry on a free was the most unlikely move of the Italian window. Already, it looks one of the best

This time Fiorentina did not blow it. You could forgive supporters at the Stadio Artemio Franchi for thinking they were about to, when Sampdoria’s Federico Bonazzoli forced the ball into their net in the 79th minute of Wednesday’s game. Fiorentina had been 2-0 up and cruising: exactly as they were at the corresponding point of what became a 2-2 draw against Atalanta three days before.

The Viola were established experts in finding ways not to win. They had not tasted victory in Serie A for 220 days – since beating Spal on 17 February. Not since 2018 had they taken three points from a home game.

Under normal circumstances, you might expect the mood to be mutinous. And yet, the opposite was true. The stands of the Franchi were heaving, the club having posted their best season-ticket sales in at least 18 years. Only the two Milanese clubs have shifted more for this campaign.

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Such is the enthusiasm that comes with a fresh start. Fiorentina were taken over this summer by Rocco Commisso, the billionaire founder of the American cable network Mediacom. His arrival was immediately welcomed by fans who had grown disillusioned with the previous owners, the Della Valle family, and his popularity has only continued to grow since.

Commisso has cast himself as a man of action, arguing that he has no time to waste at 69 years old. The grandest of his stated ambitions are to build a new stadium and construct a team to compete with Juventus. For his first summer at the helm, it was enough to deliver a more straightforward promise: that Federico Chiesa would not be sold, “even for $100,000,000”.

Instead of letting their greatest young talent walk out the door, Fiorentina signed an old hand to help guide him. The capture of Franck Ribéry on a free transfer was the most unexpected move of the Italian transfer window. Already, it looks like one of the best.

Ribéry’s arrival ignited the imaginations of Fiorentina’s supporters. A crowd of 10,000 came to see him unveiled at the Franchi. He stepped off his plane at Peretola airport speaking fluent Italian and explaining that Luca Toni – an icon in Florence, and his good friend from their time together at Bayern Munich – had told him to come.

Still, it was valid to wonder how much he had left in the tank at 36. Ribéry took a significant pay cut to join, and jokingly described himself as a free lottery ticket. In reality, the wages on his two-year contract are understood to be more than double those paid to Chiesa – previously the club’s highest earner.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Federico Chiesa celebrates after scoring. Photograph: Claudio Giovannini/EPA

It has not taken long for Ribéry to start justifying his cost. His first appearance was only a 12-minute cameo off the bench against Napoli, but ought to have yielded a penalty when he was dragged down by Elseid Hysaj after tormenting the defender. Next came a 0-0 draw with Juventus in which Ribéry not only outperformed Cristiano Ronaldo but at one point raced back into his own half to steal the ball off the Portuguese’s toes. Ribéry followed up by scoring his first goal for Fiorentina in Sunday’s aforementioned draw with Atalanta.

The cross had come from Chiesa, floated beautifully from right touch-line into Ribéry’s path as he attacked the penalty box on the far side. The Frenchman dispatched it first-time into the bottom corner off his left boot.

Those same players inspired their team to victory on Wednesday. Ribéry created Fiorentina’s first goal, turning Gianluca Caprari inside-out before teeing up Germán Pezzella for a close-range header. Chiesa made it 2-0 just before the hour, running on to Dalbert’s smart flick and curling a shot past Emil Audero.

Many have questioned the work of the Fiorentina manager, Vincenzo Montella, since he returned to the club in April, and Wednesday’s win is unlikely to appease his critics. Fiorentina continue to look brittle, and Bonazzoli’s goal made for an anxious finish against opponents who had been playing with 10 men from the 54th minute. Here, too, Fiorentina were fortunate; Jeison Murillo’s second booking was “earned” by a blatant dive from Gaetano Castrovilli.

But Montella has concocted a compelling idea, pairing Chiesa and Ribéry as dual false nines at the top of a 3-5-2. These are still early days, but Sampdoria’s defenders, like Atalanta’s, were flummoxed at times by their movement.

The likelihood is that Fiorentina will not achieve the target Ribéry set for them on his arrival, of finishing in the top three. But he also indicated an eagerness to serve as a mentor to a team stacked with young talent. Five of Fiorentina’s starters on Wednesday were 22 or younger, and so were another two deployed off the bench.

One of Commisso’s first acts after completing his purchase of Fiorentina was to re-hire Daniele Pradè as the club’s sporting director, a role he had filled from 2012-16 – during which time the club achieved three consecutive fourth-place finishes and reached a Europa League semi-final. In turn, one of Pradè’s first calls was to Toni, who recommended him to sign Ribéry.

“I told him it was impossible,” said Pradè, “but we kept talking and I started to think it could be the right thing. I spoke to Ribéry on 25 June and I fell in love with him … he brings this charisma with him, the essence of winning.”

That final line might have been the most important one, for a team that had forgotten how it was done.

Talking points

• A fifth game, and a fifth win in Serie A for Antonio Conte’s Inter. They rode their luck and relied on Samir Handanovic’s saves at times against Lazio. Still, this was a tough fixture, four days after a derby, and Inter kept their fourth clean sheet of the season. Throw in the European let-down, and it really does all feel very classic Conte.

• Kalidou Koulibaly’s season continues to veer between highs and lows. He was sent off for protesting too vehemently after Lucas Castro scored a late winner for Cagliari at Napoli, and may be out for a few games depending on the referee Marco Di Bello’s report. Koulibaly’s reaction may reflect some measure of the tension felt already to keep up with the leaders.

Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) 😮 LATE DRAMA AT THE SAN PAOLO!



⚽ Lucas Castro scores for Cagliari, and it's completely against the run of play!



🔴 To make matters worse, Koulibaly was sent off for Napoli in the aftermath too! pic.twitter.com/dnEcWXyHfN

• Juventus had to come back from a goal down for a second game running. They were good enough value for their win by the end but I really like this Brescia team, with Sandro Tonali pulling the strings and Alfred Donnarumma taking his one chance (four goals this season already). Less encouraging, for me, was Mario Balotelli’s performance in his first game for his hometown club.

• Chris Smalling’s Roma debut started well, even if he did miss one very presentable chance to score from a set-piece, and by the second half he had talking heads in Italy comparing him to a luxury car. Although the game turned, he was not the chief culprit for either goal Atalanta scored.

Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) ⚽ De Roon adds a second and seals the points for Atalanta!



⚫🔵 A 2-0 win against Roma for Gasperini's team may well see them finish the night in the top 4 in the table pic.twitter.com/xO4Ox13Xhs