What do Tottenham and Fiorentina have in common? Is it that their current coaches both once managed Sassuolo, or that as players they both had a left foot capable of launching sweet trajectories?
Both answers are correct, but they are not the only links between these Premier League and Serie A teams. In fact, both are currently at the bottom of the table in their respective leagues. And both spent almost the entire summer riding a wave of massive hype ahead of the 2026/27 season.
However, both Spurs and La Viola are coming off a previous season in which they greatly disappointed and found themselves fighting to avoid relegation, although the English side had to struggle much more than the Italian one.
In London, Roberto De Zerbi was immediately thrown into a complicated situation, having to save his team from a disastrous potential relegation last spring. In Florence, on the other hand, Fabio Grosso arrived with a lot of confidence but immediately faced huge demands.
High expectations
It was a significant transfer window in North London, partly marked by the departure of defender Radu Dragusin, who moved from Tottenham to Fiorentina on loan with an obligation to buy. Spurs spent over 300 million pounds to sign Sandro Tonali, Savinho, Jan Paul van Hecke and Omar Marmoush, after selling Cristian Romero, Luka Vuskovic, Djed Spence and Guglielmo Vicario.
La Viola responded with a dynamic transfer campaign aimed at strengthening every area, adding the aforementioned Romanian defender along with the signings of Christ Inao Oulai, Arthur Atta and Mateo Pellegrino, securing Giovanni Fabbian from Bologna and trimming the squad with loans of players like Amir Richardson. The departure of Moise Kean, which happened at the end of the transfer window, was, however, preceded by a terrible start to the league.
Harsh realities
In the Premier League, Tottenham had a debut to forget, suffering a clear 3-0 defeat away to Brentford, followed by another lacklustre performance at home against Newcastle, ending 0-2. With five goals conceded and none scored, Spurs now need to immediately turn things around in their next match away to a Nottingham Forest side eager to claim their first win of the season in front of their home fans.
The situation in Serie A for Fiorentina is, if possible, even more delicate. After a promising start in the Coppa Italia (a 4-1 win over Benevento), Viola suffered a brutal start to the league - a heavy 4-0 defeat at the Olimpico against Roma followed by a surprising 3-0 home slip-up against Frosinone. With a goal difference of -7 and still no goals scored, Fiorentina will look for an immediate comeback at the Franchi in the next round against Torino.
Centenary celebrations ruined
The facts, then, seem rather unforgiving for both coaches. Brought in to reverse a negative trend, both De Zerbi and Grosso are now realising just how hard it is to actually live up to expectations. Tottenham, always chasing greatness, and Fiorentina, finally seeking revenge, are two sides of the same coin - the anxious pursuit of a higher status. But that status never seems to arrive.
The road ahead is now extremely steep, and in the context of both leagues, these six points could prove very costly for the two Italian coaches, both known as tactical innovators but now facing a harsh wall called 'reality'. To make matters worse, for Viola fans there was the huge disappointment of a centenary celebration ruined by the home debacle against Frosinone, a team that will likely fight to avoid relegation.
The high level of competition in both the Premier League and Serie A, despite significant differences in salaries, revenues, and entertainment, has put Spurs and Fiorentina in terrible positions at the start of this season.
The mid-summer excitement, the stuff dreams are made of, has so far turned into disappointment. A turnaround needs to come immediately, and with wins. Otherwise, both in London and Florence, they will have to brace themselves for another season of suffering.
