"Much room for improvement" but Federico Chiesa is developing into a top player at Fiorentina

"Much room for improvement" but Federico Chiesa is developing into a top player at Fiorentina

Chiesa says he's "absolutely not a world class player” but he is doing his dad proud under Stefano Pioli in Florence.

ARRIVING in a chaotic SPAL penalty area, he pounced on the loose ball. A calm head among the chaos, he kept his powerful shot low and placed it perfectly into the corner, wheeling away to celebrate behind the goal before suddenly remembering something much more important.

Federico Chiesa has scored better efforts and he’s certainly netted more vital ones, but this was the first time he had done so with his brother on the sidelines. Young Lorenzo was near the halfway line, working as a ballboy like many other members of the Viola youth sector do.

Federico sprinted over to him, embracing him before tussling his hair and returning to the pitch. Up in the stands behind them, their proud parents smiled broadly, former Italy, Parma and Fiorentina striker Enrico sat with his wife as they enjoyed a touching family moment in front of a large television audience and a packed stadium.

“I was moved, it was such an emotional moment for me,” mum Francesca Chiesa told the Firenzeviola website shortly after the final whistle. “Seeing them both down there, wearing the Viola jersey, with Federico embracing his brother with such a protective air, it was truly moving.

“It reminded me of when Enrico hugged Federico when he was a ball-boy. For a moment, the two phases of life crossed over,” she continued. “It’s special with your children. Watching Enrico was wonderful, but when your kids are on the pitch it’s a whole other sensation.”

Over the last two years, they have had many enjoyable moments doing just that, Federico first emerging from the Fiorentina youth team during former boss Paulo Sousa’s tenure. The Portuguese coach deployed him in a variety of roles before being sent packing last summer, and his predecessor has undoubtedly been key to unlocking Chiesa’s immense potential.

A former defender who played for the Viola alongside Gabriel Batistuta during the 1990s, Stefano Pioli has breathed new life into Fiorentina since taking charge. While he deserves immense credit for his handling of the emotional loss of skipper Davide Astori last year, it is his overall approach that has been the real story.

Positive, calm and insightful, he has brought stability back to the club and nobody has benefited more than Chiesa. No longer asked to play as a full-back, he has been used solely as an out-and-out winger, free to swap flanks during games and constantly probe opposition defences for any weaknesses. Pioli is unafraid to call him out when he makes mistakes or haul him off when he underperforms, but the 20-year-old knows that he only does so for the betterment of the team and the player himself.

However, his good displays have seen Chiesa attract major attention as playing in a team alongside Diego Simeone’s son Giovanni brings far more intense scrutiny than the duo would otherwise currently warrant. Chelsea, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs were linked with moves to sign him in the summer, as were the usual Italian suspects of Juventus, Napoli and Inter.

His current side rebuffed them all however, and the youngster insists there is nowhere better for him at this stage of his career than remaining at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. "I was serene because I had already decided that I would have stayed here,” Chiesa told the Corriere della Sera newspaper in August. “It was the right decision for me. Knowing that big clubs were willing to spend a lot of money for me doesn't affect me.”

In that same interview, he went on to admit that he believes there is much room for improvement. “I’m absolutely not a world class player” Chiesa continued. “I’m happy with I have achieved so far, but I am confident I can improve a lot.” Those words fit neatly with a previous statement where Federico said that his Dad had told him that “you become a Serie A player when you have made at least 300 appearances.”

Enrico is in a position to say so having managed 380 himself, while his son has so far featured in a mere 68. That goal against SPAL at the weekend took his career tally to 11 which, added to his eight assists, serves to highlight the lack of end product to his clearly exceptional build up play. No forward in Serie A has completed more take-ons after five games than Chiesa’s total of 12, but he has completed just 74% of his passes and has been dispossessed 10 times.

Guilty of making the wrong decision in the opposition penalty area, he too often passes when he should shoot and has an attempt at goal when a team-mate is better placed. Pioli has been helping him work on that, and it was no surprise that after he subbed Chiesa off against SPAL this weekend, the two shared a warm embrace, with the coach clearly pleased with his no.25’s efforts in the 3-0 win.

“Federico is becoming a truly wonderful player,” Pioli told Sky Italia after the game before joking that “he already has comparisons with his Dad, if we compare him with his younger brother then that’s too much!” It certainly is, but what is clear is that the coach has helped to mould him into a truly exceptional talent in his own right.

That his family play such a huge part in nurturing those skills is obvious too, and Enrico’s decision to remain in the Renaissance city when his own career ended has evidently been rewarded. Fiorentina benefit from having Federico Chiesa in the side wearing the shirt his father wore.

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