Nico accepted his role as the team’s unquestioned superstar when he took over the number 10 shirt, and sure enough,
Fiorentina tended to go as he went: the Viola didn’t lose a game in which he scored (although the failure to score his penalty against
Inter Milan did result in defeat). Opponents usually dedicated multiple defenders to stopping him and the rest of the team lacked the quality to take advantage of his gravity, although he did miss a number of chances, particularly when shooting from distance (he didn’t score from outside the box). Still, he’s the unquestioned best player on the roster and his play bore that out.
Stats: 44 appearances (3172 minutes), 16 goals, 5 assists, 4 yellow cards
Grade: B Lacked a bit of an edge but that’s more on the rest of the team’s underperformance than anything he did or didn’t do.