There is no kind way to put this: Fiorentina marked their centenary by producing one of the most embarrassing results in their recent history, and the worst start to a Serie A season the club has ever made. The setting was loaded with meaning. Four days of celebrations had built towards Saturday's home game against newly-promoted Frosinone, a procession through Florence, fireworks beside the Arno, club legends gathered for lunch at Viola Park. Gabriel Batistuta, Rui Costa, Adrien Mutu and Cesare Prandelli were in the house. The stadium was bathed in purple. The Curva Fiesole might still be closed for renovation, but the ultras arranged a stunning choreography at the other end anyway. Every ingredient was there for a party. Then Frosinone walked in and dismantled the whole thing. ## A 3-0 Stuffing, Dressed Up In Centenary Kit The scoreline is brutal enough. The context makes it worse. Frosinone only survived in Serie B last season because a points deduction against Brescia saved them from a relegation play-out. These are not a team that should be putting three past anyone in Serie A, let alone doing it with something resembling comfort. But their manager Massimiliano Alvini, a man who spent the better part of two decades grinding through Italian football's lower divisions and who, remarkably, still runs an active LinkedIn page, used a La Gazzetta dello Sport prediction of doom as fuel. His side earned promotion, then came to Florence and made Fiorentina look like the newly-promoted side. Antonio Raimondo scored twice. Gabriele Bracaglia headed in a corner for the second. The first warning came in the 25th minute when Frosinone broke three-on-two and wasted it. A minute later they didn't waste anything. To be fair to Fiorentina, the game was not always as straightforward as the scoreline suggests. Franco Mastantuono, the 19-year-old Argentine winger on loan from Real Madrid, who signed for [€45m from River Plate last summer](/uprise/football/european-football-bellingham-sparks-real-madrids-cruise-to-maintain-perfect), showed genuine quality, controlling one ball with two consecutive heel touches before nutmegging a defender as he shot against the far post. Arthur Atta forced a save. Víctor Valdepeñas also rattled the woodwork. On another day, at 1-0 down, this is a different game. But the second goal killed it, and Fiorentina never stirred again. ## €120m and Counting What makes this particularly galling is the investment behind this squad. Giuseppe Commisso, who took over from his late father Rocco this year, confirmed on Saturday that the family's total financial commitment to the club stands at €1.1bn. This summer alone, Fiorentina spent more than €120m on new players, the largest single transfer window outlay in the club's history. Christ Inao Oulaï, Valdepeñas, Atta, Mateo Pellegrino. Plus loanees Mastantuono, Radu Dragusin and Álex Jiménez bringing experience from Tottenham and Bournemouth respectively. New manager Fabio Grosso needs time to blend this group. Fine. We accept that. But two games, seven goals conceded, none scored, it is the first time in Fiorentina's history they have been shut out in back-to-back top-flight defeats at the start of a season. That is a record nobody wanted. Giuseppe Commisso delivered his centenary speech from the pitch after the final whistle, part of a post-game show that tried its best to celebrate despite everything. The legends came out to applause. Batistuta got his ovation. But the shadow of what had just happened was impossible to shift. A Serie A renaissance? Right now, it feels a long way off.