Fiorentina forward Beto collected a first Serie A 2026-27 victory on Friday when Paolo Vanoli's side defeated Venezia 2-4 in Vanoli's first match in charge, ending a run of three consecutive defeats that had defined the opening weeks of the Viola's season.
The result matters for Beto in a specific way. He arrived at Fiorentina as part of a summer rebuild and has spent the early weeks of the campaign embedded in a side that was leaking goals and losing matches. A win, however it arrives, changes the psychological texture of a squad. Vanoli himself acknowledged as much, stating that he was enthusiastic about returning to Fiorentina but that working on the mindset was the immediate priority. A 4-2 away result is a reasonable first step toward that.
The individual picture for Beto is more complicated. His verified Serie A numbers across the opening weeks — one assist across two appearances rated at an average of 5.97, and a separate appearance rated at 6.35 — place him in the functional but unspectacular bracket. The assist is a contribution; the ratings suggest a player who has not yet imposed himself on matches. An AI overall of 64 out of 100, with a potential of 70, frames him as a player with room to develop, but not one who can afford extended stretches of peripheral involvement.
The Venezia win was built on Franco Mastantuono's hat-trick, which tells its own story. When a teenager is the decisive figure in a 4-2 away victory, the senior forwards in the squad are implicitly under scrutiny. Beto played 60 minutes in the match before being substituted, contributing an assist, though his rating of 5.60 suggests he remained on the periphery of the contest rather than imposing himself on it.
What is clear is the structural shift at the club. Sporting director Fabio Paratici explained the decision to dismiss Fabio Grosso after three matches by citing a lack of confidence within the squad. Vanoli's appointment is a direct response to that diagnosis. For Beto, the coaching change is the second significant external variable of a season that has barely reached its fourth match. Fiorentina sit 15th with three points from four games, and the gap between where the club expected to be and where it currently stands is the context in which every player's contribution will be measured.
The next weeks will determine whether Vanoli's arrival produces a sustained shift or a single result. For Beto, the question is simpler and more personal: whether a new manager's eye and a winning dressing room can unlock the difference between a 5.97 and something that makes the team selection conversation unnecessary.