Pietro Terracciano—7: He solely made 2 saves however one in every of them was a large rejection from Federico di Francesco at shut vary proper after the break and Gabriel Strefezza’s stance on the header was additionally not dangerous. He gave Kouamé a spectacular kick to start out the time-out. In any other case fairly a calming day.
dodo—7: May be his greatest sport for Fiorentina. Very lively and infrequently conceding, including a goal-saving interference within the first half. He is very lively within the final three, he is all the time on prime and he carries the ball effectively. He nonetheless must get a bit stronger and enhance his center, however he is getting near wanting like a €15 million fullback.
Nikola Milenkovic—6.5: Lorenzo Colombo had by no means been so uncomfortable and stored the younger man effectively beneath management. We had some extra bother with Assan Ceesay of late however total it was a really assured efficiency from the tall man.
igor—6: He was closed instantly after the break to let di Francesco enter and was proven a yellow card within the second half after Colombo flipped him however made no additional errors. He had an authoritative ball within the again towards Lecce’s brutal press and actually helped set the tempo after the break.
Cristiano Biraghi—6: Going actually dangerous within the first half, shedding the ball very simply and complicated his place with Mandragora. He improved a bit within the second half however was by no means an actual power. However, he coped with the powerful Strefezza a lot better than anticipated.
Sofia Amrabat—6.5: He was caught a couple of times by the attacking Giallorossi however principally superb, working across the engine room and maintaining fires uncontrolled. He was additionally sharp on the ball, continuously eager to move or transfer ahead.
Rolando Mandragora—5.5: He stored the tempo low for the primary 45 however finally acquired used to it. He wore his typical Milan Badelj go well with, surprisingly getting the ball ahead whereas additionally participating within the defensive section. Just a bit bit inaccurate.
Nicolas Gonzalez—7: He would have scored if Antonino Gallo hadn’t accomplished it for him. Clearly the damaging man who will get fouls all day and causes mayhem wherever he goes. He additionally continued his latest pattern of wanting like a really inventive middle quarterback. It is just like Amrabat in some methods, as each are brokers of chaos that look terrible to play towards.
Antonin Barak—6.5: He performed lots of Bák as a result of he was elegant and stylish however nonetheless peripheral. He combines very effectively with the others within the final three however does not want the ball like an elite 10 ought to. Mysterious maybe, however nonetheless a very helpful gear within the Viola machine.
Riccardo Saponara—6: The gorgeous cross made the objective, however it wasn’t within the tune. He seemed free with the ball early and mismatched together with his teammates. Nonetheless, I watched him throw excessive passes all day.
Christian Kouame—6: He performed an fascinating position, usually going very deep and permitting González to remain greater. He fought admirably and by no means stopped working however seemed a bit rusty, typically holding the ball for too lengthy. I had a number of nice moments although, particularly the contact that dropped the Terracciano punt and disabled Nico. Purposeful at worst.
Arthur Cabral—5: In his usually affectionate method, he rushed round and made himself a nuisance. He had a number of half probabilities he could not end, however clearly frightened the Lecce protection in a manner that Kouamé did not.
Riccardo Sottil—4.5: The brisk Valentin dusted off Gendrey nearly instantly, demonstrating that his athleticism remained top-notch, continuously dashing ahead on the ball. The issue was that he might by no means determine what to do when he approached the opponent’s objective, however he would undo it with extra minutes. You simply must be affected person.
Giacomo Bonaventura—5.5: He was fired by a mortar that Wladimiro Falcone needed to compromise and seemed energetic in his restricted minutes.
Alfred Duncan—5: As typical, it seemed extra like a hammer than a prophecy. He swung round and had Fiorentina end the sport with minimal fuss.
Jonathan Ikoné—4.5: Not a lot concerned in the course of the quick cameo.
1. Fiorentina is now a defensive-first staff. Vincenzo Italiano was lauded for the high-octane, fast-pacing system that took Serie A by storm final 12 months. However after shedding to Dušan Vlahović, the objectives dried up within the second half and this drought continued this 12 months as effectively. Whereas Arthur Cabral’s progress has supplied some much-needed endings, he is not the centerpiece.
No, that will probably be protection. Viola conceded 5 objectives within the final 9 video games (0.56 objectives per sport), with out conceding 5 objectives within the course of. Examine that to the earlier 32 video games the place they conceded 36 (1.13 objectives per sport) and never conceded 7 objectives. Italiano and these gamers deserve large reward for being one of many stingiest items in Serie A after getting into the offensive powerhouse 12 months.
2. Profitable with out scoring is an effective signal. That is the form of sport Viola has stumbled upon for years. With Pantaleo Corvino and Sandro Mencucci on the head of Lecce, native Florentine Marco Baroni within the sanctuary, I used to be anticipating a loss right here with an emotional win and good efficiency popping out of the streak and returning the aspect closely.
And it nearly occurred. Fiorentina made a number of half-decent strikes however did not put an excessive amount of strain on Falcone as a result of Salentini put some actually good strain on them. Regardless of this, the ball in some way went to the nets and the great guys noticed the win. I do not need to learn an excessive amount of right into a single sport as a result of none of it really works like that, however this feels just like the crowning achievement of a latest pattern: Even when they don’t seem to be at their greatest, Viola nonetheless wins. It has been a very long time since this membership has persistently achieved that.
3. This appears to be a system quite than a set of people. For years, Fiorentina was lower than the sum of its components. The recruitment division deserves a number of the blame for snatching gamers who do not slot in with the remainder of the staff (e.g. Franck Ribery, Kevin-Prince Boateng, José Callejón, Aleksandr Kokorin, Matija Nastasić). The consequence had been gifted people with incompatible play kinds. A part of that’s undoubtedly within the coaches as they’re too strict to alter their strategy to go well with the blokes on the roster.
But a part of it has been a pervasive tradition of mediocrity. Good gamers know they are going to be purchased quickly and all they must do is carry out effectively sufficient to catch somebody’s consideration, whereas intermediate gamers are comfortable to be there. That is the recipe for a disconnected roster full of guys who aren’t prepared to sacrifice something for the great of the staff.
However now, Italiano (with Prade/Barone’s assist) has discovered a system that will get essentially the most out of its gamers. Amrabat can wreak havoc with out having to seek out the ahead move, as Mandragora is there to do it with out working too far. Biraghi can leap ahead realizing that Mandragora and a quick defender will defend him. González can run to the highest as a result of Saponara or Ikoné falls deep on the opposite aspect. There’s a stability and that enables everybody to play to their strengths.
#Fiorentina #Lecce #Forged #notes #discovered
