Sassuolo 1-1 Fiorentina: Match Report

Fiorentina. Fiorentina never changes. A third draw in a row and the team is starting to look slightly reminiscent of the old Vincenzo Montella side which would struggle to overcome even the smallest of teams *shudder*. Okay, it's really not that bad and Sassuolo are certainly not to be considered as a 'small' opponent anymore, but Paulo Sousa's men were expected to put on much more of a performance than they did against the Neroverdi in Monday night's 1-1 draw.

Things started off brightly as Borja Valero bagged a very early goal in the fifth minute after Giuseppe Rossi knocked on Josip Ilicic's cross. Signs pointed towards a second goal as the viola continued to advance and Ilicic could have made it two just minutes after the opener, but the 27-year-old failed to beat Andrea Consigli in a 1v1 situation and squandered a chance to kill off the match early on.

As a consequence, a certain complacency then began to creep into Fiorentina's game, allowing Sassuolo the time to pull themselves together and hit back, making things very difficult. The defence was pegged back, starting to concede too many errors when under pressure and not before long Sergio Floccari tied up the game, capitalising on some poor defending from a corner and heading past Ciprian Tatarusanu with extreme ease.

The team looked even worse as they came out in the second half, allowing themselves to be trampled all over by a determined Sassuolo attack. Play looked considerably sluggish and the ball was kicked about the field rather half heartedly, if it wasn't for the valiant efforts of Valero and Federico Bernardeschi then the team may as well have been invisible for the remaining 45 minutes.

The introduction of Nikola Kalinic didn't quite have it's desired affect either, while the big man was able to win aerial duels upfront he just wasn't provided with the right amount of service in order to grab a second goal and kick the team back into life. There was a late shout for a penalty in the dying minutes of the game, after Valero's cross clearly struck the arm of Matteo Politano, though not even that should be used as an excuse for an overall disappointing display.

The result of this match ultimately serves as a reminder that the team need to get their act together as we're now just two weeks away from the big game away to Juventus. Prior to that will be Udinese and Belenenses, both at home and both equally important fixtures.