Pre-match

Vincenzo Italiano didn’t mess around, naming something close to his first XI, although Sofyan Amrabat was only fit enough for the bench. Due to his and Giacomo Bonaventura’s absences, the midfield was Rolando Mandragora, Gaetano Castrovilli, and Antonín Barák. Davide Ballardini, on the other hand, switched things up in a big way, going to a 4-4-1-1ish shape instead of his usual 3-5-2 and picking several surprising names throughout the lineup as a result.

What wasn’t a surprise, though, was the atmosphere inside the Artemio Franchi. The Viola faithful, close enough to sniff the Coppa Italia final, were out in force on a Thursday, turning the stadium into a caldara of singing, chanting, yelling fans; the broadcast announcers and studio crews all seemed astonished at the level of support, which just shows you how far under the radar Fiorentina have flown this year. We all known that the Franchi may be the best atmosphere in Serie A these days.

First half

There really wasn’t much of anything going on, much to the credit of the hosts’ preparation and mentality. Cremonese lacked the ability (perhaps Ballardini was hoping to keep it tight through the first half and then open it up after the break) and Fiorentina lacked the motivation to really do anything in the final third. Aside from Dodô getting booked for a glaringly obvious dive in the penalty area, there just wasn’t much to see.

Second half

Cremonese came out looking a little bit feistier, with Felix Asamoah-Gyan and Cyriel Dessers causing a couple of mildly awkward moments, but Fiorentina never seemed all that troubled. The lack of cutting edge was slightly irritating, as Nicolás González, Gaetano Castrovilli, and Arthur Cabral all came close, but this one was all putting the Grigiorossi to bed, and that’s exactly what the side did in the most mature manner imaginable.

Full time

Goals: nah

Cards: Dodô 39’, Igor 59’; Ghiglione 21’, Sernicola 81’

What’s next

Most immediately, Fiorentina take on moribund Sampdoria on Sunday, which shouldn’t necessitate too much fuss. On Wednesday, they head south for a date with Salernitana, then stay in Campania to take on champions-elect Napoli next Sunday. In short, the fixtures keep coming twice a week for the remainder of the season, with the Conference League semifinal against Basel kicking off 11 May 2023.

The Coppa Italia final isn’t until 24 May 2023, sandwiched between a trip to Torino and a game against AS Roma. Fiorentina will meet Inter Milan, who knocked out Juventus yesterday, at the Stadio Olimpico. It’s the first final the Viola have reached since 2015, when they lost to Napoli in a match overshadowed by violence outside the stadium. While the Nerazzurri are a formidable foe, Italiano and company will no doubt relish their chances to bring Florence its first trophy since 2001.