Viola Nation - Fiorentina vs Cittadella: Coppa Italia 2019-2020A Fiorentina blog for Viola fanshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50059/viola-fav.png2019-12-04T04:30:00+01:00http://www.violanation.com/rss/stream/207579642019-12-04T04:30:00+01:002019-12-04T04:30:00+01:00Fiorentina 2-0 Cittadella: Player grades and 3 things we learned
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<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v AS Cittadella - Coppa Italia" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ukx-hsJPA_Ld4ZnTkSPpuL4taJc=/0x0:2996x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65820489/1186298044.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Despite trying to yank the rug out from under their own feet, the 10-man Viola survive and thrive.</p> <h2 id="YrFiBq">Pre-match</h2>
<p id="cquI3m"><span>Vincenzo Montella</span> brought on a host of new faces, with Pietro Terracciano, Luca Ranieri, Lorenzo Venuti, <span>Marco Benassi</span>, Rachid Ghezzal, and Riccardo Sottil all starting. Cittadella manager Roberto Venturato made a bunch of changes as well, meaning that neither side trotted out its first choice XI.</p>
<p id="hBAsXh">First half</p>
<p id="rCtg9y">Cittadella started brightly, forcing a good save from Terracciano within the first 90 seconds and hemming the Viola into their own half for the first 6 minutes. After looking deeply rattled, <a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> eventually woke up and reversed the action, keeping the ball nicely in the middle and finding space out wide with the fullbacks. Lorenzo Venuti in particular looked lively, twice putting in excellent crosses that Dušan Vlahović couldn’t turn home (including one completely free header. It was Sottil, though, who created the first goal from nothing: he won the ball up the pitch, shrugged off a foul, and crossed for Benassi, who took a touch and slotted home. Fiorentina kept the pressure up well but couldn’t add a second before disaster struck with Venuti earning a straight red for tripping up Žan Celar on a breakaway. Montella eventually withdrew Sottil in favor of Lirola, much to the young Italian’s disgust, but Citta had the bit between their teeth now and should have equalized through Giuseppe Panico.</p>
<h2 id="uhrnyy">Second half</h2>
<p id="8rH0v0">Montella must have spent the second half reorganizing things quite well, as the Viola came out very effectively. It didn’t take too long for Ghezzal to control a long ball over the top, hold off two defenders, and then center it for (who else?) that man Benassi to slam home. The second goal opened things up even more; Citta threw numbers forward but it was the hosts who looked more dangerous, with Ghezzal, Vlahović (again), and Castrovilli all wasting good chances on the counter. Aside from a late couple of half-chances through Federico Proia which Terracciano repelled, Fiorentina saw things out fairly effectively, albeit with a lot of negativity.</p>
<h2 id="5kElrl">Player grades</h2>
<p id="YRXWbq"><strong>Terracciano</strong>—7: Didn’t face any shots that most Serie A goalkeepers wouldn’t have saved, but offered a calming presence between the sticks and punched clear everything that came near him. Also seemed to keep everyone loose in the dressing room and focused on the pitch. Exactly what you want in a reserve goalie.</p>
<p id="ysMUSe"><strong>Venuti</strong>—3: Was probably the standout attacker while he was on the pitch, twice pinging in perfect crosses that his teammates couldn’t tuck away. However, he really didn’t need to foul Celar, particularly in that situation and at that point in the match, so his grade suffers accordingly.</p>
<p id="GmPcp0"><strong>Milenković</strong>—7: Immense in every sense. Time and again showed up with a key tackle, interception, header, or block. Always in the right place. Perhaps at fault when Celar got through, but that may have been because Ranieri headed the ball backwards too. Very strong from the big man.</p>
<p id="LVvPQB"><strong>Ranieri</strong>—6.5: Continues to time his tackles on the ground as well as any player I’ve ever seen. Still needs to get stronger and still prone to occasionally losing his man or forgetting where he needs to be (again, he flicked on the pass that put Celar through), but he never seemed troubled by Serie B attackers. Great opportunity for him to get his confidence back.</p>
<p id="IbaF6M"><strong>Dalbert</strong>—6: Ran like a man possessed, as per usual, and offered width on the left before the sending off. Much more reserved afterwards and seemed to be targeted later on by Cittadella, who built several decent chances down his flank. Looked exhausted late.</p>
<p id="pvjDOH"><strong>Benassi</strong>—7.5: Man of the match for me. Playing off a main striker, his late runs into the box were consistently dangerous. Also dropped in and did some of the grunt work on defense, even spending a few minutes at fullback. Even hit a couple of decent passes.</p>
<p id="bAHB2n"><strong>Pulgar</strong>—7: Looked great as the regista after a torrid start. Did a nice job of switching play to the wings and keeping things moving a la Badelj, although Citta never really pressured him as much as they should’ve. After the red card, reverted to his tough-tackling, pit bull self, never giving up an inch in the middle and making things difficult for the opponents.</p>
<p id="MHekqu"><strong>Castrovilli</strong>—7: Danced his way out of trouble consistently and went on a couple of trademarked twinkle-toed runs in attack but also added some clever passing that he hadn’t previously displayed, particularly a knack for switching play out to the right. Really should have scored but we won’t be too mad.</p>
<p id="5ezjt2"><strong>Ghezzal</strong>—6.5: Started very slowly, but looked very good after Venuti went off. The assist was class and he fired a curler just wide of the post not long after. Still holds the ball too long and runs sideways, slowing down attacks, but he’s got enough wiggle in him to be a useful piece.</p>
<p id="RVMJ5r"><strong>Vlahović</strong>—4: Missed three (three!) wide open chances today, which is becoming his defining characteristic. His work rate, ability to find space in the channels, and skill at turning past a marker are all fantastic, but he simply has to score when given such great opportunities. Not very many opponents will be as accommodating as to let the Viola win when the striker misfires that many times.</p>
<p id="nnDX29"><strong>Sottil</strong>—6.5: Looked lively during his brief run and got an assist. Was very upset to be subbed off and got in a bit of a tiff on the bench about it, which isn’t a good look at all. There’s no doubting that he’s a ballplayer, though.</p>
<p id="MjskbJ"><strong>Lirola</strong>—6: Lost Panico at the back post and was lucky the forward didn’t score, but was otherwise pretty solid defensively. Didn’t add much going forward, but that was probably the plan, given the circumstances.</p>
<p id="k4Jvty"><strong>Cáceres</strong>—n/a: Dug into the box and smacked everything that came near him back out for a little while.</p>
<p id="jhfPYL"><strong>Terzić</strong>—n/a: Replaced Dalbert late and looked fine, but wasn’t on the pitch long enough to really leave an impression.</p>
<h2 id="l6eL4O">Three things we learned</h2>
<p id="N3GkwS"><strong>1. 4-3-3 is how this team should play.</strong> The 3-5-2 was very successful for a brief spate of matches, but opponents have figured it out. The inverted wingers here allowed the fullbacks to get forward and create overloads out wide; Venuti in particular looked lethal.. Benassi and Castrovilli’s late runs in through the middle were more than adequate in replacing another central attacker. Now imagine if it were Federico Chiesa and Franck Ribery on the wings instead of Ghezzal and Sottil. The extra runners from deep made a huge difference, even after the Viola were down a man. With Ghezzal often moving central and deep as Ribery would, it’s clear that this is a replicable system.</p>
<p id="4M3OAf"><strong>2. Montella remains as stubborn as ever.</strong> The mister deserves praise for sticking to his guns tactically—he knows more about strategy on the pitch than anyone reading this—but his rotations are a cause for concern. Sacrificing Sottil may have turned out to be the right decision, but the youngster was far more threatening than Ghezzal in the early going. Meanwhile, Pedro and Szymon Żurkowski are rotting on the bench and, according to various reports, getting very frustrated with their lack of time. When you’re up 2-0 to a Serie B team, even down a man, the priority really ought to be getting these end-of-the-bench options a chance to prove themselves.</p>
<p id="xSQ8RG"><strong>3. It may be buried way down there, but we finally glimpsed some grinta in this Viola side.</strong> All year long, Fiorentina have been a finesse team, the sort that can produce spells of gorgeous passing football, but that lacks an edge in the box. Today, we saw that team roll up its sleeves and get ugly, spoiling things in the middle and blazing down the flanks on the counter. The defense displayed some badly-needed nastiness, matching and overmatching Cittadella’s physicality. With the caveat that it came against a Serie B team, maybe this is the Fiorentina that we’ve been waiting for: an absolute predator in Benassi who can punish any mistake in marking supported by attackers who can beat a man and then do something with the space they’ve made. This is more or less what <span>Stefano Pioli</span> tried to do; while it may not be a long-term solution, there are lessons in mindset to be learned, and maybe even in method.</p>
https://www.violanation.com/2019/12/4/20994472/fiorentina-2-0-cittadella-player-grades-ratings-3-things-we-learned-coppa-italiaThe Tito2019-12-04T00:27:03+01:002019-12-04T00:27:03+01:00Fiorentina 2-0 Cittadella: Highlights
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<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v AS Cittadella - Coppa Italia" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6sZDPMwy_FlZb3fxoLd2B6HD_sk=/0x0:2996x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65819450/1186295437.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Da Boyz. | Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>This team just can’t make it easy.</p> <h2 id="Dzatzc">Pre-match</h2>
<p id="PBWPUj"><span>Vincenzo Montella</span> made a bunch of changes to his <a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a>, bringing Pietro Terracciano, Luca Ranieri, Lorenzo Venuti, <span>Marco Benassi</span>, Riccardo Sottil, and Rachid Ghezzal for rare starts and opting for a 4-3-3. Cittadella boss Roberto Venturato also rotated his side, leaving top scorer Davide Diaw on the bench, but kept the usual 4-3-1-2.</p>
<h2 id="K62ENF">First half</h2>
<p id="jXXEiU">Sottil created the first goal by dispossessing Christian Mora deep in the corner, keeping his feet despite being fouled, and then squaring for Benassi, who arrived with typically flawless timing and swept home with his left foot.</p>
<div id="8mTOJU"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 75%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/29R1B-kPdOE?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media; accelerometer; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="HCUZ05">Venuti picked up a straight red for tripping up <a href="https://www.chiesaditotti.com/">AS Roma</a> loanee Žan Celar when the Slovenian was clean through on goal, denying a clear goalscoring opportunity and thus receiving his marching orders, even though there wasn’t actually much contact at all.</p>
<div id="Z81NJn"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N0KX3eCZDks?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media; accelerometer; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe></div></div>
<h2 id="aVIzcH">Second half</h2>
<p id="NtNEpv">Ghezzal latched onto a long pass over the top, held up the ball until the last possible instant, and then fired a pass across the face of goal. Once again, it was Benassi who arrived and slammed it home with his first touch, completing his brace.</p>
<div id="sudmey"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 75%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YhOxXeMe5ac?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media; accelerometer; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe></div></div>
<h2 id="ZoKWfY">Full time</h2>
<p id="5NfNOY"><strong>Goals</strong>: Benassi 21’ (ass. Sottil), Benassi 53’ (ass. Ghezzal)</p>
<p id="aNaiNV"><strong>Cards</strong>: Venuti red card 37’, Milenković 63’, Pulgar 90’+4, Bussaglia 10’, Iori 39’</p>
https://www.violanation.com/2019/12/4/20994379/fiorentina-2-0-cittadella-coppa-italia-benassi-goal-brace-highlight-venuti-red-cardThe Tito2019-12-03T20:06:28+01:002019-12-03T20:06:28+01:00Fiorentina vs Cittadella: Lineups and how to watch
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<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v UC Sampdoria - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tvB9EtBRQj0gdVeowVVEEOoGy0o=/4x0:3000x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65817556/1171202881.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Finally. | Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A heavily rotated squad for the Coppa Italia can’t possibly go wrong.</p> <h2 id="umlfVc">Late news</h2>
<p id="ujQoGL">As expected, <a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> manager <span>Vincenzo Montella</span> has switched things up to a 4-3-3. Pietro Terracciano, Luca Ranieri, Lorenzo Venuti, <span>Marco Benassi</span>, Riccardo Sottil, and Rachid Ghezzal all enter the lineup. Cittadella boss Roberto Venturato hasn’t sprung any surprises in his XI, sending out his usual lineup except for leading scorer Davide Diaw, who’s on the bench.</p>
<h2 id="JZ2uid">Lineups</h2>
<p id="gRmUdo"><strong>Fiorentina</strong> (4-3-3): Terracciano; Venuti, Milenković, Ranieri, Dalbert; Benassi, Pulgar, Castrovilli; Ghezzal, Vlahović, Sottil</p>
<p id="fY29kE"><strong>Cittadella</strong> (4-3-1-2): Maniero; Mora, Perticone, Camigliano, Ventola; Bussaglia, Iori, Proia; Luppi; Panico, Celar</p>
<h2 id="w0SmhY">How to watch</h2>
<p id="kIyCrH"><strong>TV</strong>: Nope. Check the full international television listings <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3433992/fiorentina-vs-cittadella/">here</a>, but nope.</p>
<p id="85WfXe"><strong>Online</strong>: <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3433992/fiorentina-vs-cittadella/">Here</a> is your list of safe, reliable, and legal streams. If you’re in the US, ESPN+ is showing it; sign up using <a href="http://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/482924/535100/9070?sharedid=ViolaNation&subId1=xid:fr1572659139464gad%7Cxid:fr1573085173892fec%7Cxid:fr1574359772109ice%7Cxid:fr1574904645116jbi%7Cxid:fr1575097255740gej%7Cxid:fr1575393270383aac">this link</a> if you don’t have an account yet and Viola Nation will get a little bit of cash (Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.).</p>
<p id="zxzU5X">Anyone posting requests for or links to illegal streams in the comments will be be <a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/aCGJyZU2nzh0A">brought down</a>. If you’re the Twitter type, <a href="https://twitter.com/Viola_Nation">give us a follow</a>, as we’ll be providing live commentary on the match there. Otherwise, keep it in the comments for the usual doom and gloom with the best damn sport community on the internet.</p>
<p id="P1Wi2P"><strong>Forza Viola!</strong></p>
https://www.violanation.com/2019/12/3/20993700/fiorentina-cittadella-official-formation-lineup-coppa-italia-watch-online-stream-comment-threadThe Tito2019-12-03T02:58:20+01:002019-12-03T02:58:20+01:00Fiorentina vs Cittadella: Preview
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<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v Juventus - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vGm9lFesjf65AGIVsE6dI-ydXVo=/4x0:3000x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65812963/1168232475.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fourth round of the Coppa Italia sounds nice until you realize how scared you are.</p> <p id="8h4TRM"><a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> gets no time to recover from a shocking loss at home against <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/lecce">Lecce</a> in the league, because it’s time for the Coppa Italia tie against Cittadella. These two have only met once competitively, and that in 2011, when the Viola ground out a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuKwAPwCgdE">2-1 win</a> behind <span>Alberto Gilardino</span> and <span>Alessio Cerci</span> getting the goals (along with Samuele di Carmine, of course).</p>
<p id="p2pmxi">The referee for this one is 35-year-old Ivano Pezzuto of Lecce. He’s only ever worked 3 Serie A matches, spending the majority of his time in Serie B. He’s never worked a Fiorentina game, so I have no clue what to expect from him.</p>
<p id="bjbVqE">The match will be played on <strong>Tuesday, 3 December 2019</strong>, at <strong>8:00 PM GMT/3:00 PM EST</strong> at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. The forecast calls for an absolutely perfect autumn day, with plenty of cloud cover, no rain, and barely any breeze. It’s going to be perfect.</p>
<h2 id="115xGz">Fiorentina</h2>
<p id="YAa4RR">This is a team that’s re-entering crisis mode. Now down to 13th in Serie A with 16 points, they’ve taken just 4 points from their past 5 matches (including losses to newly-promoted sides <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/hellas-verona">Hellas Verona</a> and Lecce) and haven’t shown any signs of getting right. The fans are starting to get uneasy, and given the result of the previous Coppa fixture—a <a href="https://www.violanation.com/2019/8/18/20811222/fiorentina-3-1-monza-player-grades-ratings-3-things-we-learned-coppa-italia">3-1 win</a> over Serie C outfit Monza which required a Dušan Vlahović brace in the last 10 minutes spare the blushes.</p>
<p id="zKb6nL">Manager Vincenzo Montella is missing perhaps his three best players in RW Federico Chiesa (leg), LW <span>Franck Ribery</span> (ankle), and CB Germán Pezzella (face). Given that his team played a very physical match on Saturday, he may rotate the squad heavily. Kevin-Prince Boateng, Lorenzo Venuti, and Luca Ranieri are all likely to start, while Lorenzo Venuti, Pedro, Rachid Ghezzal, and <span>Marco Benassi</span> could all start as well. The real question, though, is if Montella will keep his 3-5-2 in place without the forwards who pushed him to adopt the shape. If he swaps things up, a 4-3-3 is the likeliest outcome.</p>
<p id="u9iqqu">As is frequently the case with teams that play narrow and deep, one of the best ways to stress this defense is to move the ball quickly to the wings, so <span>Milan Badelj</span> should be key in keeping the pressure up. Combining the wing threat with some dribbling through the middle (let’s hope Gaetano Castrovilli’s ready on short rest) should result in a lot of set piece opportunities as well.</p>
<h2 id="BcYEi5">Cittadella</h2>
<p id="Hic2ZS">The Veneto-based outfit could well end up having its best season ever. Citta, which hasn’t ever played in Serie A, sits in second place in Serie B with 22 points (along with 4 other clubs chasing Benevento) and are on a 6-match unbeaten streak, which could catapult them to their first-ever promotion to the first tier. After joining the Coppa Italia in the second round, they’ve beaten Padova 3-0 and then knocked <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/carpi-fc-1909-italy">Carpi</a> out on spot kicks in a wild one that featured 6 goals, a red card, a penalty save, and general mayhem.</p>
<p id="ENBEPK">Manager Roberto Venturato, who’s been in charge since 2015, favors a 4-3-1-2 formation. The dangerman is striker Davide Diaw, who’s got 6 goals and 2 assists across all competitions this year. This team wins in Serie B through toughness and defensive organization; they’ve conceded just 14 goals in 14 games, so the primary brief is to present a significant obstacle to opponents. They’ve only scored 14, though, so they don’t offer much threat beyond Diaw right now.</p>
<p id="LrylPm">As you’d expect from a Serie B club playing at the Franchi, Cittadella are going to play very deep, looking to soak up pressure and then occasionally break with the front two. They’ll likely cede the midfield zone entirely and thump the ball long, hoping for a slip or a foul that will give them a chance from a set piece. The best way to attack them is probably down the wings, which means that crossing for a striker in the middle could be a route forward; enter Pedro and KPB. </p>
<h2 id="VPnQyQ">Possible lineups</h2>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/N3AQ93qqmXn5c2IDERNARCvYjB8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19425621/12032019_vs_cittadella.png">
<cite>Made using <a class="ql-link" href="http://www.sharemytactics.com/" target="_blank">Share My Tactics</a></cite>
<figcaption>Ranieri or Ceccherini, Lirola or Venuti, Pulgar or Benassi, Ghezzal or Sottil, Boateng or Pedro;</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="QEE4Cj">How to watch</h2>
<p id="tlU7UK"><strong>TV</strong>: Doesn’t look likely, but check the full international television listings <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3433992/fiorentina-vs-cittadella/">here</a>.</p>
<p id="v1nPw6"><strong>Online</strong>: <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3433992/fiorentina-vs-cittadella/">Here</a> is your list of safe, reliable, and legal streams.</p>
<h2 id="nu48BD">Ted’s Memorial Blind Guess Department</h2>
<p id="X9UthV">Goddammit, this is going to be a struggle, isn’t it? Fiorentina are terrible right now. Cittadella are good. More than that, though, Citta know who they are and the Gigliati have absolutely no identity. That said, Cittadella have a miserably bad attack, so at least the Viola can hope that they’ll avoid a track meet. Honestly, I’m going to say a 1-0 win to Fiorentina, with a bunch of truly unwatchable soccer briefly rescued by a long-range strike from Kevin-Prince Boateng.</p>
<p id="XvXY2X"><strong>Forza Viola!</strong></p>
https://www.violanation.com/2019/12/3/20992479/fiorentina-cittadella-coppa-italia-preview-predict-prediction-lineup-formation-watch-online-streamThe Tito