Viola Nation - Torino vs Fiorentina: Serie A 2019-2020A Fiorentina blog for Viola fanshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50059/viola-fav.png2019-12-09T22:32:47+01:00http://www.violanation.com/rss/stream/207684082019-12-09T22:32:47+01:002019-12-09T22:32:47+01:00Torino 2-1 Fiorentina: Player grades and 3 things we learned
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<img alt="Torino FC v ACF Fiorentina - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TfxWJb9hkbHl4C1VcVytwjmEJBo=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65858583/1192694732.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>JohnTravoltaShrug.gif | Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Once again, a disjointed Fiorentina goes behind early, allows a goal on the counter, and comes up well short in their bid for a late rally.</p> <h2 id="2RhMtb">Pre-match</h2>
<p id="XP8vXg"><span>Walter Mazzarri</span> changed shapes a bit, moving to a 3-4-2-1 instead of his usual 3-5-2, with <span>Simone Verdi</span> and Álex Berenguer dropping off Simone Zaza. Vincenzo Montella made some changes too, opting for a 4-3-3ish shape with Martín Cáceres at rightback and <span>Marco Benassi</span> in central midfield. Rachid Ghezzal also started on the right.</p>
<h2 id="56kdfp">First half</h2>
<p id="EaakDS">Aside from Gaetano Castrovilli wasting a good chance on the break in the opening moments with an ill-advised attempt at a lob, <a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> were routinely miserable: unable to play through <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/torino">Torino</a>’s midfield, they resorted to long balls (which never amounted to anything) and invited pressure. It took the Granata some time to realize that they didn’t really face an attacking threat, but eventually the hosts started stringing together passes as they looked for crosses. Cristian Ansaldi found one that Zaza thundered home with his shiny noggin as the Viola defense neglected to mark him, but the way they were playing, they should have trailed by quite a bit more. It was simply dreadful.</p>
<h2 id="vZWOw2">Second half</h2>
<p id="rVimhq">Fiorentina came out much more strongly, mostly on the back of some much more cohesive defensive pressure that made it difficult for Torino to play out from the back. While they kept the ball well high up the pitch and looked for chances, though, the Viola were unable to manufacture any, settling instead for a succession of corners. Naturally, after one of them, they allowed Ansaldi to gallop from his own area to the opposite one before dispatching a shot into the bottom corner that Bartłomiej Drągowski should have saved. Now down by 2, the Viola never stopped looking for chances, with Federico Chiesa providing alternate inspiration and frustration and Riccardo Sottil airballing a wide-open tap-in before Cáceres of all people got in front of his marker and slid home a lovely Chiesa cross in stoppage time. Despite some late chaos in the Torino box, the score was a fair reflection of the quality of play.</p>
<h2 id="2kxBTF">Player grades</h2>
<p id="KjTTs0"><strong>Drągowski</strong>—5: Made a couple of decent saves, but could have done better on the goal and had an Alban Lafontesque punch into traffic. Cleaned up his footwork in distribution as compared to last week, which is good, and claimed crosses fearlessly.</p>
<p id="Gtn79T"><strong>Cáceres</strong>—7: Got forward well to support his winger and did a decent job in defense, for the most part, although he had some trouble tracking runners when Torino flooded his side of the pitch. Looked like the soundest rightback on the team, which can’t be good for Pol Lirola and Lorenzo Venuti.</p>
<p id="LuhbdG"><strong>Milenković</strong>—6: Battled away and, particularly in the second half, did a nice job against Zaza. Looked a bit uneasy in the first half, but that may have had more to do with the team crumbling around him.</p>
<p id="mhGJn1"><strong>Ceccherini</strong>—4.5: Really struggled with Zaza’s movement on crosses and got outmuscled a few times in spots you really don’t want to see a centerback get outmuscled in. Settled down in the second half a bit, but still the weakest link at the back.</p>
<p id="lsSdKK"><strong>Dalbert</strong>—5: Played a couple of half-decent crosses in but was mostly very quiet. Given that wingbacks tend to cancel each other out, it was very disappointing that he lost his battle with Ola Aina.</p>
<p id="hjRjcb"><strong>Benassi</strong>—4.5: After a brace in the Coppa, a big game here against his old club would have cemented his spot in the engine room. Instead, he returned to anonymity. Had one nice moment leading up to a Sottil shot, but was pretty much invisible otherwise.</p>
<p id="O7fBTO"><strong>Pulgar</strong>—5.5: Battled well in the middle and won some free kicks, then did a decent job of offering himself as a passing option for the defenders and spreading the ball around. Dinged for some very bad set pieces, but was otherwise fine.</p>
<p id="XvxiAB"><strong>Castrovilli</strong>—6: Surged forward in possession as per usual but, because there wasn’t enough movement around him, never seemed likely to shake the tender ministrations of the opponents who regularly bum-rushed him whenever he got the ball.</p>
<p id="pw8Lhp"><strong>Ghezzal</strong>—3.5: Evidence against the laws of causality.</p>
<p id="y6ExI6"><strong>Vlahović</strong>—4: Barely involved. Tried to drop deep and hold up play with mixed results; he did win some free kicks in the first half, but showed no ability to shake free of the defense in the area and never looked like even getting a sniff at goal.</p>
<p id="7fSyx4"><strong>Chiesa</strong>—7: Tried to do too much again, resulting in him not doing enough. In fairness to him, it was clearly hard for him to trust his teammates as the other two members of the tridente underwhelmed. Still looked a bit rusty at times, but at least got an assist.</p>
<p id="OUed0R"><strong>Sottil</strong>—5: Showed some creativity out wide and occasionally caused some problems, but seemed half a beat off at times as well. Missed a very simple goal in astonishing fashion.</p>
<p id="D10RiU"><strong>Pedro</strong>—5: Clearly much more comfortable finding space in the area than Vlahović and it showed. Popped up a couple of times to stress the defense and generally looked like he needs to spend more time on the pitch.</p>
<h2 id="TGFhZv">Three things we learned</h2>
<p id="N0muOL"><strong>1. Montella may not have lost the dressing room, but this won’t have helped.</strong> Fiorentina was as bad as we’ve seen this year in that first half (which is very bad indeed), but after halftime, they came out and dominated. The commitment to closing down up the pitch after the break is the kind of thing you see from players who believe in their manager, and it’s hard not to think that’s what we saw here. Inspired by the mister, the team got it together, followed his directions, and looked ascendant. Or did until they conceded another typically bad goal on the counter following a corner. That’s how a manager loses his players’ respect: sets out a bad game plan, makes the right changes at the half, and still sees his team concede in the sort of situation from which it’s conceded so many times this year.</p>
<p id="9P9GVy"><strong>2. It’s time to start Pedro.</strong> The Brazilian hasn’t blown anyone away in his cameo appearances, but his movement in the area seems to be miles ahead of Dušan Vlahović, who’s fine on the break or with his back to goal near midfield but seems to diminish the closer he gets to goal. He’s scored twice in 11 league appearances, and both came against a <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/cagliari">Cagliari</a> team that had all but switched off. While you have to admire Montella’s belief in the youngster, there’s no way that Pedro can make the team worse right now. For €11 million, it’s time to see if Fiorentina have a player or not.</p>
<p id="remFgZ"><strong>3. It’s time for something different.</strong> Everyone knows what to expect from Montella at this point. He’s going to send out mostly the same players using mostly the same tactics, which, in essence, boil down to “hope that Chiesa/Ribery/Castrovilli can make something cool happen.” The players never seem to know what to do next: watch how often someone thumps the ball long in the hope that a teammate is running under when nobody’s near, or how often someone needs to take three or four extra touches before making a pass to ascertain where the support is. I have no idea what this team is doing in training, but there’s ample evidence that it’s not working. It doesn’t take someone trained at Coverciano to see that.</p>
https://www.violanation.com/2019/12/9/21003440/torino-2-1-fiorentina-player-grades-ratings-3-things-we-learned-serie-aThe Tito2019-12-08T15:13:11+01:002019-12-08T15:13:11+01:00Torino vs Fiorentina: Lineups and how to watch
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<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v Parma Calcio - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8KGIMhm_7YbBCTREobsOdyL_5qQ=/0x0:1997x1331/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65849526/1179869405.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Fese’s back.</p> <h2 id="xlw1aw">Late news</h2>
<p id="7RnRhu"><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/torino">Torino</a> boss <span>Walter Mazzarri</span> has switched shapes to accomodate both Álex Berenguer and Simone Verdi. <a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> mister has also switched shapes, deploying a 4-3-3 with Rachid Ghezzal and Federico Chiesa on the wings. <span>Marco Benassi</span> continues in midfield ahead of <span>Milan Badelj</span>.</p>
<h2 id="L24wcu">Lineups</h2>
<p id="Unm4su"><strong>Torino</strong> (3-4-2-1): Sirigu; Bremer, Nkolou, Izzo; de Silverstein, Badelj, Rincón, Ansaldi; Berenguer, Verdi; Zaza</p>
<p id="GDnQpt"><strong>Fiorentina</strong> (4-3-3): Drągowski; Milenković, Ceccherini, Cáceres, Dalbert; Benassi, Pulgar, Castrovilli; Ghezzal, Vlahović, Chiesa </p>
<h2 id="jVCMMX">How to watch</h2>
<p id="acKx7I"><strong>TV</strong>: RAI may have this, depending on where you are. Check the full international television listings <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3396011/torino-vs-fiorentina/"><strong>here</strong></a>.</p>
<p id="SRfuyB"><strong>Online</strong>: <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3396011/torino-vs-fiorentina/"><strong>Here</strong></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%7Cxid:fr1575499571445efb%7Cxid:fr1575812904539ibe"><strong>this link</strong></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="mZ8K46">Any requests for or links to illegal streams in the comments will be deleted and result in <a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/archerfx-archer-archerfxx-8PBzUGozqFXVPWRMQ1">you being firmly ushered out</a>. No <a href="https://twitter.com/Viola_Nation">Twitter</a> today, sadly, so keep it here for updates and anxiety with the best damn sports community on the internet.</p>
<p id="BFMDag"><strong>Forza Viola!</strong></p>
https://www.violanation.com/2019/12/8/21001166/torino-fiorentina-official-formation-lineup-watch-online-tv-stream-serie-a-match-threadThe Tito2019-12-05T17:31:43+01:002019-12-05T17:31:43+01:00Torino vs Fiorentina: Preview
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<img alt="Hellas Verona v ACF Fiorentina - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/G6fywx3zXSJyWS3phyLznMoMFqM=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65832197/1189916666.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Viola will try to stop a league losing streak against a rock-solid Toro.</p> <p id="1Rrmmr">An unconvincing 2-0 win over Cittadella in the Coppa Italia might, we hope, be the springboard from which <a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> regains some form in Serie A when they travel to face a solid <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/torino">Torino</a> side. In their 154 meetings since 1931’s inaugural Serie A campaign, the Viola hold a W51 D53 L50 advantage; over their past 10, that record is W3 D5 L2, including <a href="https://www.violanation.com/2018/10/28/18035104/torino-1-1-fiorentina-serie-a-review-recap-report-player-ratings-grades">a punishing, nigh unwatchable 1-1 draw</a> in this fixture last year that featured none other than <span>Marco Benassi</span> scoring in the first minute.</p>
<p id="BNrx7a">The referee for this one is 42-year-old (and slakas favorite) Pietro Giacomelli of Trieste. In 6 Serie A matches this year, he’s handed out 27 yellow cards, 1 red card, and 6 penalties. In 16 matches under his direction, Fiorentina are W6 D5 L5; last we saw him, he sent off Matteo Musacchio for trying to amputate Franck Ribery’s leg in the 1-3 win over AC Milan. He’s got a reputation for letting things go, which plays right into the hosts’ hands.</p>
<p id="9pcBPd">The match will be played on <strong>Sunday, 8 December 2019</strong>, at <strong>2:00 PM PST/9:00 AM EST</strong> at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin. The forecast calls for a very chilly day, scarcely above freezing even in the middle of the afternoon, so bundle up.</p>
<h2 id="lOUDtD">Torino</h2>
<p id="VNsqTo">Toro have been perhaps the most solidly mid-table side in Serie A over the past few years, and they’ve continued that trend this year: they’re in 10th with 17 points, although they’ve only taken 6 points from their past 5 matches, conceding an 8 goals in that span, and, aside from a 4-goal outburst against last-place <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/brescia">Brescia</a>, have scored just once in that stretch.</p>
<p id="5BxSwu">Manager Walter Mazzarri has some notable absences to scheme around: CB Lyanco (knee), RM Simone Edera (suspension), CF Andrea Belotti (hip), and CF Iago Falque (hamstring) are all out or unlikely. This being Mazzarri, he’ll stick with his usual 3-5-2 shape, featuring pace and trickiness out wide and a bunch of bulldozers in the middle who look to impose themselves on opponents and dictate play through physicality rather than clever passing.</p>
<p id="H9Ztkx"><span>Simone Zaza</span> is the likely dangerman up front, as he provides an aerial presence and reference point for the rest of the side, particularly with a more mobile forward drifting around behind him. As you’d expect from a Mazzarri side, they look to keep it fairly basic, looking to win the ball with a block of middling depth and then hit quickly down the wings on the break. Defensively, a lot depends on how much Montella trusts his own wingbacks: if he thinks they need help, he could go to a back four so they have wingers to help provide cover.</p>
<h2 id="i003x9">Fiorentina</h2>
<p id="3K34ML">It’s nearing crisis time for the Viola, who’ve taken just 4 points from their past 5 matches, have lost 3 straight in the league, and generally look awful. They’ve slumped to 13th in the table with 16 points and need a win to prevent the rumbles of discontent among the fans from growing into a full-blown mutiny; the Europa League—<a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/atalanta">Atalanta</a> on 25 points are in the final spot—seems a distant dream at this point.</p>
<p id="RLOo5g">Manager Vincenzo Montella is missing CB Germán Pezzella (face), LW <span>Franck Ribery</span> (ankle), and maybe RW Federico Chiesa (hip). Given the absences and the relative success of his 4-3-3 shape against Cittadella in the midweek, he could well continue with four at the back here, although the lack of available wingers is a concern. A badly misfiring Dušan Vlahović is likely headed to the bench in favor of Kevin-Prince Boateng, with Riccardo Sottil and Rachid Ghezzal likely in line to start as well.</p>
<p id="oxtHW1">Torino have a mobile back three which is good at sweeping up behind their midfield, who like to aggressively press opposing engine rooms. If Gaetano Castrovilli can twist his way past his marker regularly, he’ll help deform the Granata defensive shape more than anything else. Flooding runners forward could also work, although getting the balance right to avoid overcommitting and letting Torino break the other way will be a tricky balancing act. How the midfielders do at breaking pressure is probably the key aspect of this one.</p>
<h2 id="Yg4DlB">Possible lineups</h2>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UaSJyIwTzC7QNCaamT9VzQWuKaU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19431053/Screen_Shot_2019_12_04_at_1.58.31_PM.png">
<cite>Made using <a class="ql-link" href="http://www.sharemytactics.com/" target="_blank">Share My Tactics</a></cite>
<figcaption>Verdi or Berenguer; Ranieri or Sottil</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="W6QgsG">How to watch</h2>
<p id="lSf9Jd"><strong>TV</strong>: RAI may have this, depending on where you are. Check the full international television listings <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3396011/torino-vs-fiorentina/">here</a>.</p>
<p id="QI2ZHD"><strong>Online</strong>: <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3396011/torino-vs-fiorentina/">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%7Cxid:fr1575499571445efb">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>
<h2 id="knkDNZ">Ted’s Memorial Blind Guess Department</h2>
<p id="lbdIIu">Torino is as good as anyone at making you earn your point(s), with a physical style that teeters on brutal and an opportunistic attack. If Fiorentina can wriggle free in the middle, though, the wheels are likely to come off for il Toro. With the number of fouls likely to show up in this one, we wouldn’t be surprised if somebody got sent off (last year it was Mazzarri, which was fun). We’re calling it a tight 0-1 win for the Viola, with a late Pulgar penalty the deciding factor in an otherwise unwatchable slog.</p>
<p id="723oF3"><strong>Forza Viola!</strong></p>
https://www.violanation.com/2019/12/5/20994551/torino-fiorentina-preview-predict-prediction-lineup-formation-h2h-watch-online-stream-serie-aThe Tito