Viola Nation - Fiorentina vs Brescia: Serie A 2019-2020A Fiorentina blog for Viola fanshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50059/viola-fav.png2020-06-24T21:09:36+02:00http://www.violanation.com/rss/stream/210662252020-06-24T21:09:36+02:002020-06-24T21:09:36+02:00What worked and what didn’t about the 4-3-3
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<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v Brescia Calcio - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/N5sMCILHf9exm6T_Lnc1e8x1ahI=/0x0:2996x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66977136/1221965900.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>This guy figures prominently. | Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Brescia result was obviously suboptimal, but there were was a lot to learn from the new formation the Viola deployed.</p> <p id="zFScMi">In <a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a>’s teeth-grinding draw against <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/brescia">Brescia</a> under the Monday night lights, Viola boss <span>Giuseppe Iachini</span> did something that nobody really expected: he fielded a 4-3-3. It wasn’t entirely his choice, you wouldn’t think, but was an effort to cram top-earner <span>Franck Ribery</span> into the lineup alongside Federico Chiesa and a striker (Dušan Vlahović in this case). The result didn’t quite work out, but we got lots of food for thought in the 70 minutes that Fiorentina played with all 11 men.</p>
<p id="19ucny">Beppe has used a 3-5-2 for nearly all of his career as a mister and has turned it into a tremendous defensive weapon. His teams play a deep, compact block that’s nearly impossible to play through, a puzzle box of interlocking lines that forces opponents into torturous paths to find a sniff at goal. The other side of that, of course, is that his teams tend to sputter in attack—although the likes of <span>Paulo Dybala</span> and Andrea Belotti came into their own under his tutelage—and play almost exclusively direct, counter-attacking football that’s designed to bypass the midfield zone entirely.</p>
<p id="ul7TeR">Fiorentina fans have always had a sense that their team should play a more attacking style, and owner Rocco Commisso seems to agree, emphasizing his desire for a more forward-thinking identity. Iachini, while expert at steadying the ship, hasn’t ever been that sort of manager. His attempt, then, to make it work against Brescia deserves praise—it’s never easy to change your calling card—and offers glimpses of what this team could do. As Iachini grows as a coach, we could see some interesting stuff.</p>
<h1 id="8ZJa4A">What worked</h1>
<p id="y0ShLj">Let’s start with the obvious one: Fiorentina created a whole lot of chances in a variety of methods. The primary area of creativity was the left side, where Ribery drifted infield to combine with Gaetano Castrovilli and Dalbert to overload the Brescia defense. This approach usually involved Ribery cutting onto his stronger right foot and looking for a through pass, Castrovilli attacking the box from unusual angles with the ball at his feet, or Dalbert overlapping and crossing. Those three are clearly the creative fulcrum of the side, and everything else revolves around them, especially when Chiesa switches sides to further overload things.</p>
<p id="bi6f0j">Something the Viola did a few times to good effect was suck the Leonessa defense into that left wing, then quickly switch play across to Chiesa on the right to quickly attack 1-v-1. He generated a few excellent chances this way; shortly after the penalty, for example, Erick Pulgar took possession and lobbed a pass over the top for Chiesa running in behind as Brescia were caught watching the other wing. The winger, without any targets in the middle, was forced to shoot from a tight angle and missed, but the idea was exactly correct.</p>
<p id="LkjZIR">And, of course, the counterattacking game occasionally worked. Brescia played so deep that there was rarely enough space to counter into, but the combinations still worked. With the pace of Chiesa, Vlahović, Dalbert, Lirola, and Castrovilli as runners and Ribery or Duncan pulling the strings, the Viola should devastate on the break, and they sure enough created some opportunities, although poor finishing, poor choices, or pure bad luck kept them from scoring.</p>
<p id="t2dJCi">These three routes of attack came from a balanced side. Ribery on the left wing tracked inside but Dalbert and Castrovilli moved into the wide spaces to keep the Brescia defense stretched. Chiesa usually stayed wide on the right, so Martín Cáceres didn’t need to get forward as much, as he simply would have run into Fede’s space rather than attacking an empty area of the pitch. While lopsided, this dynamic led to a balance in the final third that we haven’t really seen from Fiorentina this year.</p>
<p id="3kdw4z">I was also interested in how Fiorentina progressed play down the left. Dalbert was frequently the out ball, with the other defenders frequently switching play to him in space. From that area, he could either play a square ball to Pulgar or Castrovilli in midfield, play the ball forward into Ribery’s feet, play the ball in behind for Vlahović, or carry it forward himself. He was fantastic at getting the ball forward from the defense and was certainly one of the key players in the first half. Pol Lirola, perhaps because he was playing on left rather than the right, wasn’t quite as natural, but still did the job well.</p>
<p id="9JjNpa">These previous attacking themes only worked because of Ribery. Since Chiesa and Vlahović don’t tend to drop deep and show for short passes to feet but rather try to get in behind, the combination play in that inside left space just doesn’t happen when they’re in the team. Rachid Ghezzal would theoretically do this well too (less so Riccardo Sottil, which is maybe why Iachini hasn’t used him much), so perhaps that’s why we’ve seen him used so often, but he hasn’t really shown much. Ribery is really the only attacker in the squad who’s demonstrated an ability to slow things down, which presents a completely different challenge to opponents than the uniformly direct style of the other forwards. That’s the big difference.</p>
<p id="SaHUkN">Defensively, the role <span>Federico Ceccherini</span> played was interesting and very effective. With Brescia striker Alfredo Donnarumma often dropping very deep to help the buildup, Cecche fearlessly ranged up the pitch, sometimes nearly to the Leonessa penalty area, to harass him or other forwards, secure in the knowledge that he wasn’t leaving a threat and that Germán Pezzella was sweeping up behind him.</p>
<h1 id="0yCSSQ">What didn’t work</h1>
<p id="IlaoBr">The most obvious shortcoming was in defense. With Dalbert given free reign to attack and basically do the running down the left for Ribery, the backline had to shift over considerably to cover. When Martín Cáceres stepped forward on the right, though, it meant that there were only two players back instead of the usual three. As a result, Brescia had 50% more space to attack on the break, forcing the Viola defenders into bad situations, which is why 75% of them were in the book after half an hour.</p>
<p id="7XfpzR"><span>Alfred Duncan</span>’s role was also a huge letdown. As a cultured midfielder who can both play forward passes into attackers’ feet and carry the ball forward himself, you’d expect him to have been quite a bit more involved. When he got the ball, he was pretty useful, bursting past defenders and moving the ball well. However, he only had 28 touches in his 67 minutes; that’s 0.42 per minute, compared to 0.92 for Castrovilli and 0.72 for Pulgar. That’s entering <span>Marco Benassi</span> territory, which is a concern, especially because he was often pulled wide to the right to offer (never utilized) support for Chiesa and to effectively act as a decoy to stretch the Brescia midfield and leave space for Castrovilli and Ribery to exploit. Theoretically, this would have kept Cáceres deeper (although Martín still bustled up the pitch fairly frequently) and given Duncan more space to work in. In practice, though, it left him mightily scarce on the field.</p>
<p id="QPNqNR">A lot of that, though, was that he was used as a dummy a lot of the time. When Chiesa started moving to the left wing to overload Brescia there, Duncan was pushed wide to the right to provide an option on that wing. Nobody ever found him with a pass out there, though. He also rarely dropped deep to receive the ball from defenders, which both Pulgar and Castrovilli frequently did. I’m not sure if that’s due a specific instruction, but it’d be nice to see him drop deeper and let Tanino stay higher up the pitch.</p>
<p id="04iK8M">The other issue that was especially visible in the first half was the lack of movement in the box when the Viola had the ball, particularly wide on the left. Vlahović was either slow or static in the opening period; I marked down 3 separate times in a 5 minute stretch in which he was either tardy getting into the box at all or simply didn’t move even when the ball was about to be delivered.</p>
<p id="rmwrql">Not to knock Duśan too much, because he was tremendous in the second half, but he also focused too much on running in behind early on. Given how deep Brescia played, there wasn’t much space there. In the second half, the Very Large Young Adult Man showed an ability to receive the ball to feet, hold off a defender, and either turn or combine with an onrushing teammate. It would have been nice to see him doing that more often early on, although again, that may have been his specific tactical brief.</p>
<p id="SOy8ay">Finally, there’s the issue of Ribery’s importance. While nobody doubts his class or his desire—check him out running back in the 75th minute to help defend a Brescia counter—the man is 37 years old and simply doesn’t have the legs to contribute for 90 minutes twice a week; after an hour or so, he was clearly gassed, as demonstrated by his peripheral involvement and various poor touches. As previously mentioned, there’s no like-for-like replacement in the team, so when Franck’s out or off the pace, a lot of the system collapses.</p>
<h1 id="1L0Qzy">How to fix it</h1>
<p id="yHk1i7">What I took from this was that Fiorentina needs to continue cultivating that Ribery-Castrovilli-Dalbert troika on the left while utilizing the rest of the pitch as well. Relying on someone with the age and injury profile of Ribery is mighty dangerous, so finding a similar player who can play on the left wing is perhaps the most important job in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/transfer-rumors">transfer window</a>. For now, it could be worth trying out Sottil in that role and seeing if he can fill in; Ghezzal is so one-footed that he’s not as comfortable drifting inside from the left and Chiesa’s simply too direct. Kevin Agudelo or maybe even Benassi can more or less replicate Castrovilli’s role in the final third and Lorenzo Venuti or perhaps Aleksa Terzić can fill in for Dalbert, but Ribery is irreplaceable.</p>
<p id="8A5dun">Other than that, ordering Vlahović to show for passes to feet more often would be excellent. It would keep Dušan more involved and give him a chance to turn his man and attack space, which are both things he’s good at. It might also generate more space for his fellow attackers, as a centerback stepping out to challenge him would leave space that Ribery and Castrovilli can attack.</p>
<p id="YGYi8F">While Chiesa did have some chances when he switched sides, his jaunts to the left eliminated any threat of a quick switch of play. Keeping him wide on the right and looking for that crossfield pass from Pulgar or Castrovilli more often would give him more opportunities to attack a single defender rather than a group. Having Duncan occupying that central space would also make it easier to switch play by using him as a relay man to shift possession over quickly.</p>
<p id="JY2Svt">To fix the defense, I see more of a two-step solution that would address the midfield. The first is to push Pulgar further back the pitch so that he’s just in front of the defenders in possession. That would allow them to push wider and cover more of the pitch, particularly when the fullbacks bomb forward. To compensate, Duncan would have to play a more central role and show for the ball more often rather than lurking out wide as a pure decoy, more like he did at <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/sassuolo">Sassuolo</a>. He’s clearly capable of doing what Pulgar did in terms of progressing the ball on Monday, so letting Pulgar sit deeper (where he’d have more space to hit long passes to the wings) seems like a perfect solution. It’d also give Lirola more space to attack and support Chiesa, especially with Nikola Milenković’s pace sweeping up behind.</p>
<p id="EgIdmK">It’s worth keeping in mind that the opponent here was Brescia, who’ve been without question the worst club in Serie A this year, so the conclusions may not be widely applicable. Too, we’ve only seen this shape once, and we won’t see it with this personnel for at least another week due to Federico Chiesa’s BS suspension. But this move to a 4-3-3 seems like it’s brought the best out of some of the squad’s most important players, so it’s impossible not to see it as a positive step.</p>
https://www.violanation.com/2020/6/24/21301082/fiorentina-4-3-3-new-change-switch-formation-shape-ribery-chiesa-giuseppe-iachini-tacticsThe Tito2020-06-23T16:40:22+02:002020-06-23T16:40:22+02:00Fiorentina Reactions Around The World - Brescia Game
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<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v Juventus - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/W3ddMc2tpslLhRr9g99flZxZFkU=/0x0:5568x3712/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66970180/1168226129.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Why just listen to us. Let’s hear the fans and those Florentine personalities that help make Fiorentina GREAT! | Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Who tells it better than we do? You do!</p> <p id="7jf8qL">Not really the result we expected to be rolling this new feature out, but we’re committed to giving the global Viola fans a voice, so lets get at it. </p>
<p id="mWxAKC">There was so much excitement coming into this game. This had the feel of something different, something special. A win against <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/brescia">Brescia</a> was much more than just three points. A Viola win would be the reason for a much needed celebration for those fans in and around Firenze starved of joy. It would be a continuation of the positive momentum that seems to have been hanging around the club lately, a confirmation for the hard work and countless euros invested by Joe Barone and Rocco Commisso and a welcome distraction from the constant stadium headache. A game for the first time in 106 days against the leagues last placed team was the moment this team needed to seize. While we didn't seize it, I will argue that it wasn’t all bad.</p>
<p id="tVMUbK">Lets start with the bad though. Beppe! Beppe, what was the plan my man? I love you, but I am confused. You start Ceccherini and leave both Lirola and Milenkovic on the bench? After three yellow cards across your back line within the first 32 minutes, why did you not sub off those yellows? Ghezzal is the second substitute? Did you not listen to our podcast? You should have put in Sottil! Joe Barone and Daniele Prade, please do not let this happen. Protect your VERY talented young assets! Then you wait until the 92nd minute to make your final substitutes? At that point don’t even waste the time and make a substitution!</p>
<p id="aXbLUD">During a second half where we were firing on all cylinders. Ribery, Chiesa and Vlahovic looked lethal, even if they were not surgical. Why paralyze your city’s return to sport with multiple yellow cards still on the field when you have 5 subs available? </p>
<p id="gAgbPp">That said, the truth is that in my opinion there was far more good to take out of this game than bad. We put the ball in the net twice on some beautiful buildup play. Sure it was negated twice, but my goodness this was the team we hoped to see for a long time now. We had flow. We had speed, We had form. We had control. We had excitement. Had we finished the game with 11 players we would have scored multiple goals too. </p>
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<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v Brescia Calcio - Serie A" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/N56u9cLKfsFMR2nPJqnCvyCyuH4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20048702/1221965877.jpg.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>There should be laws against being this scary... scary good! Great performance by Dragowski!</figcaption>
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<p id="fe8eV2">Castrovilli! Gaetano Castrovilli! Wow! Rocco Commisso has chosen you to be his bandiera and it is clear to see why. Dragowski looked the part of a warrior taking the pitch and leaves it in a battle with Castrovilli for man of the match. Lafont who? AC Milan, hands off! Pezzella, attack that ball Capitano. Great job! Pulgar, you made it clear we should never think of selling you. I believe the game changed when Lirola came on for Dalbert. Minus a mistake he made on a counter-attack I thought he was back in form. And you know I can’t post without recognizing Dusan. Dusan went full blown Arnold in The Terminator. Minus an offside wiping out his assist and the ball seemingly going out of bounds wiping out his goal, Dusan was a few inches away from being Man of the Match. We will look past the first half he had.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="N6cczq">
<p id="aalwzH">So let’s finally hear from those Viola fans and experts from around the globe.</p>
<p id="vIR9so"><strong>Maurizio Gamberucci of Viola Club Texas</strong> - “There was too much chaos and too many mistakes. An outstanding Franck Ribery wasn’t enough to defeat Brescia. We need a great and experienced bomber, like Belotti. Dragowski saved us at the very last second. We are all disappointed and worried for the next game as Chiesa will be disqualified versus <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/lazio">Lazio</a>.”</p>
<p id="OtU7kH"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/fabioturchiofficial/?hl=en"><strong>Fabio “Stone Crusher” Turchi</strong></a><strong>, 2019 WBC International Cruiserweight Champ and 2013 Mediterranean Games Gold Medalist</strong> - “Unfortunately, the game against Brescia confirms the usual problems of the team, also adding a less athletic condition than the pre Covid. Little quality in midfield and difficulty in scoring goals despite Ribery, who at 37 shows he is still from another planet. We hope to improve playing game after game. Positive note the defeat of <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/lecce">Lecce</a> that allows us to gnaw at a small point.”</p>
<p id="WY9Vqi"><strong>Sergio Dondoli, two time Gelato World Champion and Owner of the world’s best gelato at </strong><a href="http://www.gelateriadondoli.com/"><strong>Gelateria Dondoli</strong></a><strong> in San Gimignano</strong> - “As has often happened, we played poorly in the first half. We gave the Brescia players too much freedom. In the second half the team improved thanks to Castrovilli, who brought a lot more speed to the <a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> game. Ribery performed very well even if he was a little too selfless. He could have shot on goal on at least two occasions but he preferred the pass. The final judgement remains negative. Against Brescia you must win.”</p>
<p id="DvwrS4"><strong>Andrea Di Salvo - Charming host of </strong><a href="http://www.ladyradio.it/"><strong>Lady Radio</strong></a> - “It did not start too well and then Fiorentina draws 1-1 against the last in the standings, Brescia. We created many opportunities, but we failed to materialize. In fact in the end it also took too many risks. It could have been an opportunity to make a jump from salvation and instead we did not. Now we will face Lazio who is launched for the Scudetto and without Caceres and Chiesa it will be even more difficult. It never gives up so let’s see what happens on Saturday night.”</p>
<p id="a0GOoU"><strong>Matteo Bambi on behalf of Viola Club Paris</strong> - “The collective game is still missing. Iachini will have to create a miracle to convince them to renew his contract. Everyone had rusty legs, The match’s best player was Pezzella, worst Chiesa. Next turn against Lazio, today looks like the Everest ascension. But the ball is round and nothing is decided in advance. So let’s go there to fight and to sell dearly our skin. Sempre forza viola.”</p>
<p id="tNGI5q"><strong>Gianni Matteo Rontani, President of the Rocco Commisso Fan Club</strong> - “I saw almost the whole team well behind in preparation. Much worse than I expected. Anyway when you have 15 shots of which 9 in the post and the other keeper must intervene at least 6 times it is pretty obvious our higher technical level. However too many mistakes in the box, there is a lot of work to do there. Two points lost.”</p>
<p id="5BkuJH"><strong>Gianluca Caminati, President of Viola Club KK - Gli Ingestibili and host of CurvaSport - Bar Live</strong> - “A game with a lot of goodwill and little lucidity, the management by the Mister did not convince me. He could have played the Cutrone and Sottil cards much earlier even in 10 against 11, because today we had to win! Certainly there was a bit of bad luck and naivety in seeing the goals, the expulsion and the penalty against us ... losing like this certainty makes you think badly, but we must go further, we must change our wind. Tonight went bad for us ... let’s not get discouraged but go on with even more desire!”</p>
<p id="ZrlANB"><strong>Stefano Del Corona, Director of </strong><a href="http://FiorentinaNews.com"><strong>FiorentinaNews.com</strong></a><strong> </strong>- “Unfortunately the game against Brescia, showed us the same Fiorentina that we had seen before the stop, with the same problems. Ribery is back on the pitch, and this pleases us, but the Frenchman alone is not enough to change the face of this team. We try quickly to make the points that are missing to be calm and then we hope the music will change in the future.”</p>
<p id="ichorw"><strong>Alessandro Sisto, President of Viola Club New York</strong> - “We were playing one sided, through the left with Ribery-Castrovilli-Dalbert. I didn’t understand our starting formation nor the substitutions around the 90th minute. Overall we missed a chance. Moving forward I think the number one goal for the season is to not get relegated. I loved Ribery’s performance, even with a little less pace (because of the stop), but he looked very good having not played since December,”</p>
<p id="3r94vq"><strong>Lorenzo Francesconi of Viola Club Berlin</strong> - “It was not that bad, the result was shitty, yes. After three months of a stop, I did not see the squad playing that bad. We had some bad luck. We didn't score. We had two goals disallowed. It was not a bad game, more of a bad result. I hope next game will be better, even if it is against Lazio. Normally we play better against the good teams rather than the small ones.”</p>
<p id="ytcMuJ"><strong>Jacopo Tomasina, Gabriele Calabrò, Edoardo Casarotto, Federich Romby and Massimiliano Lelli from Viola Club Bruxelles</strong> - “This was a shitty one. We wasted a lot of chances to score. Even when we were one man down we were the ones driving the game but we still couldn’t find a way to get a goal.” — “I believe we had some bad luck. We did so much and we should have been able to get another one at least.” — “Stay in the US and don’t watch Fiorentina [said jokingly]. We were not very lucky this time, but hopefully we’ll get the next one.”</p>
<p id="L7Z99f"><strong>Dhayan Amiey, President of Viola Club Indonesia</strong> - “The match against Brescia last night was the first since we closed because of the pandemic. Nothing has changed from the previous game. It was a monotonous game without a clear strategy. Although we are supposedly made up of players to help us compete for Europe, that is only hope right now. We hope to see coaches and players work together to provide the best on the field performance for the fans.” </p>
<p id="rW9FrF">Share your thoughts with us below.</p>
https://www.violanation.com/2020/6/23/21299592/fiorentina-reactions-around-the-world-brescia-gameMike McCormack2020-06-23T00:23:49+02:002020-06-23T00:23:49+02:00Fiorentina 1-1 Brescia: Player grades and 3 things we learned
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<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v Brescia Calcio - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rY9lTrOxzATTNKBWa2J1toynlmM=/0x0:2996x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66968043/1221951053.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>A single point against the last-place team is bad, but the way the Viola managed that one point is what really stings.</p> <h1 id="R84xEg">Pre-match</h1>
<p id="JrycHC">For the first time in 106 days, <a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> suited up and played a game, albeit in an empty, ghostly Artemio Franchi. Giuseppe Iachini unleashed a completely unexpected 4-3-3 with <span>Franck Ribery</span> on the left, while <span>Federico Ceccherini</span> came into the heart of the defense and Martín Cáceres took over at rightback. <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/brescia">Brescia</a> only started one regular in defense—Aleš Matějů, Andrea Papetti, and Alessandro Semprini all slotted in—and Simon Skrabb started up top along with Alfredo Donnarumma.</p>
<h1 id="3lQ7Ov">First half</h1>
<p id="Kxln9S">It took a long time for Fiorentina to grow into the game as they players misplaced passes all over the pitch and never really threatened. Indeed, they gave the visitors—who’d scarcely ventured from their own half—a freebie when Cáceres dragged down <span>Daniele Dessena</span> after forgetting to mark him in the box, and Donnarumma buried the spot kick. The Viola dominated territory and possession and finally got the breakthrough via a thunderous Pezzella header from a corner and spent the rest of the half passing around the Leonessa penalty box without generating any real chances, then sprinting backwards and fouling to end counterattacks; 75% of the Viola defenders were in the book after 32 minutes. When the whistle went, 1-1 felt a bit harsh on the hosts but not too unfair.</p>
<h1 id="PMU5qZ">Second half</h1>
<p id="G8W5M4">This is where the unfair feelings began. Fiorentina got the ball in the net twice in the space of 5 minutes and saw both disallowed. The first was Ribery scrambling one home (Vlahović was marginally offside in the buildup) and the second was Dušan finishing a lovely Chiesa cutback after the ball rolled millimeters over the endline. Ribery had another lovely dribbling move cleared off the line after he’d rounded goalkeeper Jesse Joronen. Pezzella had another chance from a corner and Chiesa nicked the ball from Joronen but missed the open net. Right on cue, Cáceres got himself sent off for a really stupid and pointless tackle. Even down a man (and a manager, as Iachini was sent to the stands for dissent), Fiorentina were much better, with Vlahović forcing a strong save from Joronen while Chiesa, Gaetano Castrovilli, and Pol Lirola each fired wide. The Viola nearly threw the point away, but Drągowski tipped over Dessena’s header at the death.</p>
<h1 id="ZxqZew">Player grades</h1>
<p id="gc3skS"><strong>Drągowski</strong>: 7—Didn’t have too much to do. Can’t fault him for not saving a penalty. Made a good stop on Skrabb and had that miracle to deny Dessena at the end. Distribution was fine. Did nearly bobble a ball into Brescia’s path off a free kick but recovered just in time.</p>
<p id="9m0Drp"><strong>Cáceres</strong>: 2—Must have had too much mate before kickoff because he was very bad. Completely switched off to let Dessena in behind him, got booked for it to give up the penalty, and then made a truly idiotic tackle way up the pitch. Missed with numerous passes and generally looked way, way off.</p>
<p id="twda6A"><strong>Pezzella</strong>: 7.5—Kept his cool and kept his defense pretty well impenetrable in open play. Scored once off a corner and had a couple other chances, including a header that rattled the crossbar. His missed pass to Dalbert, though, while under no pressure, was what set the move in motion that led to the penalty, but he was quite good otherwise.</p>
<p id="coxksY"><strong>Ceccherini</strong>: 6.5—Hung in pretty well. Kept Donnarumma and Skrabb quiet except for one time when he missed a run and let Skrabb get a shot off. Definitely not the main problem at the back.</p>
<p id="O82oKV"><strong>Dalbert</strong>: 6.5—Got booked for one bad tackle and had a couple more iffy ones before he was subbed, but kept himself in the right places. Was positive going forward; his crossing didn’t work at all, but his constant vertical running opened a lot of space for Ribery and Castrovilli to work in.</p>
<p id="qKRIKW"><strong>Duncan</strong>: 6—Quietly competent but nothing more. Didn’t see much of the ball and seemed to pull wide to the right a lot, a little bit like Marco Benassi. In fairness, he did use the ball pretty intelligently when he got it, but has to be more involved.</p>
<p id="G23rsF"><strong>Pulgar</strong>: 7.5—Man of the match for me. Got the assist and consistently delivered excellent set pieces. In open play, kept the ball ticking along brilliantly, completing 92% of his passes and occasionally hitting accurate long balls. Didn’t do a lot of ball-winning because Brescia rarely had the ball long enough for him to take it.</p>
<p id="yI62bm"><strong>Castrovilli</strong>: 7—Consistently got to the right places and consistently wriggled past his defender just as we’ve come to expect. His shooting was woeful, though, as he had at least two chances to put the team ahead with pretty simple finishes. Still has his chemistry with Ribery, which was nice to see.</p>
<p id="6ESrH6"><strong>Chiesa</strong>: 7—Just one of those days for Fede. His shots whistled just wide or too close to Joronen. His passes either weren’t finished off or barely missed. He also got booked (in fairness, not for anything bookable) so he’s out at <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/lazio">Lazio</a> on Saturday. The chance where Pulgar completely mishit a shot and skewed it towards him summed up his evening perfectly: quick enough to react and shoot but not to shoot on target. It’ll get better.</p>
<p id="iDTy4G"><strong>Vlahović</strong>: 6.5—Looked lost in the first half, never sorting out where he was meant to be and rarely connecting with his teammates. Improved dramatically after the break, creating a few excellent chances for himself and his teammates. Very unlucky not to have scored.</p>
<p id="kx5ljp"><strong>Ribery</strong>: 6.5—Definitely had some rust to shake off, as evidenced by two handballs while he tried to control simple passes, but the class remains. Skipped past defenders at will and manufactured several glowing opportunities from his inside left position, including one that forced Papetti to clear a chip off the line. Definitely looked gassed after an hour or so. Seemed hesitant to shoot at times as well.</p>
<p id="hiK05a"><strong>Lirola</strong>: 6—Definitely not as natural on the left as he is on the right, but did a nice job of providing the same burst on the left as Dalbert did. Was solid in defense but didn’t add too much in attack, largely because he was on his weaker foot. Did botch a 3-v-2 break, sadly, but so it goes.</p>
<p id="CAl6F6"><strong>Ghezzal</strong>: n/a—Subbed on for Duncan, played 7 anonymous minutes, and was subbed off for Milenković after Cáceres was sent off. Perhaps the weirdest Viola appearance I’ve ever seen.</p>
<p id="czDrXV"><strong>Milenković</strong>: 6.5—Looked sharp. Won the ball, stonewalled opponents, and burst forward a couple of times to spark the attack.</p>
<p id="uCjwtN"><strong>Cutrone</strong>: n/a—Came on in stoppage time so not enough to grade him on. </p>
<p id="28sQ4P"><strong>Sottil</strong>: n/a—See above. Didn’t even get a touch.</p>
<h1 id="2ItSPz">Three things we learned</h1>
<p id="Tgm89P"><strong>1. This team needs to practice shooting.</strong> Losing to the last place team is really embarrassing, yeah, but we’ll give the Viola the benefit of the doubt considering that these are extraordinary circumstances that lead to insane amounts of randomness. But losing like this while missing at least 8 clear-cut, how-did-he-not-score chances is just ridiculous. That they carved open Brescia so imperiously bodes well and you have to think the goals will come, but this is simply absurd. I cannot explain it.</p>
<p id="Dc29U8"><strong>2. Iachini’s trying but it may not be enough.</strong> Beppe’s coming in for a lot of blame thus far but let’s not get too carried away. He changed to the 4-3-3 that we wanted to see with Ribery back and had his team create a multitude of opportunities. But the lack of identity going forward remains a serious concern, especially when the plan seems to exclusively be to get the ball to Ribery and Castrovilli in the inside left zone and hope that they can do something cool, or, failing that, punt it long for Chiesa. That’s still more variation than we saw under, say, <span>Stefano Pioli</span>, but with guys like <span>Alfred Duncan</span> clearly not working well in the setup, things need to change. Beppe’s had a lot of time to think about it and this clearly isn’t the solution.</p>
<p id="zIYy2W"><strong>3. It’s still the same old Fiorentina.</strong> You can analyze everything you want—and believe me, I’ll be rewatching this one to comb for further conclusions—but, at the end of the day, you have to know that this is Fiorentina, and that something’s always going to go haywire at the critical moment. Team’s cursed, man.</p>
https://www.violanation.com/2020/6/23/21299709/fiorentina-1-1-brescia-player-grades-ratings-3-things-we-learned-analysis-serie-aThe Tito2020-06-22T21:36:31+02:002020-06-22T21:36:31+02:00Fiorentina 1-1 Brescia: Highlights
<figure>
<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v Brescia Calcio - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Sjh1WyU18gArAdXizWFfgtBISP0=/2x0:2998x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66967312/1221951158.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Fede is all of us. | Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Viola are back and as frustrating as ever.</p> <h2 id="TtZewY">Pre-match</h2>
<p id="43LED7"><a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> boss <span>Giuseppe Iachini</span> changed shape to a 4-3-3, allowing Franck Ribery to slot in on the left wing. Martín Cáceres took over at rightback and <span>Federico Ceccherini</span> came into central defense, but it was otherwise as expected. For <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/brescia">Brescia</a>, manager Diego López had to shuffle his defense significantly, so Aleš Matějů, Alessandro Semprini, and 17-year-old Andrea Papetti all got start, along with Simon Skrabb in attack.</p>
<p id="ifpoXh">The Stadio Artemio Franchi, completely empty, was surreal as it could be.</p>
<h2 id="wNaKtx">First half</h2>
<p id="mdXE1C">The visitors opened the scoring when Cáceres switched off and let <span>Daniele Dessena</span> get goalside of him after a terrible Germán Pezzella pass gave Alfredo Donnarumma the ball on the edge of the box.</p>
<div id="woTzwQ"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 55.4023%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/frBXpl9IPIPfe1t8R9" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="nt4tGw">All Cáceres could do was foul, and Donnarumma duly slotted home the spot kick before peeling off to celebrate with injured teammate Dimitri Bisoli’s shirt.</p>
<div id="25tqJK"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 57.2414%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/eM81KWRgHeo2pdHPhQ" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="W2zwR8">After some absolute magic from Ribery—dancing through 4 defenders in the box and sending Alessandro Sabelli to the stands for a hot dog—resulted in a corner, Erick Pulgar bombed one in at the back post and Pezzella flung himself at it, bulleting the ball past a helpless Jesse Joronen to pull the hosts level.</p>
<div id="CcfYHX"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 57.2414%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/f4ai4CxRPLGOzaXWBa" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<h2 id="t0j3sa">Second half</h2>
<p id="mdXvqE">Fiorentina got the ball in the net via Ribery after a bit of a scramble but it was ruled out for an offside on Dušan Vlahović in the buildup.</p>
<div id="AH6D7i"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 55.4023%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/eNStHZWbOP7zrESxol" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="38g3AL">Vlahović was the victim of a disallowed goal moments later after turning home a Federico Chiesa cross when the replay showed that the ball edged just over the end line.</p>
<div id="N1WtkQ"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 55.4023%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/KAvo10HZj5iYYTpsL9" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="Jv096N">Franck somehow failed to score after rounding Joronen.</p>
<div id="FWSzRH"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 55.4023%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/IcvOh7AXBdhZauRt6P" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="lzzyk9">Cáceres was sent off for this totally needless challenge, and for shouting blasphemy (because Italy is the gift that never stops giving). Iachini also got his marching orders in the aftermath.</p>
<div id="eJzedo"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 55.4023%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/UU1UWZLfpl20aspmev" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="U6TSzP">Fede had a chance to shoot at an open goal after some dogged pressing but only hit the side netting, which is about how his day went.</p>
<div id="e1mQJP"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 55.4023%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/LP6aVQPPTlZkx7fbJ4" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="7SABZz">Bart made this save at the death to preserve the point.</p>
<div id="bFKq3A"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 55.4023%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/SVYj1JPsau35CYrNYL" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="cyeICh">But at least Chiesa nutmegged Semprini into the land of dust and whispers.</p>
<div id="y8Wsk6"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 55.4023%;"><iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/Rh4OkcwaWO9Lm1kwKU" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div></div>
<h2 id="Zmrwz9">Full time</h2>
<p id="OsGm4P"><strong>Goals</strong>: Pezzella 29’ (ass. Pulgar), Donnarumma PK 17’</p>
<p id="nkomUk"><strong>Cards</strong>: Cáceres 15’ and 70’ (sent off), Ceccherini 22’, Dalbert 32’, Iachini red card 71’, Chiesa 87’, Papetti 61’, Semprini 75’, Torregrossa 86’</p>
https://www.violanation.com/2020/6/22/21299229/fiorentina-1-1-brescia-full-time-goal-donnarumma-penalty-pezzella-red-card-caceres-sent-offThe Tito2020-06-22T18:37:48+02:002020-06-22T18:37:48+02:00Fiorentina vs Brescia: Lineups and how to watch
<figure>
<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v SS Lazio - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/O2GjDuStls7p1V9uJHdLzzIEdkw=/0x0:2401x1601/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66966191/1178484525.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>When it’s only an hour until kickoff. | Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Join us in the comments for the first Viola calcio in 106 days.</p> <h2 id="amhPdh">Late news</h2>
<p id="LNyNdL"><a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> mister <span>Giuseppe Iachini</span> has made some massive changes, opting for what looks like a 4-3-3 with Martín Cáceres at rightback, Federico Ceccherini at centerback, and Pol Lirola and Nikola Milenković on the bench. The big news, though, is that <span>Franck Ribery</span> will play on the left wing, making for a really exciting tridente with Federico Chiesa on the right and Dušan Vlahović through the middle.</p>
<p id="gEn92l"><a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/brescia">Brescia</a> boss Diego López is without GK Enrico Alfonso, CB Jhon Chancellor, CB Andrea Cistana, and CM Dimitri Bisoli and may worry about CM Sandro Tonali (leg/<a href="https://www.violanation.com/fiorentina-transfer-rumors-news-reports/2020/6/20/21296092/fiorentina-sandro-tonali-brescia-transfer-rumor-buy-sell-loan-inter-milan-juventus-roberto-mancini">impending Viola transfer</a>), who picked up a knock in a friendly against <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/udinese">Udinese</a> on Thursday and probably can’t last the whole 90. The centerback pairing of 22-year-old Alessandro Semprini and 17-year-old (!) Andrea Pappetti have played a total of 99 Serie A minutes this season. Rounding out the defense, Aleš Matějů gets a rare start over Bruno Martella at leftback, while Simon Skrabb partners Alfredo Donnarumma up top.</p>
<h2 id="Gz2Cqg">Lineups</h2>
<p id="visP55"><strong>Fiorentina</strong> (4-3-3): Drągowski; Cáceres, Ceccherini, Pezzella, Dalbert; Duncan, Pulgar, Castrovilli; Chiesa, Vlahović, Ribery</p>
<p id="fAqWZG"><strong>Brescia</strong> (4-3-1-2): Joronen; Sabelli, Papetti, Semprini, Matějů; Bjarnason, Tonali, Dessena; Zhrmal; Skrabb, Donnarumma</p>
<h2 id="tpXAP1">How to watch</h2>
<p id="zbMCaJ"><strong>TV</strong>: Nope. Check the full international television listings <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3667509/fiorentina-vs-brescia/">here</a> if you don’t believe me, but nope.</p>
<p id="chjNdp"><strong>Online</strong>: <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3667509/fiorentina-vs-brescia/">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%7Cxid:fr1575812904539ibe%7Cxid:fr1576197881968hbc%7Cxid:fr1576435328129aea%7Cxid:fr1578181133145gbi%7Cxid:fr1578290589112fji%7Cxid:fr1578593015247daj%7Cxid:fr1578891242510bjd%7Cxid:fr1579127400069adc%7Cxid:fr1579304193577cgh%7Cxid:fr1579737215416jdd%7Cxid:fr1580178422250hed%7Cxid:fr1580323577195gbi%7Cxid:fr1580640366991jge%7Cxid:fr1581039500376cgg%7Cxid:fr1581124488495abf%7Cxid:fr1581444097264cee%7Cxid:fr1581858981500dff%7Cxid:fr1582224831562cjg%7Cxid:fr1582387438317iij%7Cxid:fr1583536707927chg">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="1NVzdU">Any requests for or links to illegal streams will get <a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/CybZqG4etuZsA">the usual treatment</a>. If you’re the Twitter type, <a href="http://twitter.com/Viola_Nation">give us a follow</a>, as we’ll be providing live updates there. Otherwise, keep it here in the comments for the usual hyperventilating with the best damn sports community on the internet.</p>
<p id="8EEDXu"><strong>Forza Viola!</strong></p>
https://www.violanation.com/2020/6/22/21298499/fiorentina-brescia-official-lineups-formation-serie-a-watch-online-stream-match-comment-threadThe Tito2020-06-20T14:00:00+02:002020-06-20T14:00:00+02:00Fiorentina vs Brescia: Preview and how to watch
<figure>
<img alt="ACF Fiorentina v Atalanta BC - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ryr21Fyx7l2DXXnEz_DX8lttySM=/0x0:2996x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66960482/1199359149.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The boys are back. | Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yes, we’re ready for this.</p> <p id="D4CqyT">A whole hell of a lot has happened since <a href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> drew at <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/udinese">Udinese</a> on 8 March, but for 90 minutes on a Monday (what the hell, Serie A schedulers?), we’ll at least be able to watch Fiorentina again as they host <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/brescia">Brescia</a>. In 46 meetings, the Gigliati hold a W22 D14 L10 edge, including <a href="https://www.violanation.com/2019/10/22/20927359/brescia-0-0-fiorentina-match-report-player-grades-ratings-three-things-we-learned-serie-a">the rather grim scoreless draw</a> between them earlier this year. The Viola haven’t lost to the Leonessa since the Coppa Italia quarterfinals in 2001 (and still advanced); they haven’t lost in the league since a 3-1 reversal in Serie B, and haven’t lost at home against them since 1970. What we’re saying is oh no we just jinxed it.</p>
<p id="4S41wk">There’s no word on the ref yet because I don’t know why, but rest assured that it’s probably someone slakas doesn’t like. I’ll update this when I get confirmation of who it is.</p>
<p id="5U0rmy">The match will be played on <strong>Monday, 22 June 2020</strong>, at <strong>5:30 PM GMT/1:30 PM EST</strong>, at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence. The forecast calls for the hottest day of the year thus far in the city, so expect an even slower pace than you would after a 106 day layoff, especially without any fans in the stadium to buoy the players along.</p>
<h2 id="UgUyBB">Fiorentina</h2>
<p id="jkx4YJ">After playing their way into the relegation places again, Fiorentina have steadied under new leadership and now sit in 13th place with 30 points and a -4 goal difference, which is just about the definition of midtable mediocrity; 5 points from their past 5 matches bears that narrative out, even if the actual play on the pitch has intermittent shown signs of life.</p>
<p id="frpGoC">Manager Giuseppe Iachini has a few decisions to make, especially with the mercury expected to be so high, and the main one is how to deploy Franck Ribery. The French winger has been training as a trequartista, we’ve heard, but this may be the wrong time to deploy him there, as his job would include shutting down Sandro Tonali, and those 37-year-old legs probably can’t handle that, especially since Brescia will minimize space between the lines.</p>
<p id="gwlEZy">Assuming that he keeps using his 5-3-2, Iachini should see his team comfortably dominate the ball. The trick will be using it wisely; with Gaetano Castrovilli and <span>Alfred Duncan</span> running things in the engine room, there should be a bit more creativity than this team had last time out against the Rondinelle. Since there won’t be space in behind, the attack will likely focus on dribbling past opponents and getting runners into the box to meet low crosses and cutbacks, with Castrovilli particularly important in this regard. Otherwise, everything will rely on a moment of brilliance from Federico Chiesa or one of his fellow attackers.</p>
<h2 id="hPdZRb">Brescia</h2>
<p id="GxCn2E">The Rondinelle are back in the top flight for the first time since 2011 (when they were coached by none other than Beppe), but the good feelings haven’t been enough. They sit at the bottom of the table with just 16 points and a -27 goal difference through 26 games. Having collected just 3 points from their past 11 outings, there’s no reason to believe they’re heading anywhere but straight back to Serie B.</p>
<p id="5ZfqIW">New manager Diego López, who replaced <span>Eugenio Corini</span> at the start of February, hasn’t turned things around, managing a draw and 3 straight losses in his tenure. The former <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/cagliari">Cagliari</a> defender has favored a 4-4-2 for most of his managerial career but has been using more of a 4-3-1-2ish shape in Lombardy; whether the layoff has given him time to implement his preferred formation is one of the questions we won’t have answered until kickoff.</p>
<p id="RupTd5">He’ll have to make do without leading scorer <span>Mario Balotelli</span>, who’s had a typically chaotic half-season at his hometown club, so either Ernesto Torregrossa or Alfredo Donnarumma will join Florian Ayé up top. That leaves even more responsibility on Tonali’s shoulders. Closing him down will be Fiorentina’s top priority, as he’s the engine that makes whatever attacking threat Brescia possess hum. Also keep an eye on rightback Stefano Sabelli, who loves to get forward; attacking the space behind him could pay dividends. Otherwise, Brescia will sit deep, cede possession, play exclusively on the break, and look to threaten via set pieces (centerback Jhon Chancellor has 3 goals already this year).</p>
<h2 id="I7mPos">Possible lineups</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_vh8nEw55iFedATDBBgmr6wNbnE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20041404/Screen_Shot_2020_06_18_at_8.58.16_AM.png">
<cite>Made using <a class="ql-link" href="http://www.sharemytactics.com/" target="_blank">Share My Tactics</a></cite>
<figcaption>Duncan or Ribery, Vlahović or Cutrone; Bisoli or Dessena, Torregrossa or Donnarumma</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="AFbM8z">How to watch</h2>
<p id="hthyME"><strong>TV</strong>: Check the full international television listings <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3667509/fiorentina-vs-brescia/">here</a>, but pretty much every broadcaster seems to have opted for <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/lecce">Lecce</a>-<a href="https://acmilan.theoffside.com/">AC Milan</a> instead.</p>
<p id="udl4ph"><strong>Online</strong>: <a href="https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3667509/fiorentina-vs-brescia/">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%7Cxid:fr1575812904539ibe%7Cxid:fr1576197881968hbc%7Cxid:fr1576435328129aea%7Cxid:fr1578181133145gbi%7Cxid:fr1578290589112fji%7Cxid:fr1578593015247daj%7Cxid:fr1578891242510bjd%7Cxid:fr1579127400069adc%7Cxid:fr1579304193577cgh%7Cxid:fr1579737215416jdd%7Cxid:fr1580178422250hed%7Cxid:fr1580323577195gbi%7Cxid:fr1580640366991jge%7Cxid:fr1581039500376cgg%7Cxid:fr1581124488495abf%7Cxid:fr1581444097264cee%7Cxid:fr1581858981500dff%7Cxid:fr1582224831562cjg">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="nADzAk">Ted’s Memorial Blind Guess Department</h2>
<p id="rkkbON">Let’s start by saying that it’s pretty much impossible to predict anything here due to the countless variables at play: long layoff, suspect fitness levels, new tactical developments, heat, empty stadium, general weirdness. That said, I’ll hand this one to the hosts by a score of 2-0, as I don’t think that Brescia have enough in the tank for this one. Fiorentina should see lots of the ball despite their direct attacking as their opponents average the least possession in Serie A. That sort of end-to-end action may tempt Brescia out once or twice, and that’s when Chiesa will strike with a curler from the left channel. I’ll back a defender to score from a set piece as well; let’s pick the captain Germán Pezzella.</p>
<p id="g4WiRo"><strong>Forza Viola!</strong></p>
https://www.violanation.com/2020/6/20/21295609/fiorentina-brescia-serie-a-preview-predict-lineup-formation-watch-online-stream-h2h-goals-scoreThe Tito