Viola Nation - Fiorentina vs. Lech PoznanA Fiorentina blog for Viola fanshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50059/viola-fav.png2015-10-23T00:28:05+02:00http://www.violanation.com/rss/stream/93511652015-10-23T00:28:05+02:002015-10-23T00:28:05+02:00Fiorentina 1-2 Lech Poznan: Recap
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<figcaption>So here's what nobody wanted to see. | Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Well, that didn't pan out. La Viola controlled the game, but were unable to break through a determined Lech Poznan defense, then conceded on the only two shots they faced all game. A late strike from Giuseppe Rossi provided a glimmer of hope, but it wasn't enough, and now the Europa League may be slipping away.</p> <p>Well, that was a real punch in the crotch. Fiorentina controlled the game, albeit without creating many chances, but conceded twice in the second half (really, on Lech's only two chances), and crashed to another shocking defeat at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, leaving their Europa League dreams battered and maybe even dead.</p>
<h5>First half</h5>
<p>The game started rather scrappily, with some physical high pressure from Lech Poznan causing Fiorentina some difficulty in possession for the first quarter hour or so, but things eventually settled down into Fiorentina passing the ball around in Poznan's half without creating very many chances. A Matías Fernandez free kick in the 2nd minute caused a scramble in the box, but nobody could finish it. Ante Rebic and Giuseppe Rossi combined nicely on a break in the 22nd minute, but Rossi's through ball was barely ahead of Khouma Babacar. Shortly afterwards, Davide Astori made a brilliant sliding intervention to stop a Lech Poznan break. In the 27th minute, Pasqual fired a shot that rocketed a few feet over the cross bar following another Fernandez free kick. Lech's best chance of the half came about a half hour in:a break down their right and a cross, but the defense coped well and took care of it. The half ended scoreless, despite some good energy, if not skill, from Ante Rebić and Babacar.</p>
<h5>Second half</h5>
<p>Rossi won a free kick about 27 yards out in the early going, but Fernandez's ensuing effort was way, way off. Next, Mario Suarez and Manuel Pasqual combined to kill what could have been an excellent chance with some terrible passing. Matías Vecino came on for Joan Verdú in the 65th minute, and Lech Poznan immediately scored on a break down the right: with Astori nowhere to be seen, Pasqual couldn't prevent Gergö Lovrencsics from crossing to substitute Dawid Kownacki, who'd just come on.</p>
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<p>Paulo Sousa reacted immediately, removing Pasqual for Federico Bernardeschi. Five minutes, Bernardeschi suffered a possibly red card-worthy foul, but it ended up being a yellow, and Mati tried a shot from a tight angle to no avail. Fiorentina's best chance came a few minutes after: a Vecino blast from distance fell to Berna on the rebound, but he couldn't find Babacar or Josip Iličić, both unmarked in front of goal. Some nice work from Iličić and Mati set up a Berna shot, but he fired right at the keeper under pressure. Lech Poznan won a free kick near the box when Nenad Tomovic (mostly quite good) handled a cross, and nobody marked Marcin Kaminski on the back post; he squared it to Maciej Gajos, who easily tapped in from the middle of the box to effectively end the game.</p>
<p>Giuseppe Rossi pulled one back late (with an assist from Mati), but Rebić lost the thread on the restart and got himself red carded for a truly atrocious tackle, and the game ended on that note.</p>
<h5>Player ratings</h5>
<p>Sepe: 6--maybe could have done more on the second goal, but not really at fault for either and didn't see much more action</p>
<p>Astori: 5.5--both goals originated from his side of the pitch, although he did make some nice tackles and passes</p>
<p>Tomovic: 6--his handball led to the second goal, but it wasn't his fault entirely, and he was generally pretty solid</p>
<p>Roncaglia 6.5--best defender on the day; shut down his side entirely</p>
<p>Pasqual: 5--per his norm, spammed crosses into the box, but to no great effect; got skinned for Poznan's first goal</p>
<p>Fernandez: 5.5--buzzed around as usual and got an assist, but his set pieces were awful; looked like a guy who hasn't played much recently</p>
<p>Suarez: 4.5--broke up play just fine, but contributed nothing going forward and lost the ball way too often</p>
<p>Verdú: 5.5--not especially inventive, and surprisingly inaccurate for a passing midfielder</p>
<p>Rebić: 5--energetic and skillful, if lacking a final product, but that tackle was really bad; trying too hard to impress</p>
<p>Rossi: 6.5--vanished for long stretches, but got a goal and produced a couple of half chances</p>
<p>Babacar: 5--lots of hard work, but no end result; too eager to shoot, even from iffy positions</p>
<p>Vecino: 5.5--his shot gave Berna a chance, but was otherwise invisible</p>
<p>Bernardeschi: 4.5--had two chances for goals and whiffed both</p>
<p>Iličić: 5--had one nice flick for Mati, but didn't do much else</p>Up next
<p>No time to mope over this one, since Roma comes to town on Sunday for a clash of the top two sides in Serie A. Fiorentina's Europa League campaign resumes in two weeks, with a chance for revenge in Poznan.</p>
https://www.violanation.com/2015/10/23/9599446/fiorentina-1-2-lech-poznan-recap-player-ratings-europa-league-group-iThe Tito2015-10-22T20:56:47+02:002015-10-22T20:56:47+02:00Fiorentina Lech Poznan: Instant Reaction
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<p>Tonight we are sulking because of the defeat, so we bring you an instant reaction based on Viola Nation's Twitter account</p> <p>We decided to sulk after <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> lost to Lech Poznan so tonight's instant reaction is brought to you courtesy of a series of tweets from Huw on the VN Twitter account. Goals came from Kownacki on 65 minutes and Gajos on 82 minutes. In a frenzied final few minutes, Rossi scored, nearly scored another and Rebic was sent off. Has Sousa decided to prioritise the league, or has his rotation system simply not worked on this occasion?</p>
<h3>Pre-Match Thoughts:</h3>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Questions for tonight 1) when will Rossi get his goal? 2) how bad will Tomovic be? 3) will 66% battery be enough to get me through the game?</p>
— Viola Nation (@Viola_Nation) <a href="https://twitter.com/Viola_Nation/status/657239709530378240">October 22, 2015</a>
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<h3>Half Time Thoughts:</h3>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">HT: 0-0. Fiorentina probably should be winning. Fiorentina are not winning. Not many chances, not much invention. Bit boring.</p>
— Viola Nation (@Viola_Nation) <a href="https://twitter.com/Viola_Nation/status/657251757681192960">October 22, 2015</a>
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<h3>Full Time Thoughts:</h3>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">FT: Fiorentina 1 - 2 Lech Poznan. Two late silly goals conceded after a bland and boring match that La Viola had controlled.</p>
— Viola Nation (@Viola_Nation) <a href="https://twitter.com/Viola_Nation/status/657268152452169729">October 22, 2015</a>
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<p><span><span>We’ll be back later with a full recap of all the action, but for now you can talk about the match in the comments below, I'm going home to sulk and I am taking my ball with me. What did you love? What did you hate? Have you given up on the Europa League altogether? has Tomovic had one disaster too many? Sound off, Viola Nation! </span></span></p>
https://www.violanation.com/fiorentina-match-coverage/2015/10/22/9598788/fiorentina-lech-poznan-europa-league-2015Chloe_Beresford2015-10-22T18:19:00+02:002015-10-22T18:19:00+02:00Fiorentina vs. Lech Poznan, 2015 Europa League
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<figcaption>Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Sousa names a rotated squad as Fiorentina take on Lech Poznan at home</p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> boss <span>Paulo Sousa</span> has unsurprisingly opted for a rotated squad for this Europa League fixture at home to Lech Poznan, which is sandwiched in between two tough Serie A fixtures against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thesirenssong.com/">Napoli</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.chiesaditotti.com/">AS Roma</a>.</p>
<p><span>Luigi Sepe</span> continues his Europa League run in goal, along with <span>Giuseppe Rossi</span> and <span>Khouma Babacar</span> up front. The road to Basel continues - Forza Viola!</p>
<h4><b>Lineups</b></h4>
<p><b>FIORENTINA: (4-3-3): Sepe; Tomovic, Roncaglia, Astori, Pasqual; Fernandez, Suarez, Verdù; Rebic, Babacar, Rossi</b></p>
<p>LECH POZNAN (4-2-3-1): Buric; Kedziora, Dudka, Kaminski, Kadar; Tralka, Tetteh; Formella, Holman, Lovrencsics; Thomalla</p>
<h5>How to watch</h5>
<p><strong>TV</strong>: This one will actually be on TV in the United States, via Fox Soccer Plus! Canadian fans can watch on TSN5. Both Fox and ESPN also offer legal streaming services (see below). For other viewing options where you are click <a href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/1718449/fiorentina-vs-lech-poznan/">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Online</strong>: <a href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/1718449/fiorentina-vs-lech-poznan/">Take a look here</a> for the full list of streaming options, including ESPN 3 and Fox Soccer 2Go for the U.S. and BT Sport Live Streaming in the U.K.. Any links to illegal streams will be deleted, and repeat offenders will be banned. As always, you can also follow along with us live on <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Viola_Nation">Twitter</a>. If you haven't already, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/account/setup?community_id=403">join the community on Viola Nation</a>, and join in the discussion below.</p>
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https://www.violanation.com/2015/10/22/9594822/fiorentina-lech-poznan-stream-2015-europa-league-time-tv-scheduleChloe_Beresford2015-10-21T23:40:43+02:002015-10-21T23:40:43+02:00Fiorentina vs. Lech Poznan: Preview
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<figcaption>Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Fiorentina hopes to rebound after a disappointing weekend loss, and Polish club Lech might be just the team to help make that possible.</p> <p>The Europa League returns this Thursday in Florence, as Fiorentina hopes to rebound against Polish champions turned cellar dwellers Lech Poznan. More than anything else this represents an opportunity to test out players who have been short on playing time recently.</p>
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<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.violanation.com/">Fiorentina</a> vs Lech Poznan <span>Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy<br>Thursday, November 22rd<br><br><font size="1">7:00 PM local/1:00 PM EST/10:00 PM PST</font></span>
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<h5>Fiorentina</h5>
<p>Expect this match to be an opportunity to rest some first team starters. <span>Borja Valero</span>, <span>Milan Badelj</span>, and Nikola Kalinic are all good bets for players to sit out tomorow. <span>Marcos Alonso</span> is already <a href="http://www.violanews.com/news-viola/alonso-out-domani-ma-con-la-roma-ci-sara/">confirmed</a> out after suffering an injury against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thesirenssong.com/">Napoli</a>, although there is optimism he will return for the weekend match against Roma. Manuel Pasqual and Ante Rebic are <a href="http://www.violanews.com/news-viola/live-rifinitura-europea-per-la-fiorentina-ce-gonzalo/">back</a> to training normally and should be available, along with Gonzalo Rodriguez, who returned after the birth of his son Ian Luca.</p>
<p><span>Paulo Sousa</span> <a href="http://www.violanews.com/news-viola/live-la-conferenza-stampa-di-paulo-sousa-5/">hinted</a> today that Joan Verdu could be used as a holding midfielder, and confirmed the availability of both Pasqual and Khouma Babacar. With regards to <span>Giuseppe Rossi</span>, he stressed patience as the player continues to return to fitness; which means we probably shouldn't be expecting 90 minutes of Rossi.</p>
<p>It is likely Fiorentina will continue to use the tactics that have worked over the past month, albeit with a more experimental choice in players. It wouldn't surprise me to see some Jakub Blaszczykowski due to the Polish factor. Considering Lech Poznan is in awful form right now, this match is as good an opportunity as any to experiment with the line up.</p>
<h5>Lech Poznan</h5>
<p>Polish club Lech Poznan is the most popular club in the Greater Poland region (the West-Central part of Poland), based in the city of Poznań. They won their 7th Ekstraklasa title last season, but appear to have imploded since then and are currently in last place. In 12 Ekstraklasa games so far, they have scored 10 goals (league worst) and conceded 21 (league second worst). In the Europa League they are currently 3rd in the group by virtue of goal difference, having drawn with Belenenses in Poland and lost to FC Basel 2-0 in Switzerland. Lech have yet to score in the Europa.</p>
<p>Lech is coached by former Polish international striker Jan Urban, who <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/matches/round=2000658/match=2016988/prematch/background/index.html">replaced</a> Maciej Skorza after a torrid start to the season. Urban started his coaching career with Osasuna's youth teams, having settled in Pamplona, Spain after retirement. He has coached for the last decade in his native Poland, winning two Ekstraklasa titles with Legia Warsaw. After a disappointing season coaching Osasuna's first team in the Segunda Liga last year, he returned to Poland in an attempt to turn around Lech's season and has so far been unsuccessful.</p>
<p>Truth be told, I know virtually nothing about Lech's squad. Their captain is a midfielder named Lukasz Tralka who has had 6 caps for the Polish national team, and they have a Scottish left back named Barry Douglas who previously played for Dundee United. Their top scorer in last year's championship winning season was Finnish attacking midfielder Kasper Hämäläinen, who scored 13 goals in 36 games, while their assist leader was Polish midfielder Szymon Pawlowski, followed by Hungarian winger Gergo Lovrencsics. Both Hämäläinen and Pawlowski appear to have fallen out of favor under Urban.</p>
<p>Lech has <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/matches/round=2000658/match=2016988/prematch/background/index.html">never</a> faced Fiorentina in a UEFA competition before, and have yet to win in four matches against Italian sides, although they have managed 3 draws.</p>
<h5>Probable line-ups</h5>
<p><b>Fiorentina (4-3-3): Sepe; Tomovic, Roncaglia, Gonzalo, Pasqual; Suarez, Verdu, Fernandez; Blaszczykowski, Babacar, Bernardeschi</b></p>
<p><b>Lech Poznan (4-2-3-1): </b>Gostomski; Ceesay, Arajuuri, Kaminski, Kadar; Dudka, Tralka; Lovrencsics, Hamalainen, Formella; Thomalla</p>
<h5>Bold Prediction</h5>
<p>Fiorentina to win this one.</p>
<h5>How to watch</h5>
<p><strong>TV</strong>: This one will actually be on TV in the United States, via Fox Soccer Plus! Canadian fans can watch on TSN5. Both Fox and ESPN also offer legal streaming services (see below). For other viewing options where you are click <a href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/1718449/fiorentina-vs-lech-poznan/">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Online</strong>: <a href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/1718449/fiorentina-vs-lech-poznan/">Take a look here</a> for the full list of streaming options, including ESPN 3 and Fox Soccer 2Go for the U.S. and BT Sport Live Streaming in the U.K.. Any links to illegal streams will be deleted, and repeat offenders will be banned. As always, you can also follow along with us live on <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Viola_Nation">Twitter</a>. If you haven't already, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/account/setup?community_id=403">join the community on Viola Nation</a>, and join in the discussion below.</p>
https://www.violanation.com/2015/10/21/9576141/fiorentina-vs-lech-poznan-preview-and-how-to-watchNolan KB