Pre-match
Both managers had shortfalls up front. Maurizio Sarri filled his by choosing winger Matteo Cancellieri. Paolo Vanoli turned to Roberto Piccoli again because Moise Kean isn’t at full fitness following a some time off for personal reasons. Robin Gosens made his triumphant return to the XI while Manor Solomon was only on the bench.
First half
Lazio came out like gangbusters, pinning Fiorentina deep and carving out chances, particularly off Viola mistakes in possession. The flacidity on the ball was only matched
by the lack of focus off it as the hosts burst through the lines multiple times but somehow failed to finish. The set piece defending was even worse: Nicolò Fagioli made not one but two huge goal line saves off Lazio corners, and Rolando Mandragora had another. Marin Pongračić was incredibly lucky not to give away a penalty for tugging back Mario Gila on another corner; had I the misfortune to be born a Lazio fan, I’d have been livid, but I wasn’t, so I’m not. Anyways, Fiorentina didn’t even manage a shot in the first half. It was a late holiday miracle that it was scoreless at the break.
Second half
Despite an Albert Guðmundsson attempt on goal, it didn’t take Lazio long to unlock the Viola defense, which isn’t surprising since this rear guard doesn’t even have a door, much less a keyed entry. In fairness, it was a marvelous bit of skill from Danilo Cataldi (Fiorentina beffata), who had a Leo Messiesque little sequence, picking up a loose ball on the edge of the box, lifting it over Fagioli’s boot, and playing a 1-2 with Matías Vecino (Fiorentina beffata x2) to put himself all alone in front of David de Gea, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way with a tidy left-footed finish.
That might’ve seemed like the ball game but Fiorentina did the funniest possible thing just moments later when Lazio, still drunk off its own champagne, coughed up the ball in its own half. Fagioli wriggled around before scooping one over for Gosens to lash home, leaving the Olimpico stunned at witnessing such brazen robbery.
Fiorentina gained confidence and started snapping the ball around a bit but it didn’t matter too much because its own idiocy ensured that it’d stay in trouble of its own making. Fabiano Parisi at least had a decent look but Lazio quickly regained the ascendancy and producing a string of chances: a goalmouth scramble and a de Gea double-save on Mario Gila and Alessio Romagnoli were the major opportunities but it the traffic was unidirectional, which made Guðmundsson’s dramatic collapse in the box under a Gila challenge feel that much crazier. It was certainly less egregious the Pongračić incident in the first half but Sozza pointed to the spot and Guðmundsson converted despite Provedel getting a mitt to the ball. It looked like the Viola had produced the finest daylight robbery Rome had seen since Michael Caine was zipping around in a Mini Cooper.
It wasn’t meant to be, of course, because it never is. Lazio started pumping the ball forward and it eventually found Mattia Zaccagni in the box. He went down under pressure from Pietro Comuzzo and, although I don’t really think it was enough for a penalty, Sozza had no real choice but to point to the spot. Pedro thumped it home and that was that. Fiorentina had improved after the break but in no way deserved a point, much less 3.
Full time
Goals: Cataldi 52’ (ass. Vecino), Pedro PK 90’+4; Gosens 56’ (ass. Fagioli), Guðmundsson PK 89’
Cards: Cancellieri 26’, Zaccagni 83’, Pellegrini 90’; Pongračić 20’, Gosens 21’, Parisi 55’, Fagioli 71’, Nicolussi Caviglia 90’+7
What we learned
-Unless and until Fiorentina learns how to defend set pieces, the team’s going nowhere. Lazio had at least half a dozen chances from dead balls that should’ve been turned home. The Viola remain the Serie A leaders in goals conceded from set pieces with 6 on the year and are lucky it’s not higher.
-Lazio targeted Fiorentina’s left side early on and found a lot of space. The Gosens/Guðmundsson axis isn’t good at defending in space and struggled badly; a better player than Gustav Isaksen could’ve taken advantage. I’m not sure there’s a solution but it’s an area of the pitch that bears watching.
-Moise Kean. New hair. Looks like it’s lots of smaller braids now and it’s much longer.
-Cher Ndour’s going to get a lot of criticism for his on-ball performance but he’s doing so much off-ball work that I’m willing to forgive him. He’s supposed to play left wing and make runs over the top to open space for Guðmundsson and Gosens while also dropping into defensive midfield when Fiorentina loses the ball. It’s an incredibly tough assignment.
-Piccoli’s first half: 8 touches, 2/4 passing, 2 aerial duels won, 3 lost balls, 1 offside, 0 dribbles, 0 shots. Stinky.
What’s next
Like a balloon full of farts, Fiorentina keeps rising, this time to 18th place with 13 points. That’s even with 19th-place Hellas Verona, of course, and the Mastini have a game in hand, but 17th place and safety are right there: it’s Genoa with 15, pending the results of the Oscar Meyers’ trip to AC Milan. Safety is obtainable; all this group of bozos has to do is reach out their hands and grab it. If they’re men, they will. If they’re so many Pygopodidae, well, probably not.
Right. Sorry. Got distracted. Fiorentina’s path only gets harder on Sunday when Milan comes to the Franchi. The Rossoneri are flying high and need wins to keep up their push for the scudetto. I’m not particularly hopeful, if I’m honest, and the schedule doesn’t let up: next week it’s a trip to Bologna, then Cagliari, Como (in the Coppa Italia), and at Napoli all lined up after that. What I’m saying is don’t be shocked if this brief rise comes to a sudden halt soon.
