You’d be hard-pressed to find a more balanced matchup in Serie A than Torino vs. Fiorentina. Each of the last three matches between the two sides have ended in a stalemate, and you’d have to go back all the way to January 10, 2022 for the last time the two were separated by more than one goal.
Fiorentina kicked off their season with a 4-1 win vs. Benevento in the Coppa Italia before losing 4-0 and 3-0 to Roma and Frosinone. Torino, meanwhile, edged Carrarese 1-0 in the cup before losing 2-1 to Milan
and Sassuolo, followed by a 1-0 defeat to Monza in the cup. Both teams are struggling to adjust to life under their new managers, and both are in desperate need of a win. So, which team will come out on top? Let’s take a look at the four main things to keep an eye on for this one.
1. Fiorentina’s rest-defense when the fullbacks push up
In their first two matches under Fabio Grosso, Fiorentina have shown a willingness to get their fullbacks involved, but their opponents have exposed how vulnerable they can be when possession is lost. We saw this in their first match vs. Roma, when they were sliced open with a basic long ball out from the back. Their defenders were caught off guard and enabled Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen to combine for the second goal. And we saw this vs. Frosinone, with the defenders getting caught ball-watching and enabling Antonio Raimondo to pick up the ball unmarked and smash home a trivela volley.
Fiorentina aren’t going to change their ways just to get past Torino, but they do need to answer some uncomfortable questions about their tactical balance. Who stays underneath the ball when Fiorentina attack? Does Arthur Atta drop between/alongside the CBs? Does one fullback stay while the other advances? How quickly can Torino attack the space behind the advanced fullback? If Torino can consistently get their wingback + inside forward attacking the same channel, then Fiorentina could be in for a long night.
2. Mastantuono vs Torino’s left side
He wasn’t able to showcase his talent at Real Madrid, but Franco Mastantuono has already looked like Fiorentina’s most dangerous individual attacking player. After a promising display that saw him win 4 fouls and make 4 progressive carries vs. Roma, Mastantuono fared even better against Frosinone. He repeatedly received on the right, attacked defenders and combined nicely with the players around him, making 2 key passes, 5 progressive carries, and 7 shots. It’s no surprise that the top US betting sites for soccer have tipped him for a prominent role vs. Torino.
The biggest question is whether Torino can force him inside into traffic or whether he gets isolated against left back Alessio Cacciamani. Does he stay wide, receive facing forward and attack 1v1? Or does he come inside early, receive between the lines, and allow the fullback to overlap? If Torino’s defenders get pinned deep, Fiorentina could potentially create a pretty favorable 2v1 and dominate the flow of the match. With 12 goals from their first three matches, Fiorentina know this one could be high-scoring, and it’s vital that they force the issue and use Mastantuono’s technical craft to their advantage.
3. Can Beto fill Kean’s void?
When Fiorentina take the field at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, it won’t be Moise Kean leading the line, but Beto. The interesting question isn’t just whether Beto scores, but what type of reference point he gives the attack. We’ve seen throughout his meteoric ascent from Portimonense to Udinese to Everton that he has what it takes to do multiple things at once, be that pinning the center backs deep, or threatening with his incisive runs, or attacking crosses/cutbacks and connecting with his attacking partners.
If Beto occupies the central defenders effectively, that should create much more room for the wide players, and he should also be able to provide far more of a reference point up top, thus enabling Fiorentina to avoid playing out from the back with risky, short passes. By serving as a target man to pin back the defenders and allowing Fiorentina to go Route One with their attacking, Beto could very well end up being an upgrade over Kean.
4. Torino’s ability to attack the space around Fiorentina’s CBs
It’s a battle of the ex-Premier League strikers as Beto goes up against Che Adams, who is expected to retain his starting place ahead of the likes of Duvan Zapata and Giovanni Simeone. The important thing isn’t necessarily Adams’ finishing. It’s whether he can: occupy the center backs pull one out, create a channel for the attacking midfielders like Gvidas Gineitis to attack, and threaten behind if Fiorentina push their line higher. Fiorentina’s defensive organization has been their biggest weakness so far, so Torino don’t need 20 chances; they just need to repeatedly create the same advantageous situation and test their mettle.
Fiorentina have already had quite a few issues defending set pieces, and their defensive organization has been erratic at best. Against a team playing with three center backs and plenty of size, Torino could very well exploit Fiorentina’s backline both from open play as well as dead-ball scenarios. Fiorentina fans will be hoping that their new signings like Beto and Pedro Goncalves can hit the ground running as they seek to ascend off the bottom of the Serie A table.
