Pre-match
Fabio Grosso kept searching for his best XI. This time, he handed first starts to Alieu Njie and Viery and reshaped his midfield again with Nicolò Fagioli, Christ Inao Oulaï, and Marco Brescianini. Ignazio Abate, also coaching a winless team, was scrambling as well. Eray Cömert and Rolando Mandragora got their first Granata starts; the latter joined Pietro Comuzzo and Niccolò Fortini in the lineup. At least Giovanni Simeone and Cristiano Biraghi were only on the bench.
First half
Fiorentina almost got off to
a perfect start. A mixup not 2 minutes in put Franco Mastantuono clean through but a desperately flailing Lucas Perri got a toe to it and Njie’s follow-up was blocked off the line. That was pretty much all the excitement we got in the first half for the Viola, though. There was an embarrassing lack of initiative from the hosts, who were laughably passive both with and without the ball, as noted by markuscoby. Torino didn’t create all that much, aside from a couple of dangerous shots from Mandragora, but letting a winless team have 66% possession at the Franchi is pretty humiliating. The fans certainly thought so: the whistles started around the 20th minute and only intensified. Oh, and Oulaï went off injured after 24 minutes. It was dire.
Second half
Grosso hooked Brescianini (4 pass attempts) and Mastantuono (woof) at the break and introduced Arthur Atta and Wilfried Gnonto. Whether it was coincidence or not, Fiorentina scored almost immediately, albeit not via the subs. Mateo Pellegrino, who’d been MIA for the first half. He latched onto a loose ball and tried his luck from way outside. A slight deflection took it past Lucas Perri and that was that. I cannot imagine how badly he needed that one but I can tell you that Fiorentina needed it desperately.
Even with their first goal of the Serie A season, the Viola never looked wholly comfortable. There was a bit more confidence, sure, and Perri made his second incredible save of the game on Atta’s flicked header, but anyone who’s watched a minute of Fiorentina since last year knew Torino would have at least one more chance. It arrived exactly how we expected: a vintage Mandrake banger. Give Roly credit not just for a stunning strike but for not celebrating.
Did it get worse? Reader, does the bear leave purple turds all over the woods? Víctor Valdepeñas missed a ball over the top, Rafik Belghali put in the cross, and Che Adams was so open he had time for a slightly dicey touch before slamming it home from close range. It was nearly as dire as it was predictable.
Fiorentina performed huffing and puffing but nobody in their right mind believed this collection of guys masquerading as a team would find an equalizer. And it didn’t.
Full time
Goals: Pellegrino 47’ (ass. Drǎgușin); Mandragora 74’ (ass. Cömert), Adams 82’ (ass. Belghali)
Cards: somehow no
What we learned
- It’s time to forget preseason conceptions and transfer price tags and who we thought would be a protagonist in this team. Fiorentina is in free fall for the second consecutive season. Unless management wants a repeat of last year, it’s time for drastic and courageous changes.
- Fabio Grosso is at the top of the list. His tactical approach has been risk avoidance at all costs. That reduces the margins to nothing. It’s early in the season but I wonder if it’s starting to get late for him. Especially after the Pioli disaster, I can’t imagine his leash is very long.
- Franco Mastantuono probably can’t play on the wing in this system. He lacks the dynamism to win duels and the runners to pull the strings. If he’d scored that early look, the whole narrative around might’ve shifted. But he didn’t and now it’s fair to wonder if he should be starting.
- Radu Drǎgușin’s been another popular whipping boy with the fans. I didn’t think he was as bad as everyone thought in the first couple games but he was awful in this one. Che Adams is a prickly, competent forward but hardly a world beater. He made Drǎgușin look silly. It might be time to bench him too.
- The second goal was a scenario I’ve been monitoring since preseason. A big switch over the fullback’s head puts the opposing winger in space to pick a cross. Valdepeñas has really struggled getting out there in those situations. With no other leftback available, the only solution is to change the defensive approach.
- I could write negative things about everyone but I’ll close out on a more positive note. João Mário had a pretty good game. He was the only player in the first half to take initiative, he played in a couple good crosses while offering constant width, and he made a couple of defensive plays in space. He’s not perfect but he’s clearly a useful player.
What’s next
Some soul-searching, hopefully. Grosso has to be brave with both his personnel and his tactics. It’s clear that he doesn’t know his best XI so I expect he’ll keep chopping and changing but if he doesn’t hit on the right combination soon, he might not need to worry about it. His players also need to do more but right now, I think this is a coaching issue more than anything else. That the fans are clearly turning on the team—booing the Viola and applauding Mandragora—is all you really need to know.
Next week’s clash at Venezia takes on a certain desperation. Another defeat to a newly-promoted side might be too much to come back from. A midweek Coppa Italia game only adds fuel to the fire because it’ll be a Tuscan derby against the loathsome Pisa, followed by a visit from Scudetto hopefuls Napoli. If this team can’t turn things around by then, we’ll officially be in panic mode.
