Pre-match
Both managers changed things up, albeit for different reasons. Marco Baroni altered his midfield and defense quite a bit after last week’s 5-0 thumping at Inter Milan, while Stefano Pioli brought in some fresh legs after the not-at-all tense Thursday clash with Polissya. The big news was a start for new signing Roberto Piccoli up front; he played next to Moise Kean and in front of Albert Guðmundsson
in a 3-4-1-2.
First half
Fiorentina looked uncertain in its new shape, failing to build much from the back and allowing Torino to control proceedings. That difficulty at the back nearly cost the Viola big after a poor sequence involving Marin Pongračić and Dodô gave Cesare Casadei a free look but David de Gea came out fast and got big to make the save. Dodô nearly scored from 45 yards after Franco Israel was forced off his line to clear but the Brazilian’s lob whistled just wide of the empty net. De Gea made another superb save on Simeone and Pietro Comuzzo fizzed a long range volley past Israel’s post after the Torino goalkeeper saved Piccoli’s shot on the break. In short, both sides had chances but Torino was probably slightly the better side, although a draw was certainly a fair reflection of play.
Second half
Pioli brought on Nicolò Fagioli and Eddy Kouadio (!) at the break but the game didn’t change that much. Both Piccoli and Kean had weak penalty shouts, while Dodô and Ranieri both came close as well. The real story, though, was Kean missing a header with his toes on the goal line. It was Ikoné-vs-Monza levels of absurdity. Robin Gosens might well have had the goal had Moise not gotten in the way. Unbelievable.
That seemed to take the wind out of the Viola sails for several minutes and Torino pinned them back for the next few minutes. The good guys eventually regained their equanimity but the game ended all square.
Full time
Goals: woof
Cards: Vlašić 37’, Lazaro 86’; Sohm 19’, Pongračić 73’
What’s next
What’s next is the blessed oblivion of the international break, which Stefano Pioli will hopefully spend getting these guys on the same page because, after 4 games, we haven’t seen anything like a recipe for success. He’ll need to figure out if he wants to continue with this 3-4-1-2 or drop a forward for another mifielder. He’ll also need to integrate new signings, both Hans Nicolussi Caviglia and any incoming on the final day of the window. Wait a minute. Maybe this isn’t a break at all. Maybe Fiorentina’s going to be working overtime.
