Player grades
David de Gea—5: The miscommunication with Comuzzo on the first goal was the kind of mistake that would get you chewed out in a Sunday league, much less as a decorated professional. Wasn’t at fault for the second goal at all but had a couple less-than-convincing moments, both in possession and as a shot stopper. Just a blip. Nothing to see here.
Pietro Comuzzo—4.5: The mixup with de Gea was bad, but I’ll let Mike-R handle it.
Pablo Marí—5: Strong in the air but his slow feet and reliance on getting
his hands on his man rather than just moving himself to stay in front are clearly a problem. He’s not a bad player, exactly, but he’s so one-dimensional that any competent team can scheme him off the pitch.
Mattia Viti—6: Not a bad game for the debutante. Showed a bit of ambition on the ball and occasionally got forward to create an overload on the wing. Still looks a little fragile on the back foot to me but I get the theory of him.
Fabiano Parisi—4.5: Not sure if it’s a motivation issue (reportedly renewing his contract before leaving on loan) or a skill issue but Fabi was quite bad, particularly defensively. His physical limitations mean he’s got a low ceiliing on that side of the ball but he was so clearly the weak link, and he offered next to nothing in attack to balance that out.
Cher Ndour—5: His running over the top was the only thing that looked even close to working in the first half and he deserves credit for taking on such an unglamorous job, but he’s still just a little too clunky on the ball to be an asset in possession.
Nicolò Fagioli—7: Twisted and turned out of trouble, trying to set a rhythm. Slowed things down but I think that was Stefano Pioli’s instruction for him; when the handbrake was off after halftime, Nicky Beans started getting it forward a bit more. Got a couple guys booked, too, with his dribbling.
Rolando Mandragora—4: I’m sure he had some touches but I’ll be damned if I can remember a single one.
Dodô—7.5: Set up Gosens for a back post header and took his own chance fantastically well. Jetted up and down, giving Sergiy Korniychuk a tough time, and tracked back well. How he’s still going at a sprint late on is a marvel—he’s played 27o minutes in 8 days—but sometimes all you can do is applaud him.
Jacopo Fazzini—6.5: Lost in the shuffle through the first half but at least tried to float around to find space and drive forward. Went on a marvelous 70-odd yard run and hit the post. Not sure he’s a 10, as Pioli seems to think, but he’s a good player, even if he’s a bit lightweight.
Edin Džeko—6.5: Scored the 3rd goal with a perfect poacher’s finish and helped set up the first with his holdup play, so he wasn’t a negative, but he needs a lot of help out there. He just needs a midfielder making those runs in behind (e.g. Ndour) and can’t really press high, because he is so, so very slow.
Robin Gosens—7.5: 2 assists, one a cross for Dodô and the other a flick for Ranieri. Gave Fiorentina width and depth that Parisi didn’t. Not as solid defensively as Pioli might’ve liked but the Goose always soars to meet the occasion and that’s what’s important.
Albert Guðmundsson—6.5: Involved in all 3 goals but also turned the ball over in a couple of bad spots, as per. I still can’t figure out how good he is.
Marin Pongračić—5.5: Mostly solid at the back and got his head on the ball for Džeko’s goal. Still not convinced he’s able to concentrate for 90 minutes at the necessary level but he has every single other characteristic of a world class defender.
Simon Sohm—5: Ran around, applied pressure, and put out fires defensively, but didn’t do much on the ball. Dropped deeper than we’ve seen recently, though, instead of staying high up.
Luca Ranieri—7.5: Scored a goal and helped set up another. Captain Coglioni doesn’t shrink from any challenge and I will die for him.
Three things we learned
1. It’s not dark yet but it’s getting there. I can’t get a handle on Stefano Pioli’s vision for this team, but the mister’s picture is crystal clear. It’s why he’s exiled players I thought would play significant roles this year—Amir Richardson, Lucas Beltrán—and bumped others down the hierarchy. Because the guys who’ve been demoted are, at worst, situationally useful, it’s their specific technical qualities that Pioli doesn’t want.
That’s fine. In fact, I don’t mind the coach having a strong idea of how the team should play. The problem is that by rejecting a bunch of pieces I’d assumed were acceptable, he’s put a lot of pressure on the starters to chew up big minutes, and on Daniele Pradè to find replacements. If Pradè can’t find another centerback, another wingback, and another midfielder or two, though, Pioli will be left with 2 choices: run his few trusted players into the ground, or reintegrate the outsiders. Neither’s appealing. The window closes in 3 days. Buckle up.
2. What’s he building? This was always going to be a weird XI. Džeko’s physical limitations mean that the team has to play a very specific way that doesn’t really conform to its plans when Moise Kean’s available, so I expected some rocky moments. What concerned me more was the midfield, though, because these guys looked lost for the first 45 minutes.
Fagioli’s job is clear: he stays deep, gets the ball from the defenders, and controls the pace. The other 3 guys, though, were in total disarray for much of the game. My assumption is that Ndour was deployed as a vertical runner with Mandragora trying to find space between the lines and Fazzini drifting to either side to combine with whoever ventured forward. In theory, that’s a fine setup, one that could get the best out of all 4 midfielders.
In practice, though, it was sludge. Mandragora wasn’t involved at all. Ndour’s sprints forward were interesting but he couldn’t link up with his teammates even if he latched onto the ball. Fazzini wasn’t sure where he was supposed to be, dropping deep or supporting Džeko, and didn’t really do either. It’s early doors and these guys are still learning their jobs, but it’s clearly not going to come together seamlessly. It’ll probably be another month before we can really see what the mister’s fully realized plan is, and you know what? This worked. Fiorentina advanced. Who cares about the rest?
3. I’ve embraced the calamity with a detachment and a passive disinterest. Basically, we’ve got to zoom out. Fiorentina’s played 270 real minutes. More than half of them have been without Moise Kean. It’s hot. Nobody seems entirely certain what they’re supposed to be doing. And, of course, there’s the matter of whatever inexplicable curse has held this club in its inescapable grasp lo this half century or so.
So yeah, this is Fiorentina, but it’s a long season. 9 months, in fact. Every team experiences ups and downs across the long campaign. Nobody’s already operating at full capacity. I’d rather the Viola started slow and picked up speed throughout the year, reaching terminal velocity for the final couple months. That was one thing Vincenzo Italiano did really well, and Pioli’s won at higher levels than Cousin Vinnie ever did. He knows it’s a marathon, not a sprint, et cetera, so let’s join him in remembering that. The first month of the season matters, but the conclusions from it probably don’t.
