[Serie A] Fiorentina 1-2 JUVENTUS (March 6th, 2010) (9 Viewers)
- Thread starter SABSAB
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We passed the ball much better in the 2nd half. Nothing amazing, but given how shit our possession was in the 1st, it was a visible improvement. Still a lot of issues to iron out, but the difference between our 1st and 2nd half performance is certainly a positive sign.
Chiellini defended well, but this could have all been for nothing had Fiorentina scored on 1 of the many times he needlessly gave away possession. His longballs are killing us.
Chiellini defended well, but this could have all been for nothing had Fiorentina scored on 1 of the many times he needlessly gave away possession. His longballs are killing us.
Two teams who are both clearly short on confidence. With us looking far worse off mentally and tactically than our opponents. We won due more to luck and the difference in quality of two or three players in key positions, than through any semblance of a decent performance.
Admittedly, Diego put his goal away nicely, though he could very easily have been flagged offside, Grosso's strike was beautiful, in terms of both creation and execution, and Marchisio chould have put the icing on the cake with our only other clear cut chance of the match. But still...
Our passing game, as a team, remains appalling.
We created far more width than normal, with Diego and Candreva as an attacking duo of offensive midfielders, though Trez's movement was slow and barely visible. Especially in the second half this 2-1 routine, with Iaquinta and also Marchisio pushing further forward and wider, we seemed more likely to cause problems for our opponents, than with a very static Trez as the target man.
Defensively, we were scarey. Legrotaglie seems solid in certain siutation, but is slow, fouls far too much in very dangerous positions, and much like the rest of the back four, hooves the ball EVEN NEAR THE START OF THE GAME. This hooving, just OUT, AWAY, is not the sign of a team confident of keeping possession, or doing something with possession. And its obvious why DIego especially has gotten angry, bitter even, over the months, as he looks, at times, like the ONLY player in the team who is capable of both receiving the ball in space and also finding a team-mate with his return pass. Anyway, onto ratings:>
Manninger. 8/10. Didn't flap dangerously at anything, made several decent saves, especially one at point blank range from Gilardino. I saw that madness in his eyes...And once again, have regained my faith in the austrian lunatic. Solid and fearsome.
De Ceglie. 3/10. His passing is awful, positioning inadequate, tackling suspect...He has no natural talent as a footballer. But he certainly looks the part! and can run...
Zebina. 5/10. Either he is still miles away from match sharpness, or simply, over the last two seasons, his quality has dropped, deteriorated, and whilst he is strong enough to make fine challenges, and not as clumsy as Legro, his passing is woeful and the tendency to hoove, more suited to a schoolyard than the Juventus squad.
Legro. 5/10. Strong, slow, far too many fouls which a more confident fiorentina would have punished us for. The christian soldier needs to be put out to pasture. The sooner the better...And it makes me angry whenever I see him, and Canna smiling on the bench, when we have Ariuado, at another club.
Chiellini. 7/10. Guilty of clearing the ball straight to the opposition on several occasions, but also, he was head and shoulders above everyone else in our team defensively. Quality in the tackle, tried to spark something going forward, and had the pace that Legro lacked, the positioning that de ceglie will never learn, and the heart that is missing from most his team=mates. Not a vintage performance, but an effective one. ANd as the commentators said...'without him, the juve defence would be in constant turmoil'.
Melo. 6.5/10. No glaring errors, covered his midfield area obediently, and seems more comfortable with two other midfielders nearby, candreva and diego, who both want the ball and look for the ball. Coped well with the jeers...
Momo- 6/10. Wicked pass for the Grosso goal. Tried to get involved too much going forward and fucked up 9 times out of 10. Lacking his usual bite in the challenge...lethargic, but his assist was ultra important.
Marchisio. 6/10. Anonymous in the first half but came to life in the second period. Needs to show much more to continue to add substance to his reputation as one of the most promising central midfielders in Italy.
Diego.6.5/10. Took his offside goal with typical brazilian panache, was involved in almost all our decent moves going forward. Got bashed around but took it all on the chin. For the first 45 minutes he seemed our only player capable of passing and then looking for a return pass. Distrubution was okay, but affected like all others by a series of mistakes.
Candreva. 6/10. Less technically gifted than Diego, but his work rate was exceptional, and he never stopped trying to get us moving in offence. The jury remains out on whether he is worth keeping, but for now, in the absence of Gio and Camo, I am glad we have him the ranks.
Trez. 4/10. Lifeless. Lack of running and interest. Despondent character unable to find space. At best...still lacking match sharpness.
SUBS
Grosso- 8/10. Whether it was his introduction or Zach's team talk, we were a different outfit entirely when he entered the fray. Much more solid defensively and potent in the attacking third than the totally feckless De Ceglie. Took his goal superbly. In fact...the right flank of the fiorentina attack almost went dead as soon as Grosso appeared. Needs replacing, but on this evidence, is clearly our best option at left back.
Iaquinta. 6/10. Huffed and puffed and kept the fiorentina defence on their toes. Made good use of the whole breadth of the pitch, pulling players out wide to free up space in the middle. Encouraging signs, good to see him back.
Overall...we remain close to awful. And it is not just a problem of mentality. For players like De Ceglie and Legro, and Zebina, are shockingly short of the required quality at this level. We can take heart from the second half performance, and the bottom line is WE WON. 3 very important points. Which I would not have expected under Ciro...and yes...all without DP.
Admittedly, Diego put his goal away nicely, though he could very easily have been flagged offside, Grosso's strike was beautiful, in terms of both creation and execution, and Marchisio chould have put the icing on the cake with our only other clear cut chance of the match. But still...
Our passing game, as a team, remains appalling.
We created far more width than normal, with Diego and Candreva as an attacking duo of offensive midfielders, though Trez's movement was slow and barely visible. Especially in the second half this 2-1 routine, with Iaquinta and also Marchisio pushing further forward and wider, we seemed more likely to cause problems for our opponents, than with a very static Trez as the target man.
Defensively, we were scarey. Legrotaglie seems solid in certain siutation, but is slow, fouls far too much in very dangerous positions, and much like the rest of the back four, hooves the ball EVEN NEAR THE START OF THE GAME. This hooving, just OUT, AWAY, is not the sign of a team confident of keeping possession, or doing something with possession. And its obvious why DIego especially has gotten angry, bitter even, over the months, as he looks, at times, like the ONLY player in the team who is capable of both receiving the ball in space and also finding a team-mate with his return pass. Anyway, onto ratings:>
Manninger. 8/10. Didn't flap dangerously at anything, made several decent saves, especially one at point blank range from Gilardino. I saw that madness in his eyes...And once again, have regained my faith in the austrian lunatic. Solid and fearsome.
De Ceglie. 3/10. His passing is awful, positioning inadequate, tackling suspect...He has no natural talent as a footballer. But he certainly looks the part! and can run...
Zebina. 5/10. Either he is still miles away from match sharpness, or simply, over the last two seasons, his quality has dropped, deteriorated, and whilst he is strong enough to make fine challenges, and not as clumsy as Legro, his passing is woeful and the tendency to hoove, more suited to a schoolyard than the Juventus squad.
Legro. 5/10. Strong, slow, far too many fouls which a more confident fiorentina would have punished us for. The christian soldier needs to be put out to pasture. The sooner the better...And it makes me angry whenever I see him, and Canna smiling on the bench, when we have Ariuado, at another club.
Chiellini. 7/10. Guilty of clearing the ball straight to the opposition on several occasions, but also, he was head and shoulders above everyone else in our team defensively. Quality in the tackle, tried to spark something going forward, and had the pace that Legro lacked, the positioning that de ceglie will never learn, and the heart that is missing from most his team=mates. Not a vintage performance, but an effective one. ANd as the commentators said...'without him, the juve defence would be in constant turmoil'.
Melo. 6.5/10. No glaring errors, covered his midfield area obediently, and seems more comfortable with two other midfielders nearby, candreva and diego, who both want the ball and look for the ball. Coped well with the jeers...
Momo- 6/10. Wicked pass for the Grosso goal. Tried to get involved too much going forward and fucked up 9 times out of 10. Lacking his usual bite in the challenge...lethargic, but his assist was ultra important.
Marchisio. 6/10. Anonymous in the first half but came to life in the second period. Needs to show much more to continue to add substance to his reputation as one of the most promising central midfielders in Italy.
Diego.6.5/10. Took his offside goal with typical brazilian panache, was involved in almost all our decent moves going forward. Got bashed around but took it all on the chin. For the first 45 minutes he seemed our only player capable of passing and then looking for a return pass. Distrubution was okay, but affected like all others by a series of mistakes.
Candreva. 6/10. Less technically gifted than Diego, but his work rate was exceptional, and he never stopped trying to get us moving in offence. The jury remains out on whether he is worth keeping, but for now, in the absence of Gio and Camo, I am glad we have him the ranks.
Trez. 4/10. Lifeless. Lack of running and interest. Despondent character unable to find space. At best...still lacking match sharpness.
SUBS
Grosso- 8/10. Whether it was his introduction or Zach's team talk, we were a different outfit entirely when he entered the fray. Much more solid defensively and potent in the attacking third than the totally feckless De Ceglie. Took his goal superbly. In fact...the right flank of the fiorentina attack almost went dead as soon as Grosso appeared. Needs replacing, but on this evidence, is clearly our best option at left back.
Iaquinta. 6/10. Huffed and puffed and kept the fiorentina defence on their toes. Made good use of the whole breadth of the pitch, pulling players out wide to free up space in the middle. Encouraging signs, good to see him back.
Overall...we remain close to awful. And it is not just a problem of mentality. For players like De Ceglie and Legro, and Zebina, are shockingly short of the required quality at this level. We can take heart from the second half performance, and the bottom line is WE WON. 3 very important points. Which I would not have expected under Ciro...and yes...all without DP.
