The Viola will head into this weekend’s away match against Sampdoria off the heels of a week of mixed fortunes, as exemplified by yet another major injury to Mario Gomez.
Things started so well last Sunday when the Viola travelled to the Stadio San Paolo to take on third place Napoli fresh off the heels of a disappointing Europa League elimination at the hands of rivals Juventus.
The Gigliati put together a savvy and composed performance against the Azzurri, keeping the home side at bay after a rather timid and contracted opening 45 minutes.
Once Faouzi Ghoulam received his marching orders in the 38th minute for his take down of Marko Bakic, the Viola seemed to turn their drive completely off for the rest of the first half as the home side dominated proceedings despite the numerical disadvantage.
It wasn’t until Vincenzo Montella let his side have an earful in the dressing room that the Viola finally showed some desire to join their opponents on the field.
The side took the field for the second half with more attacking impetus as Joaquin and Juan Cuadrado began to carve out space for themselves on the wings as they attempted to open up channels for Mario Gomez.
Despite the improved second half performance things looked destined to end 0-0.
Pepe Reina should be given an assist on Joaquin’s game winning goal as it is still unclear what he was trying to accomplish by rushing off his line.
Until the 88th minute that is as Joaquin headed home from a Manuel Pasqual cross,as Pepe Reina mindlessly came way off his line, to send the ball into the back of the net and give the Viola the lead and renewed hope in their chase for a top three finish.
However even that important victory against the Partenopei was tarnished with news that Gomez would miss the next month of action after injuring his left knee (not the one damaged earlier this season) after coming together with Raul Albiol.
A bitter pill to swallow for the Viola, but most importantly, the German himself as his less than idyllic debut season in Italy was cemented under the Vesuvius.
The news seemed to bring a disconcerting sense of “why us?” over the Viola camp, and it certainly manifested itself against AC Milan on Wednesday night.
The German’s absence seemed to sap the Viola of ideas, energy and most of all a central reference in attack as the 2-0 defeat to the Rossoneri confirmed several things about January signing Alessandro Matri.
His arrival was and still is a positive for the Gigliati’s campaign, as without him the club would be hamstrung due to the physical concerns of Gomez and Giuseppe Rossi.
Viola fans have become all too familiar with the site of seeing Mario Gomez on the ground as the striker is set for another month on the sidelines after picking up a left knee injury.
Having said that, the hope is that the Viola choose to spend their funds on another striker this summer as the former Juventus man confirmed many of the negatives that have characterized his performances since leaving the Bianconeri.
Despite his great debut performance, where Matri scored two goals in a comfortable 3-0 victory over Catania, the only other positive the striker has brought has been his ability to avoid the treatment room.
With so many performances that have varied between frustrating to infuriating, it is no surprise that recent reports suggest the Viola will not exercise their option to sign him from Milan this summer (along with making Gomez’s most recent injury that much more disappointing).
The loss to the Rossoneri, where the Viola admittedly looked very average and were deserving of defeat, once again extended the gap between the Gigliati and Napoli to 10 points.
With only eight matches remaining and no signs of Rossi or Gomez returning to action soon, it’s safe to say the Viola’s chances of playing Champions League football are slim at this point, though stranger things have happened in Italy…
This Sunday, Fiorentina will travel to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris to take on an in-form Sampdoria side who have been reborn under the tutelage of Sinisa Mihajlovic.
A convincing 5-0 victory over Hellas Verona last weekend was followed up with a 2-1 away victory over Sassuolo, vaulting the Blucerchati into the top half of the table.
The goal from now until the end of the season will likely be to keep the pursuing Inter and Parma at bay, making Sunday’s encounter vitally important in the Viola’s chase for fourth.
Although given how the season has gone to date, if the Viola were to escape the match without any serious injuries, it would almost feel as good as three points.
Follow Adriano Boin on Twitter: @Boin44
