Vincenzo Montella’s attacking philosophies have impressed, but are they now the Viola’s bane after defeat to Inter?
No one interprets football quite as elegantly as Fiorentina do in Serie A.
Establishing a quicksilver brand of football is one of Vincenzo Montella’s points of pride since being installed at the club’s helm in 2012. The Italian’s trademark of ensuring there is never a dull game to be seen at the Artemio Franchi had been met with unanimous delight and optimism, as a reciprocal climb back up the league’s standings duly followed last season.
Boosted by an influx of talent – and clearly, methodology – from Spain’s Primera Liga, the Viola rose from mid-table anonymity to only narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification back in May.
Toasted by fans and pundits alike for adopting a slick approach to playing wholly uncharacteristic of Italian football’s traditional confines, Fiorentina’s preached possession game and fluidity surging forward in numbers took Serie A by storm.
Celebrated as a visionary, Montella’s ambition of building a great attacking side came closer to fruition yet this summer as Joaquin, Mario Gomez and Josip Ilicic arrived to further complement January’s signing of Giuseppe Rossi. And with the Italy hitman already in rampant form after recuperating from a relapse of his devastating knee injury, the team has begun the new campaign gunning for the Scudetto with typical flamboyance.
Fiorentina’s wealth of talent upfront remains the envy of their domestic rivals indeed. But showering them with flattery wasn’t on Inter’s agenda on Thursday as they ran out 2-1 winners against their virtuous visitors, with Walter Mazzarri’s men compensating for their lack of showmanship with punch in a meticulous battle of attrition.
It was stark how the Nerazzurri powered to the result despite Fiorentina deservedly taking the lead after controlling proceedings to that point. For 65 minutes, Inter struggled to close with their opponent’s midfield. And then, faced with a crucial juncture just when the Florence outfit had their opponents living on their nerves, Rossi’s penalty opener signalled the beginning of his team’s demise.
Montella’s side surprised by switching off and looking content to sit on their advantage, ceding the initiative throughout the remainder to their ruthless hosts, who took full advantage. In likelihood, Fiorentina had probably tired due to a hectic fixture schedule that has featured Europa League commitments of late. Whatever the cause however, it exposed the soft underbelly of this beastly, attacking outfit.
Fiorentina’s champagne footballers initially enjoyed the upper hand against Inter, but were soon outmuscled.
When the vaunted pair of Borja Valero and Alberto Aquilani craft openings at will upfield but struggle to produce the graft required in dreary defensive manoeuvres, it’s glaringly evident Fiorentina don’t hold up the best to punishment. Massimo Ambrosini, the single regarded anchorman thrust with the impossibility of screening an overwhelmingly offensive line-up, failed to exude the presence his artistic colleagues were counting on.
Holes showed early on as Inter’s Ricky Alvarez probed between their lines. By the time that trickle had grown into a torrent and Esteban Cambiasso, Yuto Nagatomo and Jonathan joined in to all but brutishly overpower their featherweight and pedestrian counterparts, Montella was hapless to stem the tide.
The Scudetto upstarts received a timely reminder that Italian football is cruel, capable of unceremoniously punishing even the party that deserves the spoils from an encounter. Inter’s steely determination and mental aptitude ultimately seized the day, underlining that Montella’s noble, enterprising football is not exempt from the cold, heartless reality of Serie A; that at the of 90 minutes, the three points on offer is all that matters, not how high the team ranks in the league’s entertainment stakes.
A shortage of fight is therefore an increasingly pressing issue for Fiorentina, who lacked the mettle to stand up to such a self-assured and adept adversary – a setback compounded also by the recent implosion and resulting 1-1 draw with Cagliari. Doubts remain whether the squad possesses sufficient steel and depth to balance concurrent endeavours for domestic and continental recognition.
Admittedly, September has proven harsh for Montella who also lost lynchpins Gomez and Juan Cuadrado, but top sides are clinical, and it falls on the gifted coach to promptly redress his men’s issues in order for them to live up to their billing. Needless to say, the 39-year-old need not completely dispense with the holistic traits he has imparted into his squad that have won the widespread plaudits of so many.
Yet, he can no longer put off augmenting his cavalier approach to the game with some backbone, if Fiorentina are to further evolve into the genuine article. Montella must begin by examining his team’s needs at the expense of idealistic personal pursuits of champagne football.
Bolstered by the equilibrium a few winter additions in defensive midfield would provide, the man in the dugout might just still galvanise the embryonic league contenders to produce something meaningful as proceedings get serious in the ensuing months.
Follow Jeremy Lim on Twitter: @JLCalcio
Idealistic personal pursuit? Don’t think it is all Montella. Spaniard Macia in Viola management also contributes to Viola’s current style of play. I would rather see good entertaining football than just playing catencio and grinding out result.