Hellas Verona’s season so far has been an unqualified success. To be in sixth position over Christmas when many tipped them to be in a relegation scrap is a dream come true for the Mastini’s fanbase who stuck by the club during its exile in Series C and B.
It has been a truly unbelievable year for the Gialloblu. Nobody would have expected last January with the club trailing Sassuolo and Livorno in Serie B that by December some pundits would be tipping the Scaligeri as possible Europa League qualifiers.
The 2013-14 season so far has been a wonderful ride for Verona fans who have been treated to eight wins from nine home games with only the defeat to local rivals Chievo leaving a bitter taste in the mouth. Almost everything has gone right for Verona this year following a decade in which the club had seemed cursed.
Barring a spectacular collapse Serie A safety is assured—11 points more needed to reach the magic 40—and the club is in a strong position to achieve a respectable top half finish and maybe, just maybe, European qualification.
Tactical Shifts/Changes:
Coach Andrea Mandorlini has understandably persevered with a 4-3-3 system— it has made 15 appearances from 17 matches— given that it has definitely proved that it gets results. The 4-3-3 is based on quick, direct counterattacks with the three central midfielders working hard and contributing to various phases of play.
The two wide attackers—most often Juan Manuel iturbe and Juanito Gomez–put pressure on the opposition defences and cover a lot of ground, allowing Luca Toni to flourish as the focal point of the attack with his teammates doing most of the running for the 36-year-old.
In away games the tactics have been somewhat forced to evolve due to opposition pressure with the two wingers often forced back to help the midfield with the overall shape changing to more of a 4-5-1. This tendency of the wide-men to drop back in away games is perhaps the one element of Verona’s tactical approach that Mandorlini will be looking to change as it makes it harder to launch rapid counterattacks and leaves Toni isolated up top.
Other than that the 4-3-3 has worked extremely well and tactical consistency has been the order of the day.
Star Performer so Far: Luca Toni
It is hard to pick out a star performer as one of Verona’s greatest strengths has been the collective, but the duo of Luca Toni and Jorginho have both caught the eye with Toni probably just shading it. The former Fiorentina player said he joined the Scaligeri confident that he could do a job for the newly promoted side and his seven goals and five assists prove his self-confidence was justified even though many felt the 2006 World Cup winner’s career was coming to an end.
Toni is an old-fashioned centre forward, tall and not especially mobile but he has consistently delivered for Verona finishing chances, winning aerial duels, heading in from set pieces and also totting up a useful five assists. Verona’s quick, direct football seems to be directed towards Toni and he knows his job in the side and excels in it. His goals have been invaluable.
Worst Performer: Daniele Cacia
To label anybody as the worst performer in this extraordinary Verona team would be extremely harsh but if I had to pick anyone it would be Daniele Cacia. The 30-year-old was promoted with the Mastini as Serie B’s top scorer with 24 goals but is yet to impress in the 2013-14 Serie A campaign.
To a large extent Cacia has been kept out of the side by Toni’s incredible form and has only made eight appearances with two starts. However, so far, he failed to show his true worth in his admittedly few opportunities and is yet to notch his first goal in Serie A for the Gialloblu.
Transfer of the Season: Luca Toni
It’s obvious isn’t it? It has to be Luca Toni. He cost nothing, was bought in on a year-long contract to grab some goals and he has more than exceeded expectations.
Milestone moment:
Hellas Verona have had many memories to cherish this season including a memorable opening day win over AC Milan. However, the milestone moment was the last 10 minutes of the 2-1 home victory over rivals Atalanta on December 8. The win came broke a three-game losing streak when doubts could have crept in.
It reinforced the Gialloblu’s great home form and ushered in a three-game unbeaten streak before the Christmas break. To come back from 1-0 down with time running out showed the team’s spirit and determination and vindicated Mandorlini’s attacking philosophy when it might have been easier to settle for a draw.
The victory over Atalanta got the Gialloblu back on track when, for the first time this season, it seemed they might be in danger of sliding down the table.
What needs to happen in the second half of the season
Above all, Verona need to keep Toni fit and fighting and not disrupt the squad by selling their best players in January. They will want to preserve their incredible home form and make some small improvements away from the Bentegodi, possibly by taking a more positive and less reactive approach on the road.
With everything having gone so well in the first half of the season the Scaligeri should remain proud of themselves and keep their spirits up should adversity arrive as they have proved they are good enough not to fall into a negative spiral. Having already built up what should be enough distance to stay above the bottom three, they should try and show enough ambition to remain in their highly respectable position in the table and possibly even try to push on for Europe League qualification.
But primarily, with everything going so well this season so far they just need to carry on as they are. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
