With January now drawing to a close, Connall Shaw reflects on Fiorentina’s form since their return from the winter break.
So far, Fiorentina are not enjoying the new year whatsoever. A 2-0 defeat at the hands of a somewhat stuttering AC Milan side on Sunday night was the second loss of 2016 for Paulo Sousa’s men, who are failing to produce the magic that was seen before the turn of the year.
Unable to improve on a disastrous performance at home to Lazio, the Viola were tossed aside at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in what was essentially a smash and grab from Milan. An early goal from Carlos Bacca exposed Nenad Tomovic’s frail defending before a comical lack of communication at the back then saw Kevin-Prince Boateng round off the scoreline.
For all of their possession, Fiorentina had very little to show. An average of 65 per cent possession of the ball would suggest that the team turned up and brought the game to the home side, yet in fact, nothing of the like could be seen on the evening.
Instead, the team was visibly tired and offered little creativity at times, with certain individuals reluctant to press forward and instead constantly opting to knock the ball backwards, playing right into the Rossoneri’s hands.
In many ways, Sunday’s outing was disturbingly reminiscent of the team that once played under Vincenzo Montella during his first season in charge.
Void of any killer instinct, Montella’s side would often pass the ball around the pitch aimlessly, playing their possession-based tika-taka game. Whilst their style landed numerous plaudits, it often failed to bring home the correct results, the Gigliati often losing out to some of Serie A’s lesser opponents and more often than not, being knocked down flat by the big boys.
Numerous outings this season are quite comparable with some of the more disappointing performances of previous years.
So far, the Portuguese tactician has only been able to mirror the ugly side of Montella’s Viola and hasn’t been able to emulate the Italian’s learning curve, as he eventually managed to trump the likes of Juventus, Napoli, Inter and Roma.
Whilst Sousa cannot be put to blame for the club’s transfer strategies, which have been almost non-existent in the first half of January, he will need to make the most of his squad until further reinforcements are brought in and pay attention to the mistakes his predecessor once made, whilst showing a similar strength to overcome the hurdles placed in his way.
