Date: April 11, 2021
Time: 14:45 CET
I’ve got a little different format for this preview. I enjoying writing and talking, but why not let someone else do the legwork for this preview?! I was fortunate to connect with the good folks at Viola Nation from the SB Nation family of sports sites, and received some great insight into what’s been going on in the Fiorentina camp and how they see Sunday’s match turning out. Spoiler alert, but Fiorentina folks seem much more confident in an Atalanta victory than I do, but that seems to be a common symptom of consistently rating opposition better than your club. It’ll still be a hotly contested match, as Fiorentina has caused Atalanta problems recently, but I’ll let the boys from Viola Nation take over from here!
Atalanta Passione: How has Fiorentina’s recent form been? On paper five points in five matches isn’t a great return, but have there been any positives to build off of for the rest of the season?
Viola Nation: You’re not wrong. Five points from five matches isn’t a great return. It is, in fact, way behind Fiorentina’s current pace, which is uh 1.03 points per match this season. Yeah, this is pretty much the new normal in Florence, and until we see substantive changes throughout the organization, that’s going to be the case indefinitely. For positives, well, those are also pretty thin on the ground. Dušan Vlahović blossoming into one of the five or so best strikers in Serie A has been fun. Lucas Martínez Quarta looks like a star in the making. The rest of the guys have managed not to spill hot soup into their laps more than twice a day at last check.
AP: As you iterated above, Dušan Vlahović is one of those positives. What has been the reason for his remarkable turnaround this season?
VN: Yeah, Dušan’s been incredible. If you’re a big fan of nerd stuff, I did a somewhat deep dive on how his stats stack up against the other top strikers in Italy. As for how he’s done it, there’s no single answer beyond his own natural development. He’s been considered one of Europe’s best young strikers for a couple of years (see: interest from Real Madrid last summer) and the game seems to be slowing down for him enough that the mental side is catching up to his immense physical gifts. Part of it is attitude—he was clearly nervous earlier in the year and spent a lot of time snatching at shots rather than actually shooting—and part of it was, according to the man himself, the tutelage of Cesare Prandelli; as I’m sure yall Atalantini know, San Cesare’s got a gift for working with youngsters. Of course, now that Prandelli’s left, it’s tough to see how Vlahović will close out the year, although scoring in Beppe’s first game back certainly sets the fans at ease a bit.
AP: Cesare Prandelli’s departure was unfortunate (glad that he’s doing what’s best for him), but I was quite shocked to see Beppe Iachini come back. Do you see him more as a caretaker until the season is over? Also saw some rumors about Rino coming over if he’s truly done with Napoli, any credence to that rumor?
VN: Yeah, definitely hope that Prandelli’s okay and, if he’s not, that he’s doing whatever he needs to do to get there. Feel like we all need to take a deep breath and imagine the insane emotional toll that being a coach exacts on anyone, especially a person as sensitive and gentle as San Cesare. Fun credit to him for being up front about his mental health instead of being a Proper Football Man and trying to soldier through it to his own and everyone else’s detriment.
Bringing back Iachini for the final 10 (now 9) games wasn’t a great decision, but it was probably the least bad of the decisions Fiorentina could’ve made after painting themselves into a corner. BeppeBall isn’t winning any aesthetic awards but it’s probably enough to keep the relegation wolves at bay. Since he was still under contract anyways, there’s definitely some logic to turning things over to a guy with whom the squad are familiar, since that will hopefully remove any bedding in period. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not happy or optimistic about this. I’m just less unhappy and less pessimistic than I’d have been had it been anyone else.
I’ve come around on Gattuso in a big way (another shameless plug here). I don’t think he’s a guy who’s going to provide long-term stability, but he should be able to help reset the team culture a little bit and get the best out of what is on paper a fairly talented squad. I’ve got some worries about his history of never challenging management on anything (Fiorentina’s management needs a lot of challenging right now) and the fact that he’s only ever worked with sides that were already brimming with talent concerns me as well, but he’s probably at the upper end of Fiorentina’s realistic range of options for next year. Now watch them rehire Paulo Sousa instead.
AP: Looking towards the match (ABC afternoon primetime!), what’s the key for Fiorentina to take points from this match?
VN: For Fiorentina to take points from the match, the Atalanta team bus needs to be struck by a meteor on the A4. Failing that, the only realistic hope is that la Dea pushes too many players forward and lets Fiorentina hit on the break, which is theoretically possible, I suppose, but let’s not kid ourselves about what’s about to happen. Losing 0-2 would feel like a minor triumph to me.
AP: I believe Ribery and Pulgar will be out on Sunday. How will that affect the tactic Fiorentina puts forth?
VN: Yeah, Franck (looked like a mighty soft red but certainly a dumb tackle) and Erick are both out. Losing the former might not be the death knell you’d expect, as the team tends to play much more quickly without him constantly putting his foot on the ball. Christian Kouamé’s had a rough year as he recovers from a cruciate injury, but there’s no doubt that he’s a talented player and this kind of setting—playing of Vlahović and looking to run in behind—suits him pretty well. That kind of directness, especially against an opponent that plays a high line and looks to control possession, could conceivably work in Fiorentina’s favor. That said, with Aleksandr Kokorin also hurt (and/or deeply ineffective), this team’s looking pretty light in attack. Any injuries up front mean that José Callejón is the next man up, or maybe even someone out of the Primavera (Louis Munteanu, anyone?).
Losing Pulgar is a bigger concern to me for a match like this. He’s very good a screening the defense and possesses superb positional discipline. Sofyan Amrabat, who’ll probably step into that holding role, is undoubtedly better on the ball, but is the kind of player who’ll go tearing off after the ball and leave a lot of gaps. That feels like a recipe for disaster against Atalanta. Also, Pulgar delivers set pieces as well as anyone in Serie A, so losing him removes what was probably Fiorentina’s best attacking threat. Ugh.
AP: Who’s the player that gives you the most heartburn on Atalanta?
VN: Hm. Probably the ex-Fiorentina one, so I guess take your pick between Luis Muriel, Josip Iličić, Pierluigi Gollini, and Marco Sportiello. I’d probably pick the Colombian if you forced me to choose. He seemed to want to stay in Florence and would’ve been a perfect complement to Vlahović. Also, he’s scoring at such an absurd rate that I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it outside of playing FIFA against a literal infant. I like watching Lurch and am sorry it didn’t work for him in Florence (I’d say that’s more on the club than on him because that’s a theme over the past half decade), but it was time for that relationship to end. Muriel, though. Damn.
AP: Score Prediction?
VN: Something like 0-3. It’s hard for me to imagine Fiorentina scoring, given that Iachini’s going to have them defending with at least 14 players at all times, and it’s equally hard for me to imagine Atalanta not banging home at least a couple. Again, as long as it’s within 2 or 3, I’ll consider it a moral victory. I’ve gotten very good at enjoying those of late.
AP: Extra Question- Who wears the ballcap better… Beppe Iachini or Pierluigi Gollini?!?!?
VN: While nobody can question Gollini’s drip, I’m going with Beppe because I’ve only seen him without it once and it was downright unsettling.
Thanks again for Viola Nation for offering it’s insight, and also look for me on the flip side as I offer my opinions about the match on their website. Thanks for reading, and as always Forza Dea!
