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Fiorentina Fanzone
So here we are again, for your April round up of all things Fiorentina related. The league season is approaching the decisive quarter, and the cups are at the semi-final stage, excitement is building amongst the fans as the purple ones are still in the hunt for both.
League summary – Despite the manager’s insistence that the only target for this season is a Champions league place, Fiorentina have consistently been in the top four all season, and with nine games left they are 17 points above 9th, so surely, it’s time to re-assess? The club at the time of writing are 2nd, three points behind PSG. All clubs still have some very big games left to play, and it’s the time of the season where suspensions are also likely to hit. Unfortunately, Fiorentina are one of them, as three players will miss tonight’s tough game against Atletico. PSG will undoubtably win the league, most Fiorentina fans when polled said they would be happy with a top four finish, which is perhaps the new goal, given how the season has gone so far.
DPT summary – Fiorentina are in the semi-finals, and with some strong sides left in, it’s anyone’s guess how far the team can progress. The first leg of the semi went well, winning 2-1 away at Blackburn, though there will be players missing for the return leg this week, so it’s all to play for. The fans are dreaming of a final to end the season on a high.
Transfer news – All is quiet on the transfer front, with no negotiations rumoured currently, and a healthy bank balance, it may well be that Kirby is done with Fiorentina transfers after a very busy few seasons.
The future – The boss remains tight lipped about his future at Fiorentina, surely he can’t quit? The side are flying high and a possible Champions league campaign next season has got to be tempting? The rumours are he will leave and take on another rebuild challenge rather than stick around, how that leaves Fiorentina remains to be seen, but the club will surely tempt some applications should be boss depart.
Minute management – Things are well in hand in terms of managing essential minutes for the squad this season, as all the low rated squaddies have completed theirs. There is just one player at risk, which is defender Karsdorp, who was bought with low minutes on board. There is time to get his remaining 500 ish minutes, but if he get sent off again, things might get problematic. Midfielder Diaby also needs 200 minutes, but that should easily be achieved in the next few games, given the current injuries and suspensions.
Youth news – The academy has been low on Fiorentina’s priority list, but the one bright star is David James progress, who has now reached 23 rated as a keeper. He has not been racking up the abs like last season, but still is making steady progress. Decisions about his future are likely to be someone else’s to make, and it could mean that the academy finally gets some investment next season.
League round up
Week 23
Sporting Lisbon 2-1 Fiorentina
And back to earth for Fiorentina, in a close battle against one of the manger's old clubs.
It started well enough with the early goal from Chuk, which then swung the tactics in our favour C V A, but no, that just spurred Lisbon on.
We only slightly edged the stats, and a draw would perhaps have been a fairer result, but it is what it is, and Lisbon deserved the win, gg dude.
So a stutter in the chase for the top spots, but Fiorentina still remain firmly in the top eight, which was the pre-season target, so unless this is the start of a slide, things are still rosy.
Week 24
Fiorentina 4-2 Roma
Back to winning ways for Fiorentina, in the all Italian match up.
Roma had been on a great winning run, but hit a bit of a wall in recent matches, it was always going to be a tough game.
Fiorentina were also without top scorer Berardi, and midfielder Diaby, so had to play an 18 rater.
We switched to E, expecting a C that never came, but something clicked for the team, and we raced into a four goal lead, Roma hit back late on to make it respectable, but Fiorentina were good value for the win overall, unlucky dude.
Mbappe finally started to show his worth with a couple of goals, earning him man of the match.
So still in the hunt, and we welcome back the two suspended players for the next game.
Week 25
Celtic 0-2 Fiorentina
Nice win on the road for Fiorentina, avoiding a potential banana skin, as Celtic are a lot better than their league position suggests
We decided to P on them, and their counter made it a close game, with no much between the sides based on the stats.
The difference makers were the clinical finishers of Chuk and Berardi, as is so often this season.
However, it was dodgy old defender Karsdorp who got man of the match with a great performance at the back, Marmardvili finally got the abs to take him to 26 stopping as well.
The only downside was the booking Mbappe picked up, which means he will miss the next match, though it had to happen at some point.
With other results going our way, it was a good day at the office in EF1
Week 26
Fiorentina 1-1 Rangers
Disappointing result for the home fans against a struggling Rangers side. Though Rangers do have some quality, it's a game that was needed to win to keep challenging.
Perhaps starting with the C was too cautious, though it would have been ok against Rangers recent tactics, however they switched for this one, and it was C V E to start.
Rangers got the break, with a first half penalty, and then tried to shut up shop with the D, Chuk was pushed further forward to press for a goal, and it was he that got the second half equaliser.
However, despite some good attacking football, and some decent stats in their favour, Fiorentina couldn't find the winner. gg dude.
Perhaps we missed the suspended Mbappe, but really we had enough chances to win, but drop ground on the other EF1 challengers.
Week 27
Leverkusen 1-4 Fiorentina
With Mbappe back in the side, and a disappointing draw behind them, Fiorentina set up a bit more adventurously with the P, but were hit by C and the early goal from Leverkusen, so ended up reverting back to a C themselves, which seemed to spur the side on as defenders Spinazzola and Estupinan pushed forward to both score before half time.
Strikers Mbappe and Berardi got in on the action in the second half to make it look like a comprehensive win, and based on the stats it probably was, ul dude.
Mbappe celebrated his return to the side with a man of the match performance, and Berardi also looked useful, as he chases the golden boot.
Week 28
Marseille 1-3 Fiorentina
Nice performance from the lads away from home against a good performing Marseille side with two top strikers in their side.
It started as a passing game from both sides, and it went well from the off with goals from Chuk and Berardi in the first half.
Things started to get a bit tense in the second half however, when Carvalho pulled one back, but Berardi continued his scoring form with the late settler. gg dude.
The stats were very positive for us, and there were plenty of abs all around the team, but it was Berardi with man of the match again.
With only 10 games to play, we are 17 points above the Champions league zone, so it looks very likely the season objective will be achieved, the question now is how high can we finish?
With Bayern and PSG dropping points, we are currently right back in the hunt, but most of the hardest games are still to come.
The manager was also pleased to avoid any injury or suspensions for the European semi against Blackburn in midweek, exciting times to come
Week 29
Fiorentina 3-0 Barcelona
The home fans had plenty to cheer about last night, as Fiorentina ran out comfortable winners against their Spanish opposition.
The star of the show was defender Spinazzola, with two goals from the back, his shooting skills contributing many a time since his signing.
Diaby scored the other on a rare start since his move from Millwall, filling in for the suspended Locatelli.
Tactically it went as expected, though the stats were closer than the scoreline suggested.
With some of the other teams around Fiorentina dropping points it was a good night for the purple ones.
However there was a cost, as Goretezka suffered an injury, and Karsdorp a late sending off suspension, so along with Locatelli there will be three out for the tricky trip to Athletico next game.
DPT QF leg 2
Fiorentina 1-1 Leicester (Fiorentina win 4-1 on aggregate)
The tie was over in the first leg really, but Leicester put up a good show here in the second leg, holding Fiorentina to a draw.
It was a game of missed chances in the main, with only Locatelli and Almiron finding the net.
We were a little wayward with the chances that came, and Leicester were more clinical with theirs, but we progress safely on to the Semi Finals. gg dude
We played a fairly strong side, with the only squaddie needing minutes Silvis getting some gametime from the start.
So, on we go to face a strong Blackburn side in the semi-finals, it's going to need a better performance all round to progress any further.
Semi-final Leg 1
Blackburn 1-2 Fiorentina
I'd have taken an away win before kick off, but have mixed feelings about the game now, as perhaps it could have been even better.
It started well, with Fiorentina scoring on the counter through Cancelo, however Blackburn switched tactics to gain the advantage, but Karsdorp made it two nil before half time.
Unfortunately, with nearly an hour gone, the ref decided an innocuous looking foul from Locatelli was worthy of red card, so the away team had to play the rest of the game with ten men.
Blackburn came more into the game, and got what could be an important goal late in the game to keep the tie alive.
The stats were reasonably even, so perhaps the win was a good result, though we can't help thinking what might have been if the red card hadn't been given.
The second leg should be an exciting one, bring it on!
words 1802
So here we are again, for your April round up of all things Fiorentina related. The league season is approaching the decisive quarter, and the cups are at the semi-final stage, excitement is building amongst the fans as the purple ones are still in the hunt for both.
League summary – Despite the manager’s insistence that the only target for this season is a Champions league place, Fiorentina have consistently been in the top four all season, and with nine games left they are 17 points above 9th, so surely, it’s time to re-assess? The club at the time of writing are 2nd, three points behind PSG. All clubs still have some very big games left to play, and it’s the time of the season where suspensions are also likely to hit. Unfortunately, Fiorentina are one of them, as three players will miss tonight’s tough game against Atletico. PSG will undoubtably win the league, most Fiorentina fans when polled said they would be happy with a top four finish, which is perhaps the new goal, given how the season has gone so far.
DPT summary – Fiorentina are in the semi-finals, and with some strong sides left in, it’s anyone’s guess how far the team can progress. The first leg of the semi went well, winning 2-1 away at Blackburn, though there will be players missing for the return leg this week, so it’s all to play for. The fans are dreaming of a final to end the season on a high.
Transfer news – All is quiet on the transfer front, with no negotiations rumoured currently, and a healthy bank balance, it may well be that Kirby is done with Fiorentina transfers after a very busy few seasons.
The future – The boss remains tight lipped about his future at Fiorentina, surely he can’t quit? The side are flying high and a possible Champions league campaign next season has got to be tempting? The rumours are he will leave and take on another rebuild challenge rather than stick around, how that leaves Fiorentina remains to be seen, but the club will surely tempt some applications should be boss depart.
Minute management – Things are well in hand in terms of managing essential minutes for the squad this season, as all the low rated squaddies have completed theirs. There is just one player at risk, which is defender Karsdorp, who was bought with low minutes on board. There is time to get his remaining 500 ish minutes, but if he get sent off again, things might get problematic. Midfielder Diaby also needs 200 minutes, but that should easily be achieved in the next few games, given the current injuries and suspensions.
Youth news – The academy has been low on Fiorentina’s priority list, but the one bright star is David James progress, who has now reached 23 rated as a keeper. He has not been racking up the abs like last season, but still is making steady progress. Decisions about his future are likely to be someone else’s to make, and it could mean that the academy finally gets some investment next season.
League round up
Week 23
Sporting Lisbon 2-1 Fiorentina
And back to earth for Fiorentina, in a close battle against one of the manger's old clubs.
It started well enough with the early goal from Chuk, which then swung the tactics in our favour C V A, but no, that just spurred Lisbon on.
We only slightly edged the stats, and a draw would perhaps have been a fairer result, but it is what it is, and Lisbon deserved the win, gg dude.
So a stutter in the chase for the top spots, but Fiorentina still remain firmly in the top eight, which was the pre-season target, so unless this is the start of a slide, things are still rosy.
Week 24
Fiorentina 4-2 Roma
Back to winning ways for Fiorentina, in the all Italian match up.
Roma had been on a great winning run, but hit a bit of a wall in recent matches, it was always going to be a tough game.
Fiorentina were also without top scorer Berardi, and midfielder Diaby, so had to play an 18 rater.
We switched to E, expecting a C that never came, but something clicked for the team, and we raced into a four goal lead, Roma hit back late on to make it respectable, but Fiorentina were good value for the win overall, unlucky dude.
Mbappe finally started to show his worth with a couple of goals, earning him man of the match.
So still in the hunt, and we welcome back the two suspended players for the next game.
Week 25
Celtic 0-2 Fiorentina
Nice win on the road for Fiorentina, avoiding a potential banana skin, as Celtic are a lot better than their league position suggests
We decided to P on them, and their counter made it a close game, with no much between the sides based on the stats.
The difference makers were the clinical finishers of Chuk and Berardi, as is so often this season.
However, it was dodgy old defender Karsdorp who got man of the match with a great performance at the back, Marmardvili finally got the abs to take him to 26 stopping as well.
The only downside was the booking Mbappe picked up, which means he will miss the next match, though it had to happen at some point.
With other results going our way, it was a good day at the office in EF1
Week 26
Fiorentina 1-1 Rangers
Disappointing result for the home fans against a struggling Rangers side. Though Rangers do have some quality, it's a game that was needed to win to keep challenging.
Perhaps starting with the C was too cautious, though it would have been ok against Rangers recent tactics, however they switched for this one, and it was C V E to start.
Rangers got the break, with a first half penalty, and then tried to shut up shop with the D, Chuk was pushed further forward to press for a goal, and it was he that got the second half equaliser.
However, despite some good attacking football, and some decent stats in their favour, Fiorentina couldn't find the winner. gg dude.
Perhaps we missed the suspended Mbappe, but really we had enough chances to win, but drop ground on the other EF1 challengers.
Week 27
Leverkusen 1-4 Fiorentina
With Mbappe back in the side, and a disappointing draw behind them, Fiorentina set up a bit more adventurously with the P, but were hit by C and the early goal from Leverkusen, so ended up reverting back to a C themselves, which seemed to spur the side on as defenders Spinazzola and Estupinan pushed forward to both score before half time.
Strikers Mbappe and Berardi got in on the action in the second half to make it look like a comprehensive win, and based on the stats it probably was, ul dude.
Mbappe celebrated his return to the side with a man of the match performance, and Berardi also looked useful, as he chases the golden boot.
Week 28
Marseille 1-3 Fiorentina
Nice performance from the lads away from home against a good performing Marseille side with two top strikers in their side.
It started as a passing game from both sides, and it went well from the off with goals from Chuk and Berardi in the first half.
Things started to get a bit tense in the second half however, when Carvalho pulled one back, but Berardi continued his scoring form with the late settler. gg dude.
The stats were very positive for us, and there were plenty of abs all around the team, but it was Berardi with man of the match again.
With only 10 games to play, we are 17 points above the Champions league zone, so it looks very likely the season objective will be achieved, the question now is how high can we finish?
With Bayern and PSG dropping points, we are currently right back in the hunt, but most of the hardest games are still to come.
The manager was also pleased to avoid any injury or suspensions for the European semi against Blackburn in midweek, exciting times to come
Week 29
Fiorentina 3-0 Barcelona
The home fans had plenty to cheer about last night, as Fiorentina ran out comfortable winners against their Spanish opposition.
The star of the show was defender Spinazzola, with two goals from the back, his shooting skills contributing many a time since his signing.
Diaby scored the other on a rare start since his move from Millwall, filling in for the suspended Locatelli.
Tactically it went as expected, though the stats were closer than the scoreline suggested.
With some of the other teams around Fiorentina dropping points it was a good night for the purple ones.
However there was a cost, as Goretezka suffered an injury, and Karsdorp a late sending off suspension, so along with Locatelli there will be three out for the tricky trip to Athletico next game.
DPT QF leg 2
Fiorentina 1-1 Leicester (Fiorentina win 4-1 on aggregate)
The tie was over in the first leg really, but Leicester put up a good show here in the second leg, holding Fiorentina to a draw.
It was a game of missed chances in the main, with only Locatelli and Almiron finding the net.
We were a little wayward with the chances that came, and Leicester were more clinical with theirs, but we progress safely on to the Semi Finals. gg dude
We played a fairly strong side, with the only squaddie needing minutes Silvis getting some gametime from the start.
So, on we go to face a strong Blackburn side in the semi-finals, it's going to need a better performance all round to progress any further.
Semi-final Leg 1
Blackburn 1-2 Fiorentina
I'd have taken an away win before kick off, but have mixed feelings about the game now, as perhaps it could have been even better.
It started well, with Fiorentina scoring on the counter through Cancelo, however Blackburn switched tactics to gain the advantage, but Karsdorp made it two nil before half time.
Unfortunately, with nearly an hour gone, the ref decided an innocuous looking foul from Locatelli was worthy of red card, so the away team had to play the rest of the game with ten men.
Blackburn came more into the game, and got what could be an important goal late in the game to keep the tie alive.
The stats were reasonably even, so perhaps the win was a good result, though we can't help thinking what might have been if the red card hadn't been given.
The second leg should be an exciting one, bring it on!
words 1802
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