Saturday's Livorno - Fiorentina match may not have been as entertaining as Wednesday's shootout with Roma, but it may end up being more significant. The 0-3 thrashing exorcises the demons of decades of futility in Livorno, the Viola had not won there since way back in 1935. Even more significant could be the apparent sea change in Fiorentina's away-from-home way of thinking.
The match started out slowly and Livorno was really the side pushing the action for about the first 15 minutes. Fiorentina were fortunate to not concede a penalty kick in the 7th minute when Kroldrup and Liverani each handled the ball in the area but the whistle remained on the referee's chest.
There were numerous fouls and cards in this one and the match never really got into an aesthetically-pleasing flow. The game was even halted for a bit in the second half with flares landing dangerously close to Frey's net.
End-Of-Half Flurry
Towards the end of the first half each side began putting more resources into attack. Things really got exciting in the final minute of the half as Massimo Gobbi raced over and slid in to deflect away a shot by Balleri who was all alone in the area but took too long to prepare his shot. The action immediately went the other way where Mario Alberto Santana sent in a beautiful cross that found Osvaldo. Osvaldo celebrated his debut by meeting the cross with a fantastic right-footed volley from an awkward position to send Fiorentina into the locker rooms with an 0-1 lead.
Boys Behaving Badly
Livorno coach Fernando Orsi was sent off at the halftime whistle and was forced to watch the rest of the match from the stands. Massimo Loviso was sent off in the 62nd minute for a dangerous play from behind on Pazzini who was in full sprint with the ball at his feet. Giovanni Pasquale probably should have been sent off at some point for his ninja-esque tackles.
Extending An Away Lead? Huh?
At odds with Fiorentina's typical reaction to an away lead, the Viola continued to press for insurance goals throughout the second half. Again they were rewarded and again through Osvaldo in the 67th minute.
Pazienza stole the ball a few yards outside of the area and immediately passed to Santana. Santana spooned it over two Livorno defenders to Osvaldo who chested it down then turned and coolly slotted it past a charging Amelia for his brace.
Two minutes later and the Viola were really feeling it. Vieri, out on the left, passed towards Osvaldo who was covered by two defenders but the ball got past him to Santana. Santana took it and dribbled to his left and fired a low shot that took a deflection off of a sliding Rahman Rezaei over Amelia to make it 0-3.
The rout was on and the Viola had several more chances to extend their lead. The best of these came in the 77th minute when Pazienza delivered a nice long cross to Osvaldo who chested it down and toed it to Vieri who hammered one into the crossbar.
Videos
Gobbi hits the post, 21'
Statistics per Gazzetta
| Livorno | Fiorentina | |
| 10 | Total Shots | 16 |
| 1 | Shots on Goal | 5 |
| 5 | Corners | 7 |
| 22 | Fouls Committed | 27 |
| 5 | Offside | 2 |
| 4 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 1 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 36.3% | Possession | 63.7% |
DataSport Player Ratings (My comments in purple italics.)
FIORENTINA
Frey 6
- The French goalkeeper was only involved in administrative duties during the first half. Even in the second he never had to intervene. A day off.
Balzaretti 5.5 - Had a lot to do in trying to contain Balleri but did okay. Made some key stops. This was the first match where we have seen him come forward and join the attack. He had a couple of nice crosses and some very nice long passes. With limited time to watch him I am starting to think that he's better defensively than Pasqual and, honestly, about as good offensively. How long will Pasqual be our first choice?
Gamberini 5 - Played out of control and took some dangerous chances. He could only stop Diamante with fouls.
Ujfalusi 6
- The Viola right back played much more advanced than is normal for him. He was consistently pushing forward and supporting the attack with his crosses. Pasqual is more likely to cause damage in this role. He's gotten several scoring chances over the last two games but when he gets these chances he seems to get a bit orgasmic and always ends up blasting it into the surrounding neighborhoods. Did a very nice job of containing Loviso on a few occasions.
Kroldrup 6.5 - The Dane gave a high quality performance. He made very few mistakes while offering security to the rear guard. He is playing pretty good, shockingly. He'll definitely score on some set-pieces this season.
Santana 7.5
- The best on the field. Two assists and a goal in the 0-3 thanks to Rezaei's deflection. It seems as if he has returned to the highest level after his many injuries. Immense. Class coming out of his ears. Always looking to create dangerous opportunities and he delivers awesome corner kicks. Couldn't be happier.
Liverani 5.5 63' - The midfield pacesetter was exhausted by the time Loviso was sent off. Prandelli recognized this and replaced him. I think that he is still very valuable simply for being the one to track back and collect the ball from the defenders before they launch it to the opposing keeper. He was unlucky not to have an assist as he provided a perfect pass to Osvaldo who had gotten behind the defense but Osvaldo fumbled it.
Gobbi 5.5 54' - Was forced to commit many fouls and exhaust himself in intercepting Livorno's players. I'm not even sure if he intends to be a midfield destroyer but he is just clumsy enough to make it work. ;) Not entirely impressive but he was involved in some key plays.
Pazienza 6.5
63' - His is a game of containment. He really shines for his high work rate. Clearly the appropriate substitute for Liverani. Just don't let him shoot... Ever.
Montolivo 6.5 54' - Prandelli understands that the squad does not run optimally without him on the field. Inserted him early in the second half and the Viola took off. Really tested the keeper on a long-range effort. I really do think he is looking to score too much these days, though.
Kuzmanovic 6.5 - Nice work by the young midfielder. Always hustling which makes him an important piece for Prandelli. So much better going forward. He should get a start in a wide open home match. I think we'd like the results.
Osvaldo 7.5
- What can be said about a player who, in his debut, scores two goals in superstar fashion? His first goal, the right-footed volley, was so beautiful that it took everyone by surprise. Excellent technique. Excellent goal sense. Very aggressive. His ball control, too, was very good. Very impressed and let's hope it was no fluke because he looks like a keeper.
Vieri 6 65' - Unfortunate because right after entering he hit the cross bar with a left-footed rocket. It would be his best scoring chance of the match. He did a good job but, for the situation I think we would have had a better chance of scoring on the counter with a faster front line.
Pazzini 5.5
65' - Not much service from his teammates even though he did some nice work. The two goals from Osvaldo on his debut will be a wake-up call. Frustrated. I agree with all of that. He really does not look like he is having any fun out there these days. He was on the bench for Osvaldo's second goal, did anyone else notice the look of doom on his face?
Attendance: About 10,000 per Gazzetta


Mazzola Crowns Viola
Mazzola to FN: Inter & Fiorentina Scudetto faves. Viola's time is now.
Sandro Mazzola is sure. "Fiorentina impressed me against Roma. Coach Prandelli does a good job of trying to hide it but he can't fool me. The young players have matured, Mutu is a champion, and to play from behind against Roma; especially as they did in the first half; is not easy. I put Inter and Fiorentina in the group with Juventus, Roma and even Milan, who have been unlucky, to battle for the Scudetto. Each of the five is as much a favorite as the other four and it's a sin that one of these sides will have to miss out on the Champion's League."
On Vieri and Pazzini
"Vieri's will to play has impressed me. I believe that, over the long run, his presence will enable Pazzini to grow and improve without so much pressure on him. Giampaolo only lacks that killer instinct in front of the net and I am sure that he will eventually find a home on the national team."
Are Fiorentina and Inter like David and Goliath?
"11 players take the field at a time and Fiorentina is championship caliber from the keeper on down the line. So tell me, which is Goliath? If you are comparing the entire rosters then that is a different topic. Anyone who believes you need 26 great players to win a championship is mistaken. Fiorentina has 16-17 players of the highest level. I believe that that is enough for the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Europe. I remain an Inter Milan fan but Fiorentina worries me. Prandelli has done a great job of deflecting pressure from the team by saying that his side is thinking about the 2010/2011 season. The future of soccer is Viola or, better said, the present..."
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