Viola... In English!

Little Soldier Interview

Di Livio: The Franchi will give the needed push to the tired Viola.

This is the transcription of the integral interview that Angelo Di Livio gave to Corriere dello Sport - Stadio.  The coach played for both sides in the Fiorentina-Juventus rivalry.

On winning the hearts of the Fiorentini...

"It could be the fact that I always played from the heart.  Firenze is still a very important part of me.  What I really love is the warmth of the people.  Firenze and I were born to meet each other."

On shoving the Juve wall aside to allow Chiesa to score on a free kick...

"Perhaps that was one of the times in my career where I bended the rules a bit but that was a wild match.  That was the Fiorentina of the great Terim.  It ended 3-3 and Juventus suffered.  Trust me, they suffered."

On his best year with Juventus...

"The year with Lippi we were very strong.  We were just a bunch of hopeful boys.  Goals and wins."

On his best year with Fiorentina...

"The year Trap took us to the Champion's League.  We just missed a Scudetto.  It was sinful that, rather than reinforcing us, they split us up."

On the night at Wembley...

"Fantastic."

On his best friend while at Juventus...

"Surely Del Piero."

On his best friend with the Viola...

"Undoubtedly Rui Costa.  Obviously I have a predisposition for number 10s."

On Del Piero's reported falling out with Juventus...

"I think that they are trying to tarnish his legacy but they will fail.  I don't like how they are treating Alex and trying to humiliate him.  It's unfair."

On Sunday's match...

"Fiorentina has a great coach.  The Viola will surely be feeling some of the pressures of the Groningen match but also some of the enthusiasm of passing the round.  In these cases those players dressed in the Viola shirt must look within to find their strength.  The Viola also have the support of the Artemio Franchi to draw upon.  Juventus is a cynical side.  They do not play beautiful soccer but they do excel at taking advantage of their chances.  It will be an event, like always."

On Juve's Scudetto chances...

"It would be very hard to achieve this season."

On the Viola's Scudetto chances...

"They are still lacking a bit of experience.  They need one or two more years of playing together.  Fiorentina has a great owner and I am convinced that the Della Valle family is working with a goal in mind; the long overdue, third Scudetto."

Fiorentina-Groningen --- Match Report

(Sorry this took so long.  I've been exhausted.  DataSport does not do player ratings for European matches and I could not even find reliable stats for the match so this will just be some of my thoughts on some things plus some videos.  I'll do better for Juve.)

Fiorentina was able to scrape by Groningen Thursday evening on penalty kicks to advance to the Group Stage of the 07/08 UEFA Cup.  It was a tense affair as Fiorentina seemed reluctant to extend themselves with the away goals tie-breaker in the back of their minds.

Mutu and Vieri showed that they really are developing a very good understanding of each other's movements and work well together.  Despite the club telling us that Vieri is at (or near) 100%, though, I think he is far from it.  I know he was reported to be fighting off a fever but he really looked very fatigued to me after about 20 minutes.

This was another of those games where we dominated possession but were not really able to translate that domination into clear chances at goal.  We really look like a side that spent all summer working on a new formation and then changed it on the opening match of the season. Montolivo came close a couple of times and Mutu hit the crossbar but we are missing that last decisive pass to set up a scorer.  Liverani sometimes provides it but he surrenders possession several times for every great telling pass.

Per Kroldrup is really playing on another planet these days.  Where did that come from?  The way that he is playing right now I cannot see too many central defensive tandems in the world better than Kroldrup and Gamberini.  Despite that we looked very shaky defending set pieces.  I'm not sure what the problem is but it was very obvious.  Pasqual continues to make the case for Balzaretti as our left back.

Frey was really the man of the match as he made several great reflex saves and cannot be blamed for Groningen's superb goal.  Pazzini, Montolivo and Kuzmanovic were all bold on their PKs while Santana's was really atrocious.  Mutu's was either very scary or spot-on perfect.

Videos

1-1 Mutu 59'

Match Highlights

Fiorentina - Groningen --- Match Preview

Fiorentina is set for a tough encounter Thursday evening when they host Dutch side Groningen in the second leg of their UEFA Cup first round encounter.  The Viola salvaged a draw with Franco Semioli's second-half goal in the first leg and will need either a win or a scoreless draw to guarantee advancement.  A 1-1 draw would mean that penalty kicks would be used to decided which side advances to the more lucrative Group Stage.

The phrase of the day from the Viola camp is "Groningen First," in reference to Fiorentina's highly charged Serie A match against Juventus just 3 days later.  Fiorentina's new squad depth, however, means that many of the starters for Thursday's match will not be starting on Sunday so do not expect this to be an issue.

Groningen are on a run of good form and have won their last 2 Eredivisie matches.  "The Pride of the North" have recovered most of the players out for the first leg and should only be missing Mathijs.  The player to watch out for, according to Cesare Prandelli, is Uruguayan wingback Bruno Silva.  He victimized Pasqual on more than one occasion in the first match and has even been linked with a move to the Viola side.

The most likely change in the formation below would be Gobbi in Kuzmanovic's place.  Vieri would most likely only go for 60-65 minutes and, with Pazzini expected to start against Juventus, Osvaldo could come on as a substitute.

Dutch 'hooligans' have been fighting with Viola ultras all Wednesday evening with several reports already made.

Most likely formation...

Talking Points

• Groningen was eliminated at this stage of last season's UEFA Cup by Partizan Belgrade.  The Dutch side lost 4-3 on aggregate.
• FC Groningen is known as The Pride of the North or, alternatively, as The Green-White Army.
• The match will be refereed by a German crew led by Florian Meyer. 
• The weather in Firenze is supposed to be partly cloudy in the day with a high of 80°F(27°) and to drop to 59°F(15°C) in the evening.

My take -- I hesitate to even call them hooligans and differentiate them from our own tifosi.  And I'm not saying that our ragazzi are even in the right but it is our city and a beautiful one.  If I was there I would probably do some evil to protect it.  Shameful stuff.  Anyway, I am getting the match on SerieA.tv and I will report on it late tomorrow night or maybe even Friday evening.

Semioli's Thoughts

Semioli: Sunday will be special as I am a Granata

He was the biggest signing of the Viola summer transfer market.  His solid performances are repaying the hard work of Corvino and Prandelli who were tracking his exploits for two years.  Franco Semioli began by talking about Thursday's UEFA Cup match with Groningen.

On the match with Groningen...

"We should not look past this match.  The away goal was important but we cannot let our guards down.  They will be looking to attack and score.  We will attack and we need to focus on what we need to do.   They are a good away side and we should not underestimate them.  The 1-1 in the first leg was a good result as it puts us in a position to advance even with an 0-0 draw but we are aiming to win this match.  The attitude that Prandelli wants us to have is no different from any other match.  We want to put on a good show, especially as we are at home."

On his Granata heart...

"I would prefer a goal against Juventus on Sunday.  Being that I have always been a Granata, scoring in my own personal derby would be the greatest.  In Firenze it is obvious that this is a very emotional match and this will give us even more motivation to do well.  Juventus has gone through many changes but they are still loaded with champions who can take the others onto their backs and motivate them to do well.  It is a squad that knows how to win, as we saw in the derby."

On the turn-over...

"We are loaded.  The roster is large but we have a lot of matches to play so this is a positive thing.  We will all get our chances.  Even when one of us must miss an important match, such as the UEFA one, we will still get another chance."

On Fiorentina's winning attitude...

"We have begun the season well.  Away to Milan the fact that we got a draw, and nearly a win, was a very good sign.  We showed that we can play with the best.  Against Roma we had the upper hand in the first half.  This team has the right mentality.  It's a very good group."

On the Azzurri...

"I haven't thought about it and don't plan to think about it.   If it happens I will be pleased but right now I am only thinking of playing here."

You'll Thank Us Later

Some notes for the Juventus match

The visitor's curve will be closed for Sunday's match between Juventus and Fiorentina.  This means that the club will open those sections of the stands that are normally kept empty to separate Viola fans from interlopers.  More seats, more Fiorentini.  It's all good.  I don't think that the Juventini are going to want to see this anyway, to be honest.

There are reports that Grygera may be forced to skip the match as he left training today with some kind of injury problem.  I will let you know once I find something more concrete.

What Of Guberti And Ranocchia?

Market: The scoop on the deals for Guberti and Ranocchia

(Note that the translated article was published September 1st; just after the close of the transfer window)

The Andrea Ranocchia affair has been put off until January.   Fiorentina and Arezzo were unable to conclude a deal for the player as he rejected the base salary offered and this will be revisited when the winter transfer market opens.  Ranocchia was born February 16, 1988.  The player's father/agent nixed the deal, which was thought to be concluded, as he considered the player's discussed salary to be too low.  The deal was nearly abandoned but it will be concluded in January.  Arezzo and Fiorentina have already agreed a transfer fee.

The move to the Viola of Ascoli's midfielder, Stefano Guberti (22-y-o), has been called off.  Ascoli wants to hold on to him for as long as possible to hasten their return to Serie A.  Due to this Corvino was unable to reach a deal with the Marche club.  Discussions will be re-opened next summer.

Explanations -- What this means, in Ranocchia's case, is that Fiorentina has an option to buy him for the already-agreed-upon transfer fee.  The club need only iron out the player's salary through his father.  Ranocchia is a very-highly regarded central defender.  I have not seen him but he is often described as an elegant defender and compared to Nesta.  He is only 19 and has already been called up to the Italian U-21 team (against the Faroes).

Regarding Guberti, it is widely thought that we will acquire co-ownership of him in the summer and allow him to stay on at Ascoli until we need him.  I know that Corvino really rates him very highly.  He is a winger and is nicknamed Gubertinho which, of course, implies that he plays with a lot of flair.

Zanetti DQ'd For Viola Match

Disciplinary Committee: Cristiano Zanetti Disqualified

These are the rulings of the Disciplinary Committee ahead of the next round of Serie A matches.  There are no disqualifications or amendments for Fiorentina.  Juventus, on the other hand, should be without Cristiano Zanetti.  Below are the disqualifications.

• 2 Matches --- Modesto (Reggina)
• 1 Match --- Caserta (Palermo)
• 1 Match --- Giuly (Roma)
• 1 Match --- Loviso (Livorno)
• 1 Match --- Blasi (Napoli)
• 1 Match --- Doni (Atalanta)
• 1 Match --- Zanetti (Juventus)
• 1 Match --- Orsi (Livorno coach)

My take -- Am I the only one who thought Pasquale was intending to maim on Saturday?  Zanetti's getting off easy...  Death row reprieve...  We would have worked that guy. 

January Moves In The Works?

No rest for Corvino: January market maneuvers

Pantaleo Corvino is not resting on his laurels.  He has been working behind the scenes with an eye towards the next transfer window in January.  For Fiorentina to stay competitive, on the field and in economic terms, it must be steadily reinforced.

The Viola continue to test the waters in regards to Ajax' Hedwiges Maduro.  Also for the midfield, Fiorentina is still linked with Parma's Cigarini and Stuttgart's Khedira. 

From South America Corvino is hoping for a return on his good relations with Banega of Boca Juniors and Lulinha of Corinthians.  For these two the major stumbling block is their cost.  Boca Juniors president MacrÌ , for example, claims to have refused a €10M offer from AC Milan for Banega. 

From Romania we have heard much of Fiorentina's interest in Steaua Bucharest star, Dica.

My take -- I still have not done a story on Ranocchia.  I will do one this evening.

Osvaldo Chooses Blue

Official: Osvaldo for Azzurrini

It has been made official.  Osvaldo will be called up for the Italian National Under-21 team.  Coach Casiraghi's request did not go unanswered.  The Fiorentina attacker has a dual passport (Argentina and Italia) but has decided to wed himself to the Azzurrini cause. 

Monday Osvaldo had a long talk with Viola D.S. Pantaleo Corvino and told him that he was ready to accept the call-up to the Azzurrini.  "Italia believes in me, why should I not believe in Italia?"

My take -- He joins two (off the top of my head) other Argentinians in the Italian youth set-up, Dellafiore and Forestieri.  I'm happy for him...  Not so happy for Lupoli, though.  This will surely send him into a depression.  

Gobbi Is No Gobbo

Gobbi: Ready for UEFA Cup and my namesakes on Sunday

Livorno-Fiorentina is in the books and Massimo Gobbi is now focused on the squad's next two matches.  First Thursday against Groningen at the Artemio Franchi and then Sunday against Juventus, also to be played on friendly ground.

"It was a good performance across the board at Livorno.  We showed that we are in good form at the moment.  It felt good to end the drought at the Picchi but the main thing was to play well."

On the turn-over...

"When one of us does not get as much playing time as we want it just gives us reason to work harder during the week to earn a starting spot.   There are plenty of matches and everyone will have his chance to shine.  That was demonstrated at Livorno.  I'm satisfied with how I played at the Picchi and I hope to maintain it."

On his role...

"Where I played on Saturday is where I am most accustomed to playing.  Over the last few seasons I have always played there except for on a few occasions."

On his fitness...

"I took a knock to the thigh and I did get fatigued but nothing serious.  I was displeased because I was feeling good and I wanted to play the entire 90 minutes but I do understand these things."

On his two misses...

"I never really got my foot onto the first one.  On the second I was unfortunate to hit the post."

On the Groningen match...

"This is a very important week but before we think to Sunday we must prepare ourselves for Thursday.   Groningen is a very combative squad .  We need to think back to the first leg and the fine match that they played.  If we approach the match with great character then we will pass the round.  There is a lot riding on the Cup.  If we can pass this round then we will begin playing the big sides."

On Osvaldo...

"I am very happy for him.  We have all seen that he is a young man with a lot of quality.  It pleases me to see a young player score twice on his Serie A debut.  I hope that he can continue down this road."

On the standings...

"We are proud of our league position and I'm telling you that we are working very well together.  We cannot focus on the table, though.  We need to get through this stretch of matches playing as well as we possibly can."

On Sunday.  Gobbi versus the Gobbi...

"I have always been anti-Juve.  I have never been their fan.  I don't think that my family name is a problem but more of a stimulus to the Viola fans to know that they have a Gobbi on their side."

My take -- Old Massimo doesn't get much hype around here, so why not?

Explanation -- It just dawned at me that some may not know the background of calling Juventus "i gobbi."  In Italian it means "the hunchbacks."  Hunchbacks are a symbol of good luck (yeah, my wife doesn't get it either) in Italy so Juventus is commonly referred to as the Gobbi because they have so often been the benefactors of very "lucky" calls by the referees.