Viola... In English!

Second To Only Inter

Pecci to FV: Viola only inferior to Inter

He doesn't like to talk about soccer so much anymore.  The unforgettable Viola midfielder from the early 80's, Eraldo  Pecci, still opened up a bit to FirenzeViola.it.

He was asked about comparisons between Riccardo Montolivo and legendary Viola player Giancarlo Antognoni.  "I have always rated Montolivo highly but I do not like comparisons between players of different eras.  I can look ahead and say, without reservation, that Montolivo is the next Pirlo of Italian soccer, however."

Then Pecci was asked how far this midfield can take Fiorentina.  "Just watch.  Each year Fiorentina makes small improvements but wait and see.  At this moment Inter is the only better team in Italia.  The Viola are on even terms with the other three."

My take -- Many thanks to Tahoma for (a) having this old footage cataloged and (b) letting me use it....  Just so that everyone can see our old regista.

Canini's Viola Plea

Canini: Messages to Fiorentina

"As an ex-Viola and knowing the desire of the young man to play for a prestigious club like Fiorentina, I am hoping that someday a deal can be reached," said Michele Canini's agent, Renzo Contratto, a few days ago.

The rapport with Cagliari has not been ideal so, despite the long-standing Viola interest in the Lombard defender, a deal has always been out of reach.  Now, however, that could be changing.  Following his injury the player has been unable to find regular duty in Cagliari's defense and as Contratto says, "A player of his physique needs to play at least 3 or 4 matches in a row to find his ideal form."

My take -- I want him.

Explanation -- Renzo Contratto was a regular on Fiorentina's defense through most of the 1980s.

Mutu Nets Two

Romania: A brace for the Viola phenom

Adrian Mutu has scored another two goals for his national team.  Romania went on the road and defeated Belarus 1-3. 

The Viola attacker found the back of the net in the 17th minute with a precision right-footed shot that he angled past the keeper but Belarus equalized in the 21st minute through Romashchenko. 

The Romanians regained the lead in the 42nd minute with a goal from Steaua Bucharest star Dica and Mutu put the game away in the 77th minute when he converted a penalty that he had won himself. 

The Fiorentina star played a spectacular match and was dangerous on several occasions.  Ex-Viola goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont, nicknamed 'The Cat' in Romania, also had a good match.

Mutu's First Goal

Mutu's Totti-esque PK Goal

Coppa Italia Gifts Us Ascoli

Ascoli the Coppa Italia adversary

Wednesday evening the squad that will face Fiorentina in the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia was decided.  It will be Ascoli which defeated Atalanta 2-1 thanks to a goal by ex-Viola Andrea Soncin in the waning seconds of extra time.

My take -- I always liked Soncin...  He was absolutely ruthless in training matches.  If we beat some beer league team 17-0 in a training match you could be sure that Soncin scored 9 of them.

Toni's Viola gratitude

Toni: The two most beautiful years of my career were at Fiorentina

http://www.firenzeviola.it/index.php?action=read&idnotizia=5673

These are some of Toni's declarations his presentation for Bayern Munich.  "Bayern is one of the most noble teams in the world, I chose Munich over other clubs because I wanted to begin a foreign adventure.  My first objective is to score as many goals as possible and give a great contribution to my future teammates.  The society's plans are very ambitious.  Winning the league and advancing as far as possible in the UEFA Cup are our goals.  Beginning next season I believe that this group can even aim to win the Champion's League. "  Later he began speaking of Florence, "I thank Florence and the Della Valle family.  They have been the two most beautiful years of my career.  Two magical years that saw me acheive the Champion's League, the Golden Shoe, an Azzurri spot and a World Cup championship."

My take -- Well, I really like how he basically speaks as if Calciopoli never existed.  Ignore them and maybe they will go away.  I wish him all the best minus the trouncing we give them in the UEFA Cup.

Explanations -- Calciopoli is the bogus scandal that saw us stripped of our 2006-2007 Champion's League spot and docked 15 (originally 19) points for the just-concluded season.  This weekend I will do a lengthy commentary on Calciopoli.  The UEFA Champion's League is the biggest tournament among European clubs.  The UEFA Cup (what we will be in this upcoming season) is the tournament one notch below the Champion's League.  It should be noted that we have won enough points to qualify for the Champion's League each of the last two seasons but the Italian powers-that-be have used their powers to keep us down.