On a beautiful Florentine day it ended honours even between the Viola and Roma on Sunday in their battle for the last Champions League spot in Serie A but what a battle it was.
The men in purple went ahead - no surprise - through Luca Toni who was a half a yard offside but the goal stood. That came just two minutes into the game and Cesare Prandelli's men were content to sit back after than and let Roma pile on the pressure which eventually told when the unlikely source of Leandro Cufre levelled the match.
It was disappointing to see the Tuscan team show so little attacking intent when that has been their hallmark all season but, equally, credit to Roma for throwing themselves forward despite their lack of a recognised striker. On balance they probably deserved to win although Fiorentina always looked dangerous from Pasqual's free-kicks.
The match saw a number of World Cup contenders on show but Fiore was quite quiet, Perrotta still looked strong, Brocchi was dependable and Pasqual pretty impressive. It's a shame the old 'mad dog' Panucci is out of favour as he has been in the form of his life this season. Also, would it really be so outrageous to give Dainelli a shot at glory? He has been solid as a rock this season and is not prone to the rushes of blood we always get from Materazzi. Just a thought.
The run-in continues like this. Away games in capitals.
Fiorentina: JUVE, TREVISO, Empoli, PALERMO, Reggina, CHIEVO.
Roma: Lecce, PALERMO, Sampdoria, CHIEVO, Treviso, MILAN.
My guess is the Viola will pick up eight or nine points from what they have left, Roma should manage 10 or 11 and sneak home with a couple of points to spare. Although a lot will depend on how the season pans out and if some teams have nothing left to fight for we all know what a strange country Italy is.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I do admire your pessimism old boy. Do you not think the Viola are capable of wins against Treviso, Empoli and Reggina with a draw or two at Palermo or Chievo? This would give us 10-11 points and discount the dodgy penalty that Juve will get to beat us.
I am a bit afraid of the away games and our generally negative attitude away from home. However, I would probably trade all of them for a win at Juve at the weekend!
Post a Comment