On Belgian soil, three corner kicks do not score a penalty, but four free kicks score a point each.
– Fiorentina’s debut in the Conference League groups ends in a draw against Genk, in a match which, despite the premises, ends in the name of set pieces and a game that is too fragmented to be enjoyable. Despite the premises, because Genk’s tactical attitude, made up of great intensity in the forward pressure and rapid search for the vertical, gave rise to hope for a match with a high and sustained pace. What emerges, however, is a match characterized by many interruptions, especially in the second half and by the lack of cleanliness in finishing, with the Viola who, twice ahead, refuse the Belgians’ battle ground and play an anomalous speculative and covert match, almost always careful but rendered futile right at the end;
– The absence of Bonaventura (injured) forces Italiano to fall back on a more rigid 4-3-3 in the midfield, with Mandragora in the unusual role of midfielder. An operation essentially failed: Fiorentina will have significant difficulties in building low for almost the entire match, and will often be forced to vent on Sottil and Nico Gonzalez who are called upon to duck and consume resources with many runs back. Perhaps thanks to the advantageous situation, perhaps for a team with a more muscular profile than usual on the pitch (a good Kayode again starting on the right), the Viola sacrifice their trident in a massive covering effort to keep the lines short. All at the expense of forward developments, where Beltran remains almost abandoned to himself and never finds useful situations in the area. A Fiorentina that is a resultist and defensive player, we would dare say, yet punished (and at the same time pardoned) in the final stages of the match;
– It seems paradoxical, but it is in the last quarter of an hour that Fiorentina has the best opportunities from open play, when the reserve warning light comes on at Genk after so much pressing that never materialised. The Belgians stretch out, lose their effectiveness in bringing pressure, and the Viola find on the counterattack those spaces that were missing for most of the match. But Nzola and Milenkovic miss quite simple knockout blows, which will ultimately prove fatal to the final result;
– Three free kicks in the first twenty minutes had set the score at 2-1, with Ranieri’s brace (the first of his career, after the only goal dating back to 2021) and the momentary equalizer from Zeqiri, already encountered last year in the Basel files. A fourth placed in the 85th equalized Genk with the American McKenzie, who cooled Fiorentina perhaps in their best moment and risked causing the Viola’s defensive strength to crumble. The final minutes of the match passed in breathlessness, and culminated with Arokodare’s post as time expired;
– The result in the end even makes Fiorentina breathe a sigh of relief, despite maintaining the lead for most of the match. On an individual level, the performance of Viola stands out above all Ranieri, but he too lost his clarity for a few moments in the excited final. Goalkeepers and center forwards chapter: if Genk’s Vandevoordt ultimately bears more blame than Christensen for the goals (the Belgian’s intervention was clumsy at 1-0), the Danish goalkeeper did not shine for his safety and timing choices, especially on high balls . Up front, a complicated game for Beltran, who, in a similar way to what happened at San Siro against Inter, suffered from the large distances between him and his midfield teammates, while for Nzola, despite a good opportunity, the appointment was still (badly) postponed with the goal.
2023-09-21 19:51:27
#Genk #Fiorentina #scattered #considerations
