Very tight match between Fiorentina and Udinese: the Viola catch the Friulians again in the final thanks to the penalty converted by Nzola.
Intense match, a complicated match for Fiorentina, a match that leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouths of both teams due to the final result. Because Udinese, twice ahead, believed in it to the end by playing a tactically well-prepared match; because Fiorentina, after a first half in total apnea, are good and lucky in overturning the inertia of the match, and even have to regret a post hit in injury time by Bonaventura;
Italian returns to the back four, after the pros and cons of the experiments against Bologna. But at the ready he does not get reassuring answers, especially compared to the worries in the developments that have gripped Fiorentina for at least a month. The choice of Mandragora as starting point guard for Arthur (perhaps induced by the very heavy pitch, by the opacity of the former Juve player in the latest outings) turns out to be tragic, because the Viola lose points of reference and speed in turning the ball around, against an Udinese team that strikes immediately with Lovric (man of the match) right on the restart. The inclusion of the Brazilian at half-time, together with the new signing Faraoni due to a negative Kayode, will put the Viola back in line;
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The 120′ of the Italian Cup certainly influenced Fiorentina’s condition, but the first half of the Gigliati was a constant fall into Udinese’s traps, with Cioffi’s boys saturating the spaces and coming out quickly, leaning on Lucca, dominating the second balls . In this, the Viola’s inaccuracy in the opponent’s half of the field (and a series of questionable defensive readings by Martinez Quarta to say the least) makes the Friulians’ job too easy, especially in the first half. And despite Fiorentina’s surge forward in the second half, the lost duels will weigh like a boulder even on the occasion of Thauvin’s momentary 1-2, also confirming that Udinese are doing well on an athletic and mental level, and were better than their opponents;
The wingers remain an unsolvable problem for Fiorentina: Ikoné (who had some interesting ideas in the second half, but has the counterattack for Friuli’s first lead on his record) and Brekalo have too many, too many wrong choices and wasted balls. And for the moment they are the only two available to the Viola coach. If the Tuscans struggle too much in the finishing phase, it is difficult to push limits in the preparation of the offensive maneuver when your players make so many scholastic errors. Definitely a coincidence, but Beltran (game of effort and struggle, rewarded by the goal) finds the first equalizer by breaking away from a tight ball put by… Faraoni, the latest arrival at Fiorentina;
The draw allows the Viola to put it back on front nose in fourth place, also thanks to Bologna’s slip-up in Cagliari. In the end, especially given how the match went, what is most regrettable when looking at the standings is Udinese, unlucky and naive about the penalty conceded in the 87th minute. Cioffi prepares the game plan well and his team interpret it carefully, but above all he is good at reading the situation in the first quarter of an hour of the second half, when he changes Ebosele with Ehizibue and above all shuffles the attack, surprisingly removing Lucca and Samardzic for Thauvin and Success. More defensive and coordination work from the attackers and fresh forces to press on the tired Biraghi had allowed Udinese to withstand the Viola’s attack and take the lead again. Ferreira’s arm is jailed, which allows Nzola to give meaning to his season and his not at the African Cup of Nations, converting the penalty to make it 2-2.