Frey Fratelli Fracas (Or Fiorentina-Chievo Verona Preview)
By: Tim | February 21st, 2009
A Family Affair
Tomorrow at the Artemio Franchi, Nicholas Frey and the rest of the Mussi Volanti/Flying Donkeys (really, this is what they actually call themselves – please tell me why if you know) of Chievo Verona will be in town to play Fiorentina. A quick glance at the table shows us a couple of things about the Flying Donkeys. First, they have scored the fewest goals in the entire league, and second they are in some serious danger of being relegated. However, their last 5 games include 4 consecutive 1-1 draws and a 1-0 away win. So, that’s pretty decent form for them, I suppose.
As for Fiorentina, Prandelli will have hopefully used the last couple of days to try and rebuild the morale from a disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Ajax. Also, hopefully some finishing practice was in the cards as well as our boys continued to be wastefull with their opportunities to score.
Team News
Yellow cards are a problem, but I can’t seem to get the page to load with the full list of guys who are 1 yellow away from suspension. I do know that it includes Gamberini, Mutu and Montolivo at the very least. So, hold your breath if you see the referee reaching into his pocket tomorrow. The usual suspects are injured and no one is suspended for this match.
Match Thoughts
I feel like I’ll be saying this every week until the end of the season, but this is another massive game for Fiorentina. Plain and simple, this has to be 3 points. A home game against weak opposition means that it is time to be ruthless. Mutu, Gila, Kuz and whoever finds themselves with opportunities in front of goal need to make them count, especially as an early goal would really be demoralizing for the visitors who know how much they struggle to score. Roma and Milan both have home games against beatable opposition, and Genoa has a tough away fixture against Napoli. 3 points are necessary to keep pace and if things break right for us, it could be a step towards consolidating our Champions League place.
I think that the boss will again field a 4-3-3 in the absence of Santana, but there is some scuttlebutt that he will be returning to the 4-3-1-2 once Jorgensen returns from a long injury. Now, I’m a massive fan of Jorgensen and admire his skill and his service to the club, but I’m not entirely convinced that he’ll be able to handle the trequartista role at this high of a level after so long out with an injury. Last year he featured primarily as a right back. However, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
This would be a perfect game for either Mutu or Gila to remind us why they compose the best striker tandem in the Serie A. Go out and get an early goal boys, the team and the fans could really use it to boost the confidence level.
Blind Guess Dept, aka Lineups
Chievo, per C4: Sorrentino; Frey, Morero, Mandelli, Mantovani; Bentivoglio, Italiano, Marcolini, Colucci; Makinwa, Pellissier
Fiorentina: Bassy, Commotto, Gamberini, Dainelli, Vargas; Kuz, Melo, Monto; Semioli, Gila Monster, Mutu
TeeVee and Predictions
Unfortunately this game is not on TV here in the USA, so hopefully we can locate some streams to watch the game. Kick-off is at 9:00 am EST on Sunday. I’m going to go with a convincing home win by Fiorentina. Hopefully an early goal will put everyone at ease. Let’s say 3-0 with goals by Mutu, Gila and Montolivo. Forza Viola and we’ll see everyone back here tomorrow morning to discuss the game.
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Comments
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Mutu again!
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United States
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That’s it. Well done.
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HAHAHAHAHAHHA
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muuuuuutu
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yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee forza viola
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MUTUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!
Can we stop suffering now??????
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wow.
what a match
and i’m so torn, cuz I’m so pissed and so happy1st of all, prandelli’s moves all made a huge difference
pasqual had some GREAT runs, but, oh my god, the set pieces. 4 corners, straight into the pack and a free kick over everyone
semioli was alright
Bonazolli came in and we started winning every header
wow
PS
this site drops a LOT of adware and spyware on your computermake sure you have virus protection and run a cleaner from time to time
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To me this game was an indictment of Prandelli. He was forced into two substitutions at half time, and when Gamberini went down after an awkward turn it was looking rather silly.
Jovetic shouldn’t have started. He’s never looked great ‘in the hole’, he lacks experience. If I knew that, so should Prandelli. Semioli should have started, which would have saved one of the two half-time substitutions, I suspect.
He stuck with Kuzmanovic too long, because he had to take Jovetic off. Kuz needs to be benched.
Pasqual certainly made a case for putting him ahead of Vargas on the depth chart. But if Vargas played midweek, Pasqual should have started. You can’t keep running out the same eleven game after game in UEFA and Serie A.
The Chievo central defenders had us outclassed on headers in the box. When Bonazzoli came on, he supplied the height and strength needed to give us an option on high balls. Bonazzoli should have started.
Finally, what I really like about the match was that our chaps were so exasperated by the Chievo timewasting that they were utterly ruthless in not halting play when that Chievo player was down just before Mutu’s goal. That kind of ‘take 3 points any way you can’ attitude is what wins championships.
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oh look
that goal wins me my two cards tooa little extra scratch for uncle slakas is always nice
I have to say, with the exception of one big mistake, kroldrup wasn’t all that bad.
so, no gilardino next week.
what about kuz? I think he’s prob not going to be available either
sore achilles for gamberini
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I have to say Bonazzoli really impressed me this week, hes like a pseudo-Vieri…big man in the box. Pasqual really needs to start over Vargas, it seems like the peruvian is just deadwood in the back, and JoJo just hasn’t been at this best lately, and theres only so many times I can say “hes just young”. He really needs to pick it up.
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We are goign to have a thin lineup foinf into Palermo, which will be a big match. Mutu and Bona starting upfront.
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we’re at reggina next week, with the away at ajax on thu
*lqtm*
the flying donkeys turned into the crying donkeys
http://rlv.zcache.com/funny_crying_donkey_mousepad-p144392703166690647trak_400.jpgPosted from
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I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again…
MARTIN!!! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU????
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my mistake, I was going off the top of my head from what i was looking at last week. Either way, if we go into next week playing liek we did in the first half today, without Gila, we could be defeated
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at reggina
Palermo
at Inter (LOL)Posted from
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and we should’ve had a penalty, that’s why Gila got his yellow card, it was clearly a hand by one of the donkeys. I think this second half made some points to Prandelli about who’s going to be in the starting XI and who coming from the bench.
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ahh
i don’t know what to expect anymoreonly 13 more match days to go
hold onto your hatsciao
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Watch at 0:51 of this video…a Chievo player comes to attack Frey, and Frey Jr immediately jumps in protection of his brother
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGFoWo3awQI
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I didn’t actually see all of this game (and I’m kind of glad because these last second goals give me heart palpitations) but I’m getting worried. Adi is great, but how many times is he going to be able to pull out a goal in the 94th minute?
In terms of the backline, something needs to change. Pasqual should definitely be starting, as Vargas does not create the offensive opportunities that he should from that role. Plus, Pasqual’s passing is more accurate and he is better at holding on to the ball.
I was surprised to see that Dainelli did not get the start, which definitely makes me worry about his health. It is good, however, to hear that Kroldrup had a decent game especially since we look to be signing a new contract with him. In reality though, Gamberini is our only really solid option in the center (and sometimes he also looks a unsure, like, for example, while he was conceding a penalty to Genoa last weekend). To that, I say bring on Ivanovic!
Also, I assume that Zauri got the start over Comotto because of the twisted ankle he picked up in training. I hope Zauri had at least a decent game.
As for our midfield, Monto and Kuz have been really weak. When Montolivo has a good game, he is great. He passes well, adds fluidity and forward impulsion to the team and takes accurate shots, which have at times, one us the game (ex. against Udinese). But he is just as often ineffectual and disappears from play for long periods of time. Kuz, who at times as been one of the teams biggest assets, is having a very bad rough patch lately. It’s right about now that I really wish that we had Jorgensen back. What the hell is going on with him anyway?
Melo is of course our midfield jewel. He’s very consistent and he has good control of the ball. I’m scared that we’re losing him at the end of this year but at least his buyout is from 20 million euro. That way we either keep a starting eleven player from the Brazilian national team or get to buy someone else (like Diego!!!) who is also spectacular.
I think Jovetic is being put in an unfair position in the trequartista role. The boy is young and he has very little experience so asking him to be the creative vision behind our goals may be a bit much. He would probably be better playing up front with Mutu in the hole. That way, he would also add some height to our front line. He could still use his burgeoning creativity in play but he wouldn’t be asked to be as responsible for getting the ball into the box. I’m actually missing Santana right about now because even though his shots are nearly always WAY over the crossbar, he really drives the ball forward.
Adrian Mutu is actually my hero. Not only is he a phenomenal player, but he keeps his head in tough situations. Our team tends to get overly freaked out when we fall behind (Genoa anyone?) but Mutu is always calm, cool and collected. He also has scored six goals in the last four games and is fast becoming a top scorer in the league, with twelve goals. That is pretty high number for someone who hasn’t played in half of our games this year.
I’ve saved Gila for last because I just wanted to recognize what a great job he’s done for us this year. He has scored fifteen goals in A and another four (?) in the champions league, which is no small feat. Though he plays the hitman role in front of the net, he has also scored some great goals completely of his own creation. Think back to the first time we played Genoa in Florence this year, defeating them 1-0 with a beautiful shot from Alberto. I read a press conference with Pazzini in which he confessed that he began to lose his confidence in Florence when he missed a sitter in front of the goal. The Viola tifosi are not forgiving and are often overly critical. I do not want this to happen to Gila. He is having a great season and many, many of our points are there thanks to him. So I’m sending him emotional support, hoping Fiorentina can keep him confident.
However, this touches on a big problem with our team. The boys are overly emotional and often respond to strings of victory or bad defeats with anxious play. This is egged on by the fans, who are not always as supportive as they should be. Part of being a fan is supporting the team, through the good and bad.Posted from
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What’s the strategy with JoJo? We keep saying how much raw talent he has, but then constantly complain at his performances.
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Mutu and Gila have now scored the same amount of goals that Toni and Fiore scored in 05-06…27 goals between them
1958-59 Montuori 20 + Hamrin 18 = 38
1961-62 Hamrin 15 + Milani 14 = 29
1995-96 Batistuta 18 + Baiano 10 = 28
1966-67 Hamrin 15 + Brugnera 13 = 28
1949-50 Galassi 20 + Pandolfini 8 = 28
2008-09 Gilardino 14 + Mutu 11 = 27
2005-06 Toni 22 + Fiore 5 = 27
1997-98 Batistuta 16 + Oliveira 10 = 26
1940-41 Menti 16 + Di Benedetti 9 = 25
1955-56 Virgili 16 + Montuori 9 = 25
1994-95 Batistuta 19 + Rui Costa 6 = 25
1988-89 Baggio 12 + Borgonovo 13 = 25
1998-99 Batistuta 18 + Edmundo 6 = 24
2006-07 Mutu 10 + Toni 13 = 23
1931-32 Petrone 14 + Prendato 8 = 22
1993-94 Batistuta 14 + Effenberg 7 = 21 (Serie B)
2002-03 Riganò 19 + Andreotti 2 = 21 (Serie C2)
2007-08 Mutu 14 + Pazzini 6 = 20
2000-01 Chiesa 11 + Nuno Gomes 7 = 18Posted from
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FV wrote:
“What’s the strategy with JoJo? We keep saying how much raw talent he has, but then constantly complain at his performances.”I’ve said all along he should be on the bench at the start of games and come on for the last half hour or twenty minutes – with the occasional starting role.
Vargas remains a controversial figure round here. I still think he should be top of the depth chart at left back. He’s not a bad defender, and he’s faster than Pasqual. The thing to remember about the second half was that Chievo weren’t really trying very hard to score. We don’t have a very good idea of how well the second-half fellows would do playing both ways.
The other lesson today is that Mutu needs to be the ‘trequartista’ if we can play Bonazzoli and Gilardino. Of course, that means he’s back up front and we have Semioli or Jovetic next week, instead…
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At least Prands recognizes what’s going on:
“The table says one thing, what happens on the pitch says another. Tactically something is not working and I have to make certain decisions. [Manuel] Pasqual plays better than [Juan Manuel] Vargas right now and guarantees more in both defence and attack.
“[Stevan] Jovetic struggles too much in the trequartista role and cannot play there, at least until the end of the season. When we redesign Fiorentina in the summer, then perhaps we can perfect Jovetic’s position.”
Whether he can do anything about it is another question.
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(1)has anyone else noticed how vargas is good at getting forward but then immediately passes the ball back into midfield? Its clear to see he has no faith in his own crossing. In other words he’s just been running around the pitch the last few games which accounts for nothing. And both of our goals today came from pasquals crosses. Let pasqual have a run of a few games and he’ll contribute even more. (2) Whats this about kroldrup having a good game today? He was average at best, and that against poor opposition, as a matter of fact i held my breath every time the ball crossed his path. (3) Kuz was seriously poor yet again but who can we replace him with thats better? (4) I actually thought zauri was arguably our best player throughout the full 90 minutes. His runs and crosses from the right caused them havoc. (5) Prandelli needs to conjure up a solution to all the problems NOW.
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United States -
The problem is that we lack depth. We should of kept Pazzini and Osvlado and Papa Waigo. Also, everybody already knows this is that our defense is our weakest point. Also, if Montolivo isen’t having a good game, our midfield is also weak. Melo is the only consistent midfielder. Gila is also inconsistent. As you can see, many things can go wrong during the game. If all these players have a good game, fiorentina’s unstoppable. But recently, something is not working and Prandelli needs to figure this big mess out. We need to concentrate and pull through to the end of the season! And lets remember that a true fan will support their team through good and bad times! FORZA VIOLA!
And thank GOD for MUTU. He is once again single handedly saving our season! He needs a statue next to Batistuta.Posted from
Canada
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