Tuesday Round-Up: Fiorentina 0-0 Juventus

Background

This highly anticipated matchup involved plenty of rancor between the two camps over the Dimitar Berbatov saga, with emotions running so high that suspended Juventus boss Antonio Conte opted to watch the encounter from the press box rather than the stands. Much has been made of Juventus' involvement in the Champions League, and how this will affect their performance in domestic fixtures. As well, the rejuvenation of Fiorentina saw both sides enter the match in the top 5 of the table, setting the table for a dramatic confrontation.

Match Action

Both sides felt each other out for the opening 10 minutes, trading possession and establishing reference points as the match opened up. The Artemio Franchi exploded in protest on 6 minutes when Adem Ljajic went down in the box under a Leonardo Bonucci challenge, but the referee waved off penalty claims from Fiorentina players and fans alike and allowed play to continue. At the other end, Sebastian Giovinco skipped inside from the right with some neat footwork and hit a shot just past the far post with his left from the edge of the area. By the quarter-hour mark, Fiorentina was dominating possession and pressing furiously to grab an early advantage. In the 24th minute, Manuel Pasqual was played into the Juventus area in a dangerous position, but Chilean stalwart Arturo Vidal slid in and just barely flicked the ball away to the thankful Giorgio Chiellini. It was a moment of severe controversy, as Fiorentina again believed they had been denied a legitimate penalty. However, replays showed that the referee had in fact made an excellent call, with Vidal expertly, yet narrowly, touching the ball before felling his rival. The Florentine onslaught continued as Juan Cuadrado dribbled wonderfully around two Juventus defenders, and after some nice interplay, Ljajic was found in the middle of the box, only for the penultimate shot to be blocked away by Andrea Barzagli. Juventus finally cut out an opportunity on 35 minutes with a free kick from 30 yards, but Andrea Pirlo blasted his attempt directly into the wall. Another Pirlo set-piece soon after failed to curl back towards goal, ending up wide right of the mark. Stevan Jovetic nearly gave La Viola the lead in the 41st minute, crashing a bullet header off of the crossbar from a free-kick on the left flank. After Juventus pushed forward into the attacking third, Fiorentina had another great opportunity when Cuadrado dispossessed Giovinco and launched a perfect long ball to the streaking Ljajic, but the young Serbian dragged his finish wide when clear on goal.

La Viola continued to boss proceedings after the halftime restart, harassing a shaken Juventus midfield, while Facundo Roncaglia came close to scoring from distance, and Jovetic headed wide from a cross. Cuadrado got into the act on 73 minutes, blazing a daisy-cutter just past the post to Buffon's right from the edge of the box. Several substitutions were made as the match began to slow down and chances came at a premium. Fiorentina skipper Pasqual almost claimed the winner in the 81st minute, hurling his body at a cross and hitting a diving header that flashed across the face of goal. The last 10 minutes failed to produce any notable opportunities, as Juventus parked the bus and escaped a rabid Artemio Franchi with a valuable point on the road.

Tactics and Such

Despite emerging with a draw on the road to a formidable opponent, Juventus can not be happy with this performance. They were thoroughly outplayed in midfield, the area of the field which is always their greatest strength. David Pizarro and Borja Valero held complete control in the middle third, creating space with great passing and making runs that carved apart their more fancied adversaries. While Vidal made some nice plays to keep Juventus in the game, he and his fellow centrocampisti appeared fatigued and utterly incapable of holding onto the ball for substantial periods of time. Andrea Pirlo was often crowded out by Jovetic and Ljajic pressing into his space just in front of defense, cutting off the supply line and forcing Chiellini and Bonucci to play most of the balls into forward positions. Needless to say, these two by-trade central defenders do not posses the deft passing ability of the bearded veteran regista, immediately reducing the effectiveness of Giovinco and Quagliarella with poor service. On the outside, Asamoah and Lichtseiner were not nearly as energetic as usual. The Ghanaian was combative and made a few good runs, but did not attack the flanks as effectively as he has in the past. The versatility of Juan Cuadrado severely limited Asamoah, as the dynamic winger often dropped far back on the right flank behind the ball, essentially forming a flexible 4 man defense for Fiorentina when Juventus had possession; in the case of a turnover, Cuadrado would burst forward and reoccupy his naturally offensive position on the field. La Viola's 3 conventional defenders, Roncaglia, Nenad Tomovic, and Gonzalo, were all exceptional as well, limiting space for off the ball runs and intercepting passes with confidence. It stands to reason that introducing Marchisio earlier would have provided Juventus with more vision and creativity to circumvent Fiorentina's back line, but by the time he was introduced, the momentum was so clearly in the home side's favor that little could be done to stem the tide. Conjunctively, the introduction of Paul Pogba for Andrea Pirlo seemed to be a signal that the Bianconeri has resigned themselves to playing for a draw, rather than going for an unlikely winner and potentially being open at the back.

Final Thoughts

The good news for Juventus is that some combination of luck, defensive skill, and lack of proper finishing from Fiorentina kept the ball out of the back of Gianluigi Buffon's net, and the unbeaten streak intact. The bad news is that the effects of playing a full schedule already seem to be catching up with the storied Old Lady, a potential problem that has intrigued all who follow Serie A. Against Chievo over the past weekend, Juventus were able to boss the match against an inferior side, and hold out until Quagliarella's moment of genius put them ahead in the second half. However, Fiorentina presented a much higher level of competition, one that a tired group of players struggled to cope with in a midweek match. It remains to be seen how Juventus will respond to similarly talented challengers as the Serie A campaign continues on simultaneously with the Champions League; how the Bianconeri react in these types of matches will ultimately define the outcome of their season. There is a lot of football left to be played, so it is important not to jump to any conclusions, but if this match is any indication of how subsequent events will unfold, Juventus will have to dig deeper than ever before to retain the scudetto.

Stat of the Match: Juventus took 8 total shots in the match, all from outside the penalty area

Match Facts

Shots (On Goal): Juventus 8(3); Fiorentina 17(2)
Fouls: Juventus 10; Fiorentina 16
Corner Kicks: Juventus 2; Fiorentina 2
Offsides: Juventus 1; Fiorentina 3
Time of Possession: Juventus 49%; Fiorentina 51%
Yellow Cards: Juventus 1; Fiorentina 3
Red Cards: none
Saves: Juventus 2; Fiorentina 2

SerieAzzurri Calcio Man of the Match: Facundo Roncaglia, Fiorentina (86% passing; 83 touches; 2 shots; 4 dribbles won; 4 successful tackles)

Highlights