No draws in the seven matches played from Tuesday to Thursday: five wins and two losses. Purple meltdown: Fiorentina is the one sour note in an otherwise positive stretch of European games.
The three-match European run for Italian clubs ends on a positive balance: five wins out of seven games — over a 70% success rate. Too bad for Inter, as discussed in detail in yesterday’s exclusive SMIT Editorial on the Italian clubs’ Champions League midweek: the Nerazzurri’s stoppage-time defeat wiped out an otherwise strong performance full of personality on Atlético Madrid’s home turf.
The team that truly seems to have fallen into a tunnel with no exit is Fiorentina, beaten again in the Conference League — this time by AEK Athens (their second straight European defeat) — putting their campaign at serious risk. After four matchdays, they sit 17th in a competition that, at least in the league phase, they should be able to navigate in flip-flops…
The Viola’s collapse feels endless: between Serie A and Europe, the team has collected eight losses in 16 matches, with only two wins. And the trend hasn’t changed even after the coaching shake-up: Pioli dismissed, Vanoli brought in, with Galloppa serving as interim in between.
What did go right on Thursday was Bologna under Vincenzo Italiano — a coach who had been heavily criticized in Florence for losing two Conference League finals (plus the Coppa Italia final), but who is now missed dearly. His Bologna side dismantled Salzburg thanks to a flawless second half, exploiting every bit of space the Austrians left open.
Roma under Gasperini also looked sharp: the Giallorossi resisted the temptation to ease off ahead of Sunday night’s showdown with Napoli and secured a deserved win against Midtjylland — a team that may not strike fear on paper but arrived in Rome with four wins in four European matches and the resulting lead in the unified league-table format.
Encouraging signs from Dybala, who was even named a starter, while Koné — forced off after half an hour with an injury — appears recoverable for the Napoli match.
The European week had opened on Tuesday with Juventus’ stoppage-time win away at Bodø/Glimt and Napoli’s more emphatic home victory over Qarabağ. On Wednesday, aside from Inter’s stumble, Atalanta delivered a clear win at Eintracht Frankfurt, giving new coach Palladino his first joy in black and blue.
Speaking of mid-season coaching changes, here’s a curious fact: three Italian teams playing in Europe have already sacked the managers they began the season with. Juventus replaced Tudor with Spalletti, Atalanta brought in Palladino to substitute Juric, and Fiorentina turned to Vanoli after parting ways with Pioli. Nearly half of the Italian clubs in European competition didn’t let their manager make it to Christmas.
More than a few people clearly got more than a few things wrong this summer…
L’articolo A Good Week for Italian Teams in Europe proviene da Soccer Made In Italy.
