Roma, Bologna and Fiorentina deliver three wins out of three, with Ferguson and Bernardeschi stealing the spotlight and Fiorentina finding answers from their stars.
Today’s Smith Soccer Coffee, made in Italy, is dedicated to the Italian teams’ clean sweep in Europe on Cup Thursday. Europa League and Conference League delivered three wins in three matches for Roma, Bologna and Fiorentina.
Roma dominated in Scotland against Celtic. They had already done the same in Glasgow against Rangers. Scottish soil clearly inspires the Giallorossi, especially Ferguson, who scored a brace. Yes, that Ferguson.
Gasperini had spoken about him in the pre-match press conference, and it sounded almost like a partial dismissal from the Roma coach. Before Celtic–Roma, he said the player has already had many chances. We’ll wait for Ferguson, he added, also because—editorial note—there are no real alternatives due to injuries and the lack of natural strikers in the squad. Still, the emphasis on “many chances already” carried a sense of rejection around the Scottish striker.
Ferguson, who clearly feels at home in Scotland, may have just revived his Roma story with those two goals. Until now, many feared the possibility of his loan being cut short in January and a return to the Premier League. Instead, he delivered when it mattered.
Speaking of players who can surprise, impact and decide matches, Federico Bernardeschi looks like the top-level player he once was before leaving for MLS. Vincenzo Italiano once spoke about coaches who challenge their players. Bernardeschi is a great player, he said, but still had American rhythms and needed to readjust to European pace.
Well, on the European stage of the Europa League, Bernardeschi answered loud and clear. His brace sparked Bologna’s comeback and secured a crucial victory on the difficult pitch of Celta Vigo. Credit to Bernardeschi, and also to the coaches who know how to motivate their players the right way.
One final thought on Fiorentina. The win against Dynamo Kiev, a mid-to-lower tier European side, isn’t particularly impressive on its own. The real positive comes from the goals scored by Moise Keane and Gudmundsson, which sealed an important and hard-fought victory.
They are Fiorentina’s top players, probably the two strongest in the squad. They are the ones who must deliver goals and performances to pull Fiorentina out of the relegation quicksand back in Italy.
L’articolo THE SMIT COFFEE – Italian Clean Sweep on European Thursday proviene da Soccer Made In Italy.
