Perhaps this match could be summed up by recounting just one incident. As seconds slipped by in injury time, Éder fouled Massimo Ambrosini, giving Fiorentina a free kick in a decent position. Ambrosini took the kick himself, floating it perfectly into the area. Stefan Savić looked in prime position to nudge the ball in, giving the viola all three points. Instead Alessandro Matri flew forward, directing his header wide and troubling Da Costa not at all.
Sampdoria vs. Fiorentina: Final score 0-0...what is wrong with la viola?
Wither the goals, Fiorentina?
Come to think of it, that could sum up the entire second half of Fiorentina’s season.
Since Giuseppe Rossi went down with injury in early January, Fiorentina have scored just fifteen goals. Their attack isn’t gelling and individual forwards look more desperate to make an impression than to help out the team. With just two wins in eight matches, Fiorentina are still in fifth - somehow - but have lost all hope of a Champions League finish and, at this rate, could find themselves out of Europe all together.
It wasn’t as though Sampdoria sought to close them down, playing to a point. The hosts had more shots, and managed to put more of them on target. It was a win they were after, if only so that Siniša Mihajlović could impress his former employers.
But for once, both Stefan Savić and Modibo Diakité managed to get the job done defensively, and putting Juan Cuadrado in at right back was a slightly insane but ultimately intelligent decision by Vincenzo Montella. Still, Fiorentina are failing to make an impression, and with a plethora of (unhurt) attackers still available, it's on the manager to figure out how best to get the ball in the back of the net.
That plan most likely does not involve Alessandro Matri.
Sampdoria: Da Costa, Berardi, Gastaldello, Mustafi, De Silvestri, Krsticic, Palombo, Eder, Soriano, Gabbiadini (Fornasier 76), Maxi Lopez (Okaka 68)
Fiorentina: Neto, Tomovic, Savic, Diakite, Cuadrado, Borja Valero, Aquilani, Fernandez (Ambrosini 78), Ilicic (Matos 70), Wolski (Vargas 59), Matri
Goals: NONE
See More:
