ACF Fiorentina

[RomaShield27]

Soccer-Fiorentina's Gilardino banned for two games for handball
Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:08pm GMT
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldFoot ... 7?rpc=401&

MILAN, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Fiorentina striker Alberto Gilardino has been banned for two matches for scoring a goal with his arm in Sunday's 3-1 win at Palermo, the Italian league said on Monday.

The league's sporting judge said in a statement that after reviewing television evidence, it was clear the Italy forward had deliberately used his arm when he slid in for the opening goal in the 19th minute.

The statement said the act was punishable because it was "serious unsporting conduct".

Palermo were furious that the goal was allowed to stand and even more livid that Gilardino ran away to celebrate.

"Gilardino deserves a five-game ban. He even celebrated, incredible," the Sicilian side's president Maurizio Zamparini told reporters before the announcement.

Former AC Milan forward Gilardino, top scorer in Serie A this term with seven goals, will miss Wednesday's home game with champions Inter Milan and next Sunday's match at Siena.

Post-match use of video evidence often leads to soccer players being banned for bad tackles or violent incidents which were missed by the referee. However, it is rare to punish a player for handball using replays.

[Messinterista]

lol gila will take anything as a goal.

[Messinterista]

Pazzini Ponders January Exit

Fiorentina striker Giampaolo Pazzini is still unsure over his future at the Artemio Franchi and he has not ruled out a January exit...

The Italian has been linked with a number of moves as he has not been playing much as a result of Alberto Gilardino's dominance up front.

However, with Gila suspended, Pazzini is having the chances to shine. The striker doesn't know whether or not he will move in the winter transfer window as he eyes a win against Siena.

"Will I leave in January? We are still in october and there is still plenty of time from now until January," Pazzini told Fiorentina.it.

"Am I still annoyed with all this talk? Of course I am.

"For now I am just thinking about doing well with consitency so that I can find my best form.

"Siena? We want to win this game and we can feel it. They are a good side and they could have draw against Milan at San Siro had it not been for the penalty."

The Viola are two points off the pace at the top of Serie A and a win against Siena will boost their Scudetto chances as they continue to chase the leading pack.

Source: http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=941708

[San Paolo]

[Messinterista]

Prandelli Rues Bad Luck

Fiorentina boss Cesare Prandelli feels his lads played well for at least an hour, but were unlucky and paid a heavy price for their profligacy against Siena this afternoon.

The Viola were given a huge let-off on 73 minutes, with Mario Frick hitting the post when one-on-one with Sebastien Frey, but just three minutes later Houssine Kharja gave the Robur the lead with a header from a Simone Vergassola corner.

"We were unlucky when Gianluca Curci made a great save on Giampaolo Pazzini," Prandelli declared after the encounter.

"I reckon we played a good game for at least an hour and could have sealed the match, but we were too profligate and when Siena scored we were not able to find a way back."

The Florentines were defeated after five games in which they had collected 13 points, courtesy of four wins and a draw, and now turn their attention to the must-win Champions League tie with Bayern Munich at the Stadio Artemio Franchi next Wednesday.

"I do not think the upcoming clash with the Germans influenced us," the ex-Parma boss continued.

"We have to keep working hard now and be on full alert against Bayern, as it will be a very difficult test for us."

Source: http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=944809

[RomaShield27]

Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni to miss match with former club Fiorentina

Bayern Munich's Italy forward Luca Toni will miss out on a return to former club Fiorentina in the Champions League on Wednesday night with bruised ribs and strained stomach muscles.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football

The 31-year-old was a fans' favourite at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, scoring 47 Serie A goals in 67 matches over two seasons before moving to Germany.
"The recovery process hasn't gone as quickly as we initially hoped it would, so Luca Toni is definitely out of the away trip to Fiorentina," Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann said.
"Luca is continuing to receive intensive treatment from the medical unit. We hope to see him back in the team as soon as possible."
His loss will be a big blow to the high-flying Germans who have seven points from three games and top Group F, ahead of Lyon on five and Fiorentina on two points, with Steaua Bucharest propping up the pool on one.
The Italians desperately need to win the match or qualification will be almost impossible for them.
They have two draws and a defeat – a 3-0 reverse in Munich two weeks ago – from their three matches, but with Lyon hosting the Romanians, anything less than a victory could leave them trailing the top two by a minimum of five points with just two games to play.
At least coach Cesare Prandelli can call on Serie A top goalscorer Alberto Gilardino again after the former AC Milan and Parma striker sat out the last two league matches with a suspension.
That was given to him for scoring a goal against Palermo with his forearm – although he was being fouled by a defender in the process.
Gilardino has put that issue firmly behind him now. "The suspension, I don't want to talk about that any more," he said. "Now it's all in the past and I'm thinking only about Bayern which is a vital match for us.
"Many people have expressed their opinions about the suspension, I've let them speak as I've always done in the past. I think only about working hard and playing."
Fiorentina failed to score in the two games in which Gilardino was sitting in the stands.
With nine goals in 11 matches this season in all competitions, Gilardino has become vital to La Viola, but he was keen to play down his importance. "It's not because I wasn't there that the team didn't score.
"I started well and if people make comparisons when I'm not there, that's normal, but for me [Giampaolo] Pazzini had two good games, it depends on situations.
"On Sunday [a 1-0 defeat at Siena] we were unlucky. You shouldn't criticise Pazzini, he'll score in the future.
"However, I'm delighted that the fans are delighted I'll be back on the pitch. Everyone has faith in me, the fans, the team, the club and that's vital for me."
Until Sunday's defeat to their Tuscan rivals, Fiorentina had made a good start to their Serie A campaign and were among the front-runners, although they have now slipped to five points behind leaders AC Milan.
Bayern, meanwhile, were struggling in the bottom half of the Bundesliga after winning just two of their first seven matches but are now up to third following four wins in a row.
Miroslav Klose, Franck Ribery and Lukas Podolski each scored in Bayern's 3-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.
"Fiorentina will be very aggressive and will play with a lot of commitment, and that's how we have to play, too," said Ribery, who has scored in each of his last three games. "One point in Florence would be enough, but we would still like to win."
Bayern have won Europe's top club competition four times while Fiorentina's best result was losing to Real Madrid in the final in 1957. They did taste European success four years later, though, lifting the UEFA Cup.
Meanwhile Villarreal's Italian-American striker Giuseppe Rossi, who will spearhead the Spanish side's attack at Aalborg in Group E tonight, is set to earn his second full cap for Italy in their friendly with Greece on Nov 19.
Coach Marcello Lippi has been impressed by the 21-year-old former Manchester United striker, who was top scorer at this summer's Beijing Olympics, with four goals.

[Messinterista]

[RomaShield27]

Italian option for Veloso
http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Football – 10 November 2008

Moving to Fiorentina is an option for Sporting midfielder Miguel Veloso, according to his agent. The Portugal international midfielder has been linked to both Manchester United and Arsenal for over a year, and his representative has stated moving to Serie A is another option.

Paulo Barbosa has confirmed that Fiorentina scouts have watched Veloso in action on a number of occasions and have been in touch with him.
And the man himself would be interested in playing for La Viola according to the agent.

“Yes, there are Italian scouts and I can confirm to you that they are from Fiorentina,â€

[Messinterista]

Pazzini Tracked By Three Clubs - Reports

The saga surrounding Giampaolo Pazzini's eventual departure from Fiorentina is set to continue, as three clubs have reportedly shown their interest.

Pazzini scored nine goals last season, impressing all round, but has only found back of the net once in the current campaign due to spending most of the Viola games on the bench. Furthermore, he's been behind Adrian Mutu and Alberto Gilardino in the pecking order - not an enviable situation.

Gilardino has done particularly well this season, scoring 8 goals so far in Serie A and playing a confident attacking game.

Pazzini, then, is losing his patience after being left out. Now, the former Azzurrini striker is considering a move away from the Stadio Artemio Franchi in the near future, in an effort to secure more playing time.

Since the return of Gilardino from suspension, Pazzini has returned to his old role of warming the bench, and it is likely that the talented striker has had enough of life on the Viola sidelines.

Pazzini has received numerous offers from clubs in Italy but, according to reports, Sampdoria, Lazio and Atalanta have emerged as the front runners to land the striker. Fiorentina will be considering their options, but the Tuscan club is unlikely to make a move before knowing their Champions League destiny.

Source: http://www.goal.com/en/news/711/fiorent ... bs-reports

[RomaShield27]

PRANDELLI HOPING TO WIN OVER PUBLIC
http://www.sportinglife.com/football

Coach Cesare Prandelli is hoping Fiorentina can win back public support with a result over Udinese on Saturday. The Viola, who lost 1-0 at Cagliari in the last round, have come in for some criticism after a slow start to the Serie A season that has left them in ninth place with 20 points.

"On Saturday we must take to the field with the right determination and will to suffer," Prandelli told it.violachannel.tv.

"We want to recreate the air of trust and optimism that has been present in this stadium for the last three years. I want to rediscover that enthusiasm from our fans and that is my main objective.

"I don't want the team to become distant from the public. We want to unite our strength with the fans and with our critics.

"If we work together we can be really strong as we have shown in the last few years."

Prandelli is, however, wary of Udinese's threat ahead of the game with their visitors to the Stadio Artemio Franchi currently sitting above them in sixth place.

He said: "The Bianconeri play some lively football. They have some excellent forwards and we will need to be careful. They have demonstrated to be a good team at many grounds and they will do so again tomorrow.

"We must have the right conviction that we can control the game and we must be very focused."

A boost for the Viola is the return of Romanian star Adrian Mutu. The striker has been out of action with a number of ailments but looks set to start on Saturday.

Dario Dainelli will return to the defence having missed the loss at Cagliari due to a stomach upset, leaving just injured duo Martin Jorgensen and Stevan Jovetic on the sidelines.

Udinese coach Pasquale Marino is expecting his side to bounce back immediately from their shock 1-0 home defeat to lowly Reggina in the previous round.

The Bianconeri have suffered a minor slump in results having picked up a single point in their past three games but Marino expects that to change tomorrow.

"In order to cancel out the memory of the worst game by Udinese in my two years here I am expecting the best performance of the year in Florence," Marino told the official club website www.udinese.it.

"Last weekend's flop was unexpected. We got everything wrong. I, first and foremost, was evidently unable to point out the hidden dangers of such a game to the players.

"When you start with the wrong approach it is difficult to turn things around in order to get back in the game.

"Now we have some time to discuss and understand many things. Certain things happened against Reggina that must never be repeated.

"The players now need to demonstrate personality, character and determination. We must pick ourselves up from this bad fall straight away and rediscover our will to improve and win."

A major boost for the Bianconeri is the return of star striker Antonio Di Natale. The Italy international had been sidelined with a knee problem but should start this weekend.

A further relief for Marino is the news that Fabio Quagliarella will be available despite having broken his nose this week whilst on international duty.

The striker is likely to start on the bench, but could use a protective mask if called into action.

Marino is missing injured trio Kwadwo Asamoah, Fernando Tissone and Cristian Zapata.

[Messinterista]

Viola set for 'crisis talks'

Fiorentina will call Coach Cesare Prandelli to a crisis meeting after their Champions League failure, according to newspaper reports.

The Tuscans crashed out of the Champions League after last night's 2-1 defeat against Lyon at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Prandelli's men now need to avoid defeat away to Steaua Bucharest in their final Group F game to ensure that they secure a spot in the UEFA Cup.

After a summer of heavy investment, the Viola had hoped for better and reports suggest that the Della Valle brothers, who own the club, angrily left the ground before the final whistle last night.

Florence newspaper La Nazione claims that Prandelli will be asked to account for Fiorentina's European exit at a meeting with the directors and technical staff.

After his heroics in recent seasons, Prandelli's position isn't under threat, but he faces an uphill task if he is to at least match last year's achievements.

Meanwhile, police in Florence are looking for the men responsible for an attack on two Lyon fans before yesterday's game.

Source: http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_ ... ov26i.html

[RomaShield27]

Ivanovic wants the Viola
Saturday 24 January, 2009 – http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_ ... an24d.html

Branislav Ivanovic is ‘desperate’ to leave Chelsea for Serie A, but after links with Milan and Juventus, it seems he’s headed for Fiorentina. The 24-year-old was snapped up by the Stamford Bridge outfit for £8.2m a year ago, but has only made 13 first team appearances.

“Branislav has always said he wants to go to Italy and play for one of the four big clubs – Juve, Inter, Milan and Roma – or Fiorentina.â€

[Messinterista]

Giampaolo Pazzini: I Could Not Stay At Fiorentina

The Italian attacker has no regrets for leaving the Viola and joining Sampdoria during this transfer window.

Sampdoria attacker Giampaolo Pazzini, who scored his first goal for the club last weekend as his team equalized 1-1 away to Chievo Verona, is delighted that things are beginning to work out for him in Genoa after a difficult spell at Fiorentina.

For Pazzini this could be the start of a long relationship with the Blucerchiati, who have shown a belief in his ability that the Viola failed to do this season.

“In Florence things had changed and it wasn’t just the fact that I wasn’t playing much,â€

[RomaShield27]

MUTU HITS CENTURY OF GOALS
www.sportinglife.com

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli heaped praised on Adrian Mutu after the Viola striker notched his 100th and 101st Serie A goals. The Romania international winger had been out with a muscular injury but returned to the starting XI last night and struck twice early in the first half to fire the Tuscan outfit to a 3-1 win at Bologna.

"With this Mutu, everything is possible," said Prandelli. "He is indispensable for us. He is extraordinary when he is able to finish off like that and help the team."

Mutu was just happy to play. "To be honest, I didn't think too much about scoring the 100th goal," he said. "I only thought about doing well because I was coming back from three weeks out of action. When you don't go in search of chances, the chances appear and I took advantage. I have played a great game."

Monday's win allowed Fiorentina to climb to fifth in the standings, two points behind Genoa, who hold the last Champions League qualifying spot.

"We will have to battle for a Champions League spot until the end," said Prandelli. "Genoa, Roma, Napoli and Palermo are fighting for the same aim as us, but for us, it's good to be close to it." Fiorentina host Lazio on Sunday.

[Carlo Romano]

[Carlo Romano]

Fiorentina - Palermo match report...

http://seriea.forumcircle.com/viewtopic.php?t=365

(The above link will take you to the thread, then scroll down.)

[RomaShield27]

Club Focus - Fiorentina - As you were
http://www.footballitaliano.co.uk/article.aspx?id=323

By Tom Barclay

Wins for Fiorentina and Genoa mean the Champions League battle is likely to go down to the wire.

Week 34 proved to be less crucial to the race for that fourth Champions League spot than the tifosi of la Viola were hoping, with both Fiorentina and Genoa recording home victories. Cesare Prandelli's players did their bit by overcoming a stubborn Torino side 1-0 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi , but unfortunately for them Sampdoria were unable to muster a serious challenge against Genoa in the evening kick-off, despite the derby rivalry between the two Genovese sides. Gian Piero Gasperini's charges made light work of i Blucerchiati, with Argentinean talisman Diego Milito bagging a hat-trick in a 3-1 win. This leaves the two teams in the same position as they were prior to the weekend's fixtures, and now each sides' supporters apprehensively wait to see who can hold their nerve in the remaining four games of the season.>



Torino's ultra defensive tactics rendered the match a war of attrition, as Fiorentina laboured to victory. Keeping faith with the players who put Roma to the sword in last week's demolition, Prandelli named an unchanged side, although he was soon forced into a change as early as the 15th minute. Franco Semioli, the Italian speed merchant on the right wing, pulled up with an adductor muscle strain and had to be replaced by the ever-reliable Dane, Martin Jorgensen. However, it was the cultured midfielder who contrived to miss a hatful of chances, including an open goal from only a few yards out. La Viola came close on many occasions, as Torino showed little interest in attacking, and only fortune provided il Toro the flattering scoreline, with Alberto Gilardino arguably the unluckiest of all. The goal itself reflected the match as a whole - a scrappy effort from a few yards by the talented Peruvian, Juan Manuel Vargas - persistence from both the player and the team finally paying off in the 57th minute. It was to be the only converted strike in a game that is unlikely to live long in the memory.

The Fiorentina fans left a little disappointed that their team could not replicate the previous week's display, but overall were relieved that they had a won the game. In truth, there was little to criticise from the way la Viola played - breaking down a team who puts ten men behind the ball is never easy - and on another day more goals could have been scored. Stevan Jovetic was not at his mercurial best, nor was Zdravko Kuzmanovic (although he did supply the pass for the match-defining moment), and considering the lack of space the two had available to them, it would be unfair to single them out for Fiorentina's shortcomings in adding to the scoreline.


Prandelli seemed to concur with this judgment as he commented that: “When a team fights to finish in a Champions League place it's normal that there is tension. We have played our own game, from the first to last minute, against a Torino side that never had a shot on goal. I had asked for patience and the team listened to me.â€

[ricky2882]

[juventino_italiano]

[Carlo Romano]

I think la Viola can do without him, Ennio.

They're still not looking as strong as they ought to but Marchionni and Zanetti were two good catches. Anyway, I was glad to see Gila get that equaliser in Lisbon and it was only desperate defending that stopped Fiore getting a late winner!