Juventus – Fiorentina: Violence Of La Viola Leaves Champions League Hopes Purple (0-2)

Since the appointment of Luciano Spalletti, Juventus had blossomed into one of Serie A’s attractive teams. Another season of Champions League football looked set, only for stumbles to lead to a complete roadblock by Fiorentina.

Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.

Five teams separated by five points, only three Champions League places available. Serie A pitched all the teams to play at the same time on Sunday lunchtime, and Juve’s destiny was in their own hands.

After draws against AC Milan and Hellas Verona, Juventus lost grip, having gained distance from Como and AS Roma. A deserved victory against Lecce kept them in the top four, but pressure is on Spalletti to deliver Champions League football, despite him confirming his place in the Juve dugout beyond the end of the season.

Fiorentina had invested enough to be part of this conversation; however, their season has not panned out as expected. Paolo Vanoli has done the job, keeping them in the league after a horrid first half of the campaign. The return to a back four was long overdue, and Fiorentina could now put a bad season behind them. Nevertheless, the opportunity to spoil one of their great rivals is one that no sane team would let go so easily.

Spalletti kept the same team that won in the south-east last weekend. Khéphren Thuram was the only regular starter missing from the team, on the bench as he recovers . . .