Fiorentina file/ Inter 3 Fiorentina 0
On Sunday evening Alan, Ivan, Michel and I exchange emails and texts on our results. Only Michel could report a win, as OGC Nice beat Guincamp. Fulham lost 1-0, Brighton 2-0 and la Viola 3-0. We lost 7 players over the summer and Kalinic our main striker is see to join AC Milan. It was strange to see Borja Valero, the heartbeat of Fiorentina these last few seasons, in an Inter shirt together with Vecino. Our new manager Stefano Pioli was manager at Inter though he played for us under Claudio Ranieri. Last night, we were well beaten and defensively all at sea in the first 30 minutes when Inter scored twice.
Yet I was not wholly despondent. Jordan Veretout from Aston Villa, Bassena from Bologna and Nice’s Valentin Esseyric all performed well in midfield. Next week we will have young Federico Chiues, son of Enrico, back in the team. After the Kalinic sale we will have money to spend though our owner the Dalle Valle brothers who own Tod shoes are not always ready to splash the cash.
Of interest to all football fans was the referee’s use of the video replay. Inter were awarded a penalty in the first few minutes which seems doubtful, one of those artful falls by Icasdi the Inter forward under a challenge but the referee did it call for a replay. However when Fiorentina questioned the failure to award a penalty, the referee did consult. He had to wait till the ball was out of play and then it must have takes 3 minutes to get a decision of up holding his decision not to award a penalty. The home crowd was noticeably agitated in the absence of any communication. In rugby the referee is miked up. My view is that one of the joys of football is its continuity, the spontaneity of celebration after a goal and both of those are undermined if you cannot achieve a speedy resolution.
