Drama close to home. The football Sunday promised to be a never-ending spectacle, but instead it risked turning into a crime story. Fortunately, the illness that struck Edoardo Bove, Fiorentina midfielder born in 2002, turned out to be less serious than it first appeared, but it was such a big scare to make everything else fade into the background. The Franchi match, for obvious reasons, it was postponed to be determined on a 0-0 result (probably in February together with Bologna-Milan), with the entire football world (and not only) focused on his health, with that mix of fear and dismay typical of these situations. Fate wanted that the fear did not turn into tragedy, allowing us to also talk about football: the victory of Naples, increasingly master of the championship, the Juventus' mockery draw in Lecce, Lazio's defeat in Parma, awaiting today's postponed match between Roma and Atalanta (20pm).
Bove ill, Fiorentina – Inter postponed: “He is in intensive care, acute damage excluded”
Fiorentina-Inter was supposed to be the highlight of Sunday, even more so after Napoli's afternoon victory. At minute 17', after a good start that suggested a super challenge, Edward Bove, 22-year-old midfielder on loan from Roma, he collapsed near the Nerazzurri bench, taking the breath away from all of Italy. The mind immediately went to June 2021, when Eriksen he risked dying during the European match between Denmark and Finland, but also Astori e Morosini, who disappeared in 2018 and 2012 respectively, albeit under different circumstances.
On Franchi it is an eerie silence has fallen and while the match was postponed for obvious reasons, everyone thought only and exclusively about Bove's health, rushed to the Careggi hospital in Florence. At 20pm, after two hours of more or less true rumours (from which, however, a less serious picture than expected emerged), the Fiorentina press release to make everyone breathe a sigh of relief, even with the necessary precautions. “ACF and the Careggi University Hospital Company announce that the footballer Edoardo Bove, who was rescued on the pitch following a loss of consciousness during the Fiorentina-Inter match, is currently under pharmacological sedation and hospitalized in intensive care – the text released -. Bove has arrived stable from the haemodynamic point of view at the emergency room and the first cardiological and neurological tests carried out have excluded acute damage to the central nervous system and the cardio-respiratory system. He will be re-evaluated in the next 24 hours". Today, in short, we should Learn more about the causes of cardiac arrest treated in the ambulance inside the field (the use of the defibrillator was decisive), but what matters is that Edoardo is alive, regardless of what happens to his career.
Torino – Napoli 0-1: Conte remains on top thanks to McTominay
The drama (fortunately!) only touched upon allows us to also talk about football and a Naples increasingly in command. It would have been regardless of the result in Florence by virtue of the victory in Turin, which confirmed the whole solidity of a team now mentalized by its coach. The show, in fact, is not the priority of the Azzurri, much more focused on the results and the points in the standings. The success against the Granata, in any case, is deserved and could have taken on clearer contours if Milinkovic-Savic had not saved Vanoli several times, even without preventing him from taking the seventh defeat in the last eight games. Conte has built a team in his own image and likeness first of all from a mental point of view, driven by the purchases made in the summer, McTominay above all. The Scotsman decided the match with a nice left-footed shot in the 31st minute of the first half, after Toro had a great chance with Adams. The most sensational goal opportunity, however, came from Coco, who was unfortunate in slipping with the goal unguarded and failing to equalise for the Granata.
In the second half, however, the Naples has legitimized the victory on several occasions, failing to double the lead several times thanks to Milinkovic-Savic, amazing on a header from Olivera and on a close-range shot from Simeone. In the defensive phase, there is little to add, given that the Granata were no longer able to create any danger, also due to Conte's changes, focused above all on defending the precious 0-1.
Conte: “A great win and a great performance. McTominay? Happy to have chosen him”
"I'm happy with the result and the performance, Torino is never easy to face in this stadium and in this environment – the analysis of Tale -. For me, Toro is a great team and Vanoli is doing a great job. Of course, it must also be said that their goalkeeper was very good, he made some important saves, only his skill prevented us from scoring other goals. We attacked the area in a bad way, we are training a lot from this point of view and I am very happy, then it is inevitable to build a solid team if you want to get to play in Europe. McTominay? We were good because he wasn't a regular at Manchester United, I knew him very well and Manna was very good at working behind the scenes to bring him here. It's inevitable that everyone wants revenge, I'm happy I didn't miss a beat with him".
Lecce – Juventus 1-1: Rebic outwits the Old Lady in injury time, Thiago Motta accused
The climate is decidedly less serene at Juve, where we need to comment on yet another draw in a season marked by Xs. It is useless to repeat the statistical figures already listed after the 0-0 in Milan and Birmingham, also because this one in Lecce is decidedly different. In fact, at the Via del Mare, a real joke was committed that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the Old Lady, caught up in full recovery by Giampaolo's Giallorossi. The1-1 final score signed by Rebic hurts the black and whites very much, partly because of a less and less cheerful standings (the points gap from Napoli has become six), and partly because of a victory that was practically in the bag and slipped away right before the final whistle. The regret is great and goes beyond the episode, born from a lost ball by Cambiaso (up to that point one of the best) and finished off to perfection by Krstovic, for the poisoned tap-in by the ex-Milan player Rebic. Once again, in fact, the Juve failed to close the match, making the most of a first half dominated by them (the missed opportunity by Thuram and the post by Conceiçao were sensational) and ending up being sucked in by Lecce in a second half characterised by a back and forth, in which they could have closed the whole discussion (even if on the Cambiaso's goal Gaspar's deviation is decisive), but also suffer the mockery-draw. The second option came true, forcing Thiago Motta to explain the reason for certain changes (out Conceiçao, Yildiz and Gatti, in the youngsters Pugno, Mbangula and Rouhi) and an increasingly deficient ranking, at least at the championship level.
Thiago Motta: “We have dropped too much, we must learn from our mistakes”
“In the second half we resentful of the many absences – he sighed Thiago Motta -. We did well in the first half, then we dropped off in the second half and Lecce came out. We have to improve, learn from our mistakes and prepare for the next match. The goal conceded? It's not Cambiaso's fault, he made his choice, goals are conceded for many small mistakes, even if we could have avoided it at the last minute. Now let's think about the next one and improving. Why don't I put Yildiz as a centre-forward? He can do it, he did it for a moment against Lille. Against compact teams we have to get to the area and in the first half we did it with him and Conceiçao. He has freedom and can do it perfectly, even if I see him more to get to the area than to be there, in any case he knows how to do both things and here I chose Weah who is helping the team a lot. Bove? I'm sorry for him, for his teammates and above all for his family, because going through certain things is terrible. Let's hope he gets better, that he's well, that he recovers in the best possible time and that the family can calm down".
Parma – Lazio 3-1: Baroni falls under the blows of Man, Haj and Delprato
Lazio's run stops, defeated in Parma after a practically perfect month and a half. The 3-1 final score burns, but the dukes didn't steal anything: Pecchia confirms his role as a giant-killer, as he adds another notch after the victory over Milan and the draw against Fiorentina and Juventus. The Biancocelesti still come out with their heads held high, in light of a KO son first of all of the episodesThe first came after just 2' when the referee disallowed Rovella's goal for a foul on Haj, after which the same midfielder created Parma's lead with an unfortunate pass to Male, for the sensational 1-0 (6'). The match was therefore overturned, with Lazio forced to attack a closed team, but always ready for dangerous counterattacks. Baroni thought he could still turn it around, but at the beginning of the second half here is the super play by the very young Mohamed Haj, eighteen-year-old Tunisian launched by surprise by Pecchia, very good at beating Provedel with a screaming right-footed shot (53'). At that point the idea of a comeback became very difficult to achieve, even if Lazio's hopes were rekindled in the 81st minute: clumsy error by the Valeri-Suzuki duo and Easy easy tap-in by Castellanos. A draw was possible, or rather not, because with Lazio completely unbalanced in attack, Parma took advantage of it, closing the match with the 3-1 by Delprato in open field (90+1').
Baroni: “Sorry for the result, but the path is the right one”
"I feel sorry for our fans, as always, many came and saw a generous team that did everything to win – the words of Baroni -. We created generously, crossed and shot many times like against Ludogorets: 95 entries into the area, 32 crosses, 16 conclusions of which 8 on target, this is the way. There are moments when the ball doesn't move well, we have to do something more and be clear-headed, but the team played a good match except for the two errors on the goals. At that moment there was the desire, there were still several minutes to go, but I liked the management of the match. Napoli? Let's see, we will definitely try to recover Dia, these guys give us absolute guarantees anyway. Rovella's mistake? That is a play that I ask for, I don't even consider it a mistake. I only ask to grow and not repeat these situations, we are hurt and saddened, but I would be more worried if we had won playing badly and not deservingly".
Roma – Atalanta (20pm, Dazn and Sky)
The 14th day's roll call is still missing match in Rome between Ranieri's Giallorossi and Gasperini's Atalanta. Until a few months ago it would have been a challenge for the Champions League, today however it makes no sense to talk about a direct clash, in light of the 15 points that separate the two teams. very successful Goddess (10 wins in the last 11 games between the league and the cup) even finds himself thinking about the championship, while the Rome must first put the pieces back together of reckless management, and then think about it from match to match and see what he can do.
The Ranieri Cure, judging from the match against Tottenham, has already brought the first results, despite a calendar that is anything but lenient. From tomorrow, at least on paper, things will definitely be better with Lecce, Braga, Como, Sampdoria (Coppa Italia) and Parma, but this does not mean that the Giallorossi do not have to do everything to win today, gaining fundamental points also from a psychological point of view. The Goddess does not have these problems, however, capable of win by scoring tons of goals both in the league and in the Champions League, so much so as to make goals (with the exception of the superstitious Gasperini) unthinkable until a few months ago acceptable.
Ranieri: “We have seen a glimmer of light, but we still need time”
“In London there was a glimmer of light, I have seen players who they want something positive - has explained Ranieri -. Now we have to make our fans proud. We are not as well as I would like, but it is not possible after just 10 days, however the negative notes of Naples have faded. We can win or lose, but I repeat: we must make the fans proud. Since September 24, Atalanta has had 10 victories and 2 draws, scoring 35 goals, it is first for goals scored, for chances created, for shots on target. TheAtalanta eats you and I don't want my team to be eaten, so I expect a great match. I would like the fans to leave the stadium saying 'Finally they did everything they were supposed to do'. We have important players that we are trying to bring back to their beauty, then it will be the future coach who decides who to keep. Rome was not built overnight, so give us more time”.
Roma – Atalanta, probable formations
Rome (3-5-2): Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Koné, Cristante, Pellegrini, Angelino; Dybala, Dovbyk
On the bench: Ryan, Marin, Sangaré, Abdulhamid, Dahl, Dybala, Paredes, Le Fée, Zalewski, Celik, Baldanzi, El Shaarawy
Coach: Ranieri
Unavailable: Beautiful, Shomurodov§
Disqualified: Peas
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Retegui
On the bench: Rui Patricio, Rossi, Toloi, Kossounou, Scalvini, Godfrey, Palestra, Sulemana, Brescianini, Cuadrado, Samardzic, Pasalic, Zaniolo
Coach: Gasperini (suspended, Gritti on the bench)
Unavailable: Scamacca, Zappacosta
Disqualified: nobody
