CL Comment: Fiorentina's Purple Patch Goes On At Liverpool's Expense

Fiorentina have secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League - Anthony Wright looks at the Viola's achievement...

Nov 25, 2009 11:00:53 AM

Juan Manuel Vargas - Fiorentina (Getty Images)

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Juan Manuel Vargas - Fiorentina (Getty Images)

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After Fiorentina went down 1-0 to Olympique Lyonnais in the opening game of this year's Champions League, many bystanders thought, "Here we go again - Fiorentina are going to show up the lack of depth in Serie A, just like they did last year."

It was an unsurprising assessment. The Viola only won once in a group containing Bayern Munich, Lyon and Steaua Bucharest last year, and had been drawn against giants Liverpool, Lyon and Debrecen this time around.

This time around, Cesare Prandelli ensured that it was a different story. Stevan Jovetic showed his quality in both legs of the play-off with Sporting CP, rescuing his side with a goal in the second half of the second leg to ensure the Gigliati went through on away goals.

But they found themselves in a hard group. Liverpool had reached the knockout phase of the Champions League every year since 2003/04, when they competed in the UEFA Cup. Lyon had spent over €70m during the summer on players such as Lisandro Lopez - the Viola had spent less than a third of that. Debrecen, while they had the tag of minnows, were an unknown quantity as it was the first time they had qualified for the group stages.

Despite this, Fiorentina's big players stepped up to the plate when it mattered. They were unlucky to go down to 10 men against Lyon in the first match, but Jovetic showed his class once against with two goals against Liverpool at the Artemio Franchi. The Montenegrin had been something of an unknown in many parts of Europe, or simply dismissed as a "Football Manager talent", but he was the architect of a well-deserved victory against Rafa Benitez's side.

Vargas was superb in the group stage

It was heralded as a "surprise" by the English press, these plucky upstarts from Tuscany who had turned over the 2005 Champions League winners.

Prandelli's side continued to 'surprise' as they dispatched Debrecen before getting the crucial three points against Lyon on Tuesday. Admittedly, Liverpool's general performances were substandard this year and the fixture list worked in the Viola's favour, as their trip to Anfield is now essentially meaningless.

However, Juan Manuel Vargas' performances have deservedly established him with the reputation of one of Europe's finest left sided attacking midfielders, Sebastian Frey is ironing out the mistakes from his game, and Alberto Gilardino and Adrian Mutu are always a danger at the head of the attack.

How far Prandelli can take his side in the tournament heavily depends on the draw. The head-to-head between Lyon and Fiorentina is even, so their final placing could come down to goal difference. Should the Viola play one of the second-placed sides in the next round - among them currently are Unirea Urziceni and Wolfsburg - they could even reach the last eight. More likely, they will finish second. If that is the case, they could easily find themselves against one of Europe's leading lights.

But this is not the time for connotations and concern. Instead there will be celebrations as Florence enjoys the sensation of seeing their side qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in a decade.

Anthony Wright, Goal.com

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