They are not the best defenders in Italy, they are not the best defensive pair in Italy and so on. But Luca Ranieri together with Pietro Comuzzoin the defensive phase and in Raffaele Palladino’s game, are the best there can be for Florence and Fiorentina. We often talk about it and the two Viola central defenders sublimate the concept of ‘functionality’ more than ever and tell more than ever about the coach’s ability to have identified in two players who were initially certainly not starters (indeed) the perfect ones for his philosophy.
Making comparisons with Palladino’s game at Monza is almost impossiblegiven that with the Brianza team his tactical dogma was a 3-4-2-1. In the analysis, therefore, we consider one of Armando Izzo and Andrea Carboni ‘removed’, one of the two arms. Considering Comuzzo’s physicality and toughness, perhaps Carboni. Pablo Mari remains, therefore the central defender who is good at marking, in duels, in melees, but also in the construction phase with openings towards the outside, similar to Ranieri.
However, it is a central defense never seen before for Palladino. For this reason we have to ask ourselves when he will return, what role Martin Pongracic will have, because he is certainly a player who knows how to set up, who is perhaps less rocky, but who has difficulty defending in the run towards his goalkeeper. He was paid very dearly, so it will be interesting how he will try to break the hierarchies as well as Lucas Martinez Quarta. Who alternates with the other two starters but who, at this precise moment, seems to start behind Comuzzo and Ranieri. Who started behind in the hierarchies, also because the four-man defense was not contemplated. Well done Palladino for not looking at the past, for not thinking only about tactical dogmas but knowing how to reinvent himself and discover (or rediscover) players. The history of his two central defenders confirms this.