All issues thought of, Fiorentina followers have had much more issues to cry about than to smile about this season. With 13 video games left, La Viola occupy the relegation zone and discover themselves on monitor to descend to Serie B for the primary time since 2004, with the Tuscany aspect presently sitting six factors above Pisa and Hellas Verona and three away from security. Nevertheless, for the primary time all season, they’ve strung collectively back-to-back victories, having received 2-1 at Como earlier than demolishing Jagiellonia Białystok 3-0 in Poland. In doing so, they killed two birds with one stone, all however securing their spot within the UEFA Convention League Spherical of 16 and permitting them to place all of their power into their upcoming match in opposition to Pisa.
If Fiorentina are to eke out the victory of their upcoming relegation six-pointer, they’ll want Rolando Mandragora to be at his good finest. Versus the overwhelming majority of his teammates, Mandragora has not suffered a pointy downturn in his particular person type this season; as an alternative, he’s led by instance and established himself as an important cog in midfield. Regardless of not working in an attacking position, the 28-year-old ranks second in Fiorentina’s squad for objectives (6) and objective contributions (7) in behind ex-Juventus teammate Moise Kean, while he additionally ranks second for whole pictures per sport (2.0), and third for scoring frequency (objective each 299 minutes) and key passes per sport (1.0).
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Mandragora appears to be like set to play an important position as Fiorentina search to stave off the drop and ensure their spot in Serie A, however he’s additionally primed to assist La Viola pursue one more deep run within the UEFA Convention League. Since becoming a member of in 2022, Mandragora has steered Fiorentina to the ultimate in 2023 and 2024 and the semifinals in 2025, and there’s cause to imagine that he might very nicely assist them put an finish to a 25-year drought. Certainly, while Thursday’s victory in Poland might very nicely have been a much-needed improved efficiency for fairly just a few Fiorentina gamers, for Mandragora, it was merely one other day on the workplace.
Jagiellonia have been capable of rattle Fiorentina’s cage and dominate the early proceedings, and it appeared it was solely a matter of time earlier than they broke the impasse. However while Fiorentina bent, they by no means broke thanks largely to Mandragora, who set the tone early on for his work out of possession. Whether or not it was stretching out a foot to forestall a go from reaching its desired goal, or anticipating a shot and stepping up with an important clearance, Mandragora was capable of impose himself in a variety of methods. And though he conceded two fouls within the first quarter-hour and obtained booked earlier than the interval, he however led by instance on and off the ball, consistently scanning the pitch and shifting from contributing to the press, shifting horizontally to shut down open house, and dropping into defensive roles and providing an additional hand on the again. We will see an instance of this within the twentieth minute, when after diligently monitoring his man, he strikes up earlier than gently backing away and awaiting his transfer. Simply as he goes to finish a step-over, Mandragora steps in and whacks the ball out of hazard.
Fiorentina’s first likelihood got here within the twenty fourth minute as Mandragora dialed in a tempting free kick in direction of Robin Gosens, who headed north. Their subsequent alternative got here 14 minutes later as Mandragora, after intensely marking his man and lecturing his teammates about the place to place themselves, determined to placed on the afterburners and power a giveaway on the midway line. While Jagiellonia instantly recovered possession, they promptly coughed it up once more as Fiorentina congested numbers across the field and rotated the ball round earlier than ultimately discovering Mandragora, who allowed the ball to roll onto his left earlier than carving out a ravishing cross to Giovanni Fabian, who then fired a tepid volley into Sławomir Abramowicz’s grasp.
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The momentum lastly swung in Fiorentina’s favor within the 53rd minute as Luca Ranieri headed dwelling from a nook kick. Buoyed by their raucous dwelling help, Jagiellonia responded with wave after wave of strain, however Fiorentina held agency because of their captain with out an armband, who helped to direct his teammates to the place they need to go and transfer to, and who consistently had his head on a swivel to identify which areas wanted plugging. And within the sixty fifth minute, he stepped up and executed a lethal free kick into the highest left nook.
You might decide Manuel Neuer, Lev Yashin, or every other goalkeeper within the historical past of the game, you would inform them precisely the place the shot was going – they nonetheless would don’t have any technique of stopping it. However whereas Mandragora stole the present together with his first-class supply, it was his soiled work off the ball that basically proved important for the consequence. Like right here, when after noticing his teammate has pushed ahead, he pulls in direction of the byline and holds his floor earlier than calmly intercepting the go together with his chest and shortly dishing it off to a different purple shirt. He took a sore one to his again for his troubles, however he’d do it one other 1,000 occasions if it meant stopping a possible scoring alternative.
However whereas he stood out because of his skill to place out fires and stop them earlier than they began, he additionally marvelled because of his wand of a left foot. Much like different gamers like , he has a fashion of figuring out what to do with the ball earlier than it even arrives at his laces. He barely had any time to understand the ball earlier than carving via the hosts’ protection like a knife via butter and teeing up an unmarked Fabiano Parisi, who ventured ahead to create a scoring likelihood that finally did not materialize.
Mandragora continued to supply readability in possession and maintain his nerve, be that spraying the ball round with ease or clearing pictures out of his personal field with energy and precision, and even after Roberto Piccoli added a 3rd from the penalty spot, he by no means let his guard down. As a substitute, he dug his heels in and defended the consequence as if his life relied on it, serving to Fiorentina safe their first clear sheet since October 23. All issues thought of, Mandragora registered three key passes and accomplished every of his three cross makes an attempt, registered two pictures, and made 10 defensive contributions en path to a Man of the Match efficiency. He additionally made three tackles, 4 clearances, 4 recoveries, and received seven of his 9 duels, and out of his 49 touches, solely 3 have been unsuccessful.
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Rolando Mandragora has already confirmed himself as an indispensable determine in each home and worldwide competitors for Fiorentina, however now, can he assist Fiorentina decide up their first dwelling win since January 4?