Rice as a great craftsman of the English coronation, the Italian defensive wanderings … The tops and flops of the C4 final

2023-06-07 23:51:24

Rice shines, Milenkovic disappoints REUTERS / DAVID W CERNY / REUTERS / BERNADETT SZABO

West Ham won the Europa League Conference final (1-2) against Fiorentina on Wednesday evening. The tops and flops after this suspenseful meeting.

TOPS

Declan Rice Bake and Mill

Without him, the English collective would have collapsed. Coveted by almost all the Premier League cadors, Declan Rice once again released a flamboyant performance tonight. Even if he is not involved in the two goals of his team, he is the fundamental, central element, at the heart of the game of David Moyes’ training. Both valuable in defense as in his intervention against Nicolas Gonzalez (4th) on the side but also in attack, with distant attempts (13th). The English international finished the match with 82% of successful passes, as well as five duels won out of his seven. He only lost seven balls over the 90 minutes. As a symbol, he lifted the cup as captain for his probable last game at the Hammers.

The Hammers’ offensive vice

If Declan Rice embodied the clean and regular distiller, several other offensive elements showed themselves, not constantly dangerous, but very realistic in front of the cages. West Ham won the final 2-1 having attempted only eight strikes but framing five shots. They knew how to take advantage of the slightest opportunity, the slightest opportunity to make the Viola doubt. They did not even hesitate to cause contact in attack to win a penalty on a hand. On several occasions, Saïd Benhrama and Jarrod Bowen came for the Italian defenders in the hope of obtaining a free kick, a corner or a penalty. Everything for set pieces. A cruelly effective recipe.

Read alsoEuropa League Conference: at the end of the suspense, West Ham wins the final against Fiorentina

FLOPS

The defensive wanderings of the Viola

How cruel it is for Fiorentina … Vincenzo Italiano’s proteges believed in it but made more than regrettable mistakes. The best symbol being this last defensive action. Goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano asked all his players to come up and on his clearance, the Viola lost the ball in the air, which left all the space for Jarrod Bowen to take the depth and thus deceive the Italian goalkeeper. Without committing real big individual errors, it is collectively that the Tuscans have plunged to the back of their block. Nikola Milenković seemed less consistent than usual, Luca Ranieri was sometimes too rough in his decisions and veteran Cristiano Biraghi sometimes indulged in avoidable fouls. No coincidence that the rare English opportunities were precious.

The lack of realism of Fiorentina

But it’s not just the defense to debate. How could the Viola win this meeting by framing only four shots out of 17 attempts? Already in a classic match, it is hardly possible. In a high-stakes final where every ball is important, this is an almost impossible quest. Apart from the twirling and useful wingers who ensured to overflow with Nicolas Gonzalez and Christian Kouamé, the rest of the Viola lacked a real scorer. Neither Luka Jovic nor Arthur Cabral have been able to be as dangerous, realistic and efficient as usual this season. Yes, Fiorentina can harbor regrets, a lot of regrets.