Chapter 203: A Moment of Peace
Niels leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on the screen. He scrolled through the Fiorentina footage, watching clips from their last three matches.
They moved the ball quickly, used the wings well, and pressed high when they lost it.
A tough match even if Crawley had already booked their place in the Round of 16.
He paused the video.
Possession recovery, that was the real threat.
Fiorentina hunted in packs, trapping wide players and springing forward like they'd rehearsed it a thousand times.
He rewatched a clip: 41st minute against Cagliari, Serie A match. Their right-back surged forward, played a one-two, and the entire front five reset in less than five seconds.
The footage played again, this time slower.
Niels watched their shape closely, a flexible 4-3-3 that turned into a 3-4-2-1 when they had the ball.
Their #6 was calm and smart, rarely moving past the halfway line but always controlling the game with short, precise passes.
