Torino have found their first Serie A win of the season with a comeback victory at Fiorentina, overturning a deficit through goals from Mandragora and Ché Adams, but the performance reveals a squad still searching for stability under coach Ignazio Abate. After defeats to Milan and Sassuolo and elimination from the Coppa Italia by Monza, the Torino manager has experimented with multiple formations—starting with a 3-4-2-1 before shifting into 3-5-1-1 or 3-5-2 in recent weeks. The underlying picture is of a side that concedes heavily but becomes far more dangerous when defensive shape breaks down and space opens up.
The statistics underline the instability. Across the first three matches, Torino registered 25 shots while allowing 52. Even in the Fiorentina win, despite controlling over 60% of possession, they managed only seven shots to Fiorentina's fourteen. More striking is the timing of goals: seven of the nine scored or conceded by Torino in the opening three games came in the second half. Against Milan the score remained 0-0 until the 64th minute; against Fiorentina all three goals arrived after the interval. This second-half pattern points to both Torino's strength and weakness: they exploit wider running, loose balls and the variety of their forward options more effectively as spaces expand, but simultaneously expose themselves to rapid counter-attacks into the final third.
Abate's attacking resources offer genuine threat. Cacciamani on the left breaks equilibrium through aggressive man-marking and width; Vlašić connects midfield and attack; Mandragora brings quality, experience and long-range threat. In the Fiorentina match, Abate shifted the shape to 4-3-1-2 midway through, inserting Simeone alongside Adams to add offensive weight and presence—the move directly preceded the completion of the comeback. Adams, though unavailable for tomorrow, moves freely, links play and has already scored twice in the league. Simeone provides penetration and box aggression; Zapata represents a physical alternative. Roma's counter-threat lies in pressing Torino's early passes—where they build from the back—to generate recoveries in dangerous areas, and in exploiting the gaps left at the flanks of Torino's three defenders when their full-backs advance.
The warning for Roma is that Torino have already demonstrated they can transform matches mid-contest, adding a forward and converting a controlled, static contest into a vertical, physical affair. The squad's true strength at this stage of the season is not consistent play but capacity to survive difficulty and ignite suddenly.
Testo Originale / Source Text
“Non è ancora il Torino che Ignazio Abate vorrebbe vedere, ma comincia ad assomigliargli. Dopo le sconfitte contro Milan e Sassuolo e l’eliminazione dalla Coppa Italia contro il Monza, i granata hanno trovato la prima vittoria in campionato sul campo della Fiorentina, rimontando lo svantaggio con le…”
Read the full article in Italian at GialloRossi.net.
