Fiorentina Vs Real Betis [2-2] UECL Semi-Final 2024/2025: Raffaele Palladino Set-Piece Tactics & Manuel Pellegrini Counter-Attacks – Tactical Analysis

Fiorentina met Real Betis for the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals second leg on Thursday.

The game ended with a 2-2 draw, which meant Real Betis qualified for the Europa Conference League final with a final score of 3-4 on aggregate.

Although this result is disappointing for ACF Fiorentina and their fans, keeping their chances until the last minute against a powerful Spanish side like Real Betis means that Fiorentina did not perform badly in either leg.

More importantly, Fiorentina were exceptional and decisive in terms of set-pieces as they scored both goals from set-pieces in this second leg.

This tactical analysis article will mainly cover Fiorentina’s set-piece strategies and their application in this match, based on episodes of some of the most remarkable set-pieces, including the two goals.

The analysis will also include a section studying Real Betis’ effective counterattacking plans and their successful usage in this match.

Fiorentina Vs Real Betis Lineups & Formations

Raffaele Palladino did not change his preferred 3-5-2 formation in this match.

He played both legs using the same formation but with a few changes in terms of participating players from the start.

Fiorentina Vs Real Betis Lineups

Palladino started the match with David de Gea as a goalkeeper and Marin Pongračić, Pietro Comuzzo and Luca Ranieri as centre-backs.

The midfield was composed of Yacine Adli as a defensive midfielder, a useful player who did not start the first leg, Rolando Mandragora and Nicolò Fagioli as central midfielders, Dodô as a right winger as opposed to the first leg during which Palladino preferred to start with Fabiano Parisi, and Robin Gosens as a left winger.

In attack, the team relied on an attacking duo consisting of Moise Kean, who did not participate in the first leg, and Albert Guðmundsson.

During the match, Palladino made five changes to try to turn the tables on Real Betis.

These changes included Lucas Beltrán, Nicolò Zaniolo, Andrea Colpani, Amir Richardson, Fabiano Parisi, and Michael Folorunsho.

On the other hand, Manuel Pellegrini opted for the 4-2-3-1 formation using Fran Vieites as a goalkeeper, Youssouf Sabaly as a right-back, Marc Bartra and Natan as centre-backs, and Ricardo Rodriguez as a left-back.

The midfield duo was Johnny Cardoso and Giovani Lo Celso, while the attack was Antony on the right wing, Pablo Fornals on the left wing, Isco as an advanced playmaker, and Cédric Bakambu as the main striker.

Pellegrini also made six changes, subbing on Héctor Bellerín, Abde Ezzalzouli, Sergi Altimira, Aitor Ruibal, Nobel Mendy, and Pablo García.

Fiorentina Corner Tactics

During this match, Fiorentina showed on more than one occasion that they can be very dangerous during corner kicks, and they confirmed this with their first goal.

Fiorentina Corner Tactics: Plan A

Initially, Fiorentina planned not to play corner kicks directly towards the box but to pass them backwards twice and then aim at crossing them to the far post, where a player would advance at the back of the defensive line to head the ball to the middle of the box.