Hellas Verona - Calcio's Surprise Package

The 2019/20 season, when it was in full flow, provided some interesting stories in calcio (that's Italian for football, or soccer). Lazio making their best shot at a title challenge since winning the scudetto in 2000 and Atalanta continuing to turn heads with their goal-scoring under Gasperini being the main ones. However, an underappreciated performance is that of Hellas Verona, led by Ivan Juric, back in the first division after a year in Serie B. The team is 8th, amassing 35 points from 25 games, a solid return for a team predicted to be in a relegation fight. Statistically, the numbers are unremarkable. 29 goals for, 26 goals against (xG 36, xGA 35). Given the lack of hype around the side, I figured I’d take a closer look at how they’ve achieved success this season. The main areas of focus here are passing/possession, shooting and defending. Starting with passing, the five players with the highest number of passes are Lazovic, Amrabat, Faraoni, Rrahmani and Veloso. Amrabat is the metronome of the side, leading the team in passes from open play and ranking second in passes under pressure (Pessina is slightly ahead, though he plays higher up the pitch). Playing a 3-4-3 system with wing backs, Lazovic and Faraoni create width and thus, chances in front of goal. A bit like Atalanta, actually, for those who are familiar with Gasperini and his squad, but without Ilicic and Gomez up front. This can be seen in the lack of goals in general in the team. The top scorer is Pazzini with a whopping 4 goals, followed by Di Carmine and Faraoni with 3. Another point with the system is, unlike Atalanta, the players in the “attacking midfield” positions drop deep and go out wide more than staying static in their given spots on the pitch. This adds a bit of steel to the midfield two and allows the wing backs to push forward, as they are covered if the attack fizzles out. The following paragraphs outline three matches in particular that I decided to re-watch and analyze, as they featured teams that presented unique challenges.

Atalanta (A)- 5 goals to analyze here, including the two for Verona from Di Carmine. Kumbulla did not play this game, plus it was against the highest scorers in the league, so it’s not shocking that they conceded 3. Going chronologically, the first goal comes in the 23rd minute. To put it simply, Atalanta lose their concentration entirely from a throw-in and Di Carmine is in 1 v 1 against Gollini, who maybe could have done better. Malinovskyi later equalizes before halftime with a nice strike from outside the box, though he should have been closed down. Verona were sitting back and looking to hold on until the break, but we all know what happens when teams invite pressure. In the second half Atalanta got it together, taking possession stats dramatically in their favor, from about 46% at the end of the first half to 58% at FT. The 2-1 goal was from Verona was against the run of play, with a well-executed counter attack catching Atalanta off guard. None of the goals the visitors conceded were special, really. First is a penalty that comes out of nothing, as Castagne ghosts in ahead of Faraoni on the back post, and the latter fouls the Atalanta man as he does not know he’s there. Stoppage time is when the winner occurs, having seen the visitors down to 10 men on a silly second yellow by Dawidowicz. In typical Atalanta fashion, they get the ball to the right half space, drop it back to the middle (Palomino), send in a ball to Toloi, who’s got his back to goal, and he flicks it past adjacent defender to Djimsiti, who finishes coolly. It’s a sloppy goal to concede, though in fairness, it came at the death, as well as a man down. What worked for Verona in this match was exploiting the wide areas. Atalanta leave space out wide, which makes sense considering they play with extremely attacking wing backs and three forwards. It leaves them vulnerable to counter attacks, as well, which is seen in Verona’s second goal. They try to counter press after losing the ball, and it’s ineffective, so Verona have numbers going forward. The two CM’s do a great job receiving the ball from defense and finding the wing backs, as well as joining the attack. The system is a mix of Atalanta and Parma, in Serie A terms. Defensively solid, looking to counter (mostly because the attack is not good), but with attacking wing-backs and progressive CM’s that create the majority of attacking opportunities. A common theme with “smaller”, more counter-attacking teams is the pass accuracy is almost always low, compared to big sides that dominate possession. This is consistent with Verona. They were reacting, rather than being proactive, but that’s to be expected facing two giants and the hottest team in the league.

Milan (A)- not much new to add here; Milan are worse than Atalanta, and at this point of the season (January) were incredibly poor and low on confidence. Verona got numbers forward, more than against Atalanta, and created a number of chances. That said, after going in front they set up shop, looking to soak up pressure and hit on the break. In the end, it came down to Milan’s lack of ability rather than Verona doing anything special to pick up a point away from home. Stats back this up. 19-8 in chances created, 26-7 in terms of shots, 60-40 possession. Of Milan’s 26 shots, nearly half (12) were off target, and 9 were blocked. Meaning only 5 were on target, which is only one more than Verona's 4. 13 of the Milan shots were inside the box. Verona also hit the woodwork twice. The triangle of Zaccagni, Veloso and Lazovic was most effective this match, attacking Milan’s porous defense. Faraoni also got forward time and time again, taking advantage of space left by Theo, who plays more like an attacking wing-back than an LB.

Juventus (H)- Unlike the other two games, Verona took it to Juventus here, as the stats would suggest, and came away with a 2-1 victory. Psychologically, there is a feeling that players can play with more aggression and confidence at home, as the fans in the stadium cheer them on for the 90 minutes. Of course, this may change with the current situation, but that's neither here nor there. Compared to the previous matches, Verona had a higher pass accuracy (80%, compared to Juve's 82%) and held more possession than away from home (46% compared to 42% and 40%), despite playing the top team in Serie A. Juventus, to be fair, have been underwhelming in the league for years, and it's to be expected with a new manager that there will be growing pains as the squad adapts to a drastically different style of play. The game itself was entertaining, with the first big moment coming in the 19th minute. Douglas Costa was through on goal as Verona were caught out after pushing numbers forward, but the Brazilian hit the post, a let off for the hosts. Soon after, Kumbulla thought he'd scored from a corner, but after a VAR review, the goal was disallowed as the defender was judged to have been marginally offside. Cristiano Ronaldo performed well, despite his team losing, and was the man of the match. He created a few more opportunities that were squandered, including another post later in the half. Zaccagni set up Lazovic as well, though his effort was off target. 0-0 was the score at the break. The second half livened up, starting with a substitution by each side near the 60' mark. Borini had a chance for Verona before Ronaldo put Juventus ahead on 65'. Hellas committed men forward again, allowing Cristiano to play a 1-2 with Bentacur, who played him in, leaving the world-class striker 1 v 1 with Rrahmani. As we've seen hundreds of times, most defenders cannot contain Cristiano Ronaldo. This time was no different, as the number 7 powered his way to yet another goal. Ten minutes later, after one or two chances per side, Verona equalized on what I'll describe as a fluke goal. Borini somehow found himself on the end of two lucky bounces, one in particular coming from a Pjanic tackle, creating a 1 v 1 opportunity against Szczesny. The enigmatic striker made no mistake, running off towards the crowd in the Bentegodi to do his trademark celebration. Many teams give up when Juventus go ahead, so credit to Juric and his men for continuing to believe that they could get a result. The three points were secured for Verona via a penalty in the 86th minute. Kumbulla rose highest, finding himself on the end of another delicious cross, and Bonucci was deemed to have handled the shot after a VAR review. Pazzini took the resulting spot kick, converting to send the fans and his teammates into a frenzy. Juventus, in the unfamiliar position of trailing late in a Serie A match, piled on the pressure, but the Verona defense held strong. A massive win for the hosts, having beaten the 7-time consecutive champions in their first season back in the top flight.

In conclusion, the main takeaway from Verona this season is defensive solidity. They rank first in clean sheet percentage*, second in safe percentage, and have the third best defensive record in the league. Passing wise, they are below average, and their forwards do not create/receive many chances. The ones they do create are dispatched at a decent rate. The side leads the league in passes with the head, as well as offside calls, which shows the direct nature of their play. In terms of duels, they are second bottom in number of times dribbled past, and fourth in tackle percentage. Despite being average on number of tackles made, which is partly due to them sitting deep, compared to other teams, they are efficient in the tackle and are one of the best at not getting dribble past. Likewise, they are fourth in pressuring success percentage, so when they do press after losing possession, they are coordinated and win the ball back more often than most sides in the division. On the other hand, they are last in number of times dispossessed; despite not being particularly creative, they retain the ball when they do have it. Finally, they are third in recoveries; once again, this illustrates the effectiveness of pressing and team commitment, something Juric must be praised for. While the team is not particularly exciting to watch, they work together seamlessly, fighting for everything, and it has paid off in their league position. For those of the Premier League persuasion, think of Sheffield United. A cohesive unit with no real standout player that relies on its defense and organization, as well as timely goals.

*All stats in this paragraph are from fbref.com.