Soccer-Serie A talking points

Talking points from the weekend's Serie A matches FIORENTINA A MESS OF THEIR OWN MAKING The return of Cesare Prandelli to Fiorentina is not working out, at all. Former Italy national team coach Prandelli, who managed La Viola between 2005 and 2010, returned to Florence in November, but has overseen just four league wins since taking charge, with Sunday's 3-3 draw against Parma piling the pressure on.

Talking points from the weekend's Serie A matches

FIORENTINA A MESS OF THEIR OWN MAKING The return of Cesare Prandelli to Fiorentina is not working out, at all.

Former Italy national team coach Prandelli, who managed La Viola between 2005 and 2010, returned to Florence in November, but has overseen just four league wins since taking charge, with Sunday's 3-3 draw against Parma piling the pressure on. There were angry fan protests against Fiorentina's recent poor form at the club's training last week, and after another error-strewn display on Sunday, those disgruntled supporters will be anything but appeased.

Fiorentina are 14th in the standings, six points above the relegation zone after a run of one win in seven league games. Prandelli has it all to do. A WIN NINE YEARS IN THE MAKING FOR COSMI

Last week, after years coaching a host of Serie B teams, Serse Cosmi got his chance to manage in Serie A again with Crotone, but he must have wondered what he had got himself into after losing 5-1 to Atalanta in his first game in charge. Undeterred, however, in the very next match, Cosmi steered Crotone to a 4-2 win over fellow strugglers Torino on Sunday, just the bottom side's second win of 2021, and Cosmi's first Serie A victory in nine years.

"I won't deny I suffered at being cast out from the top flight," Cosmi said. "Obviously, I feel marvellous, but I'd also be a hypocrite if I denied I've been waiting a long time for this moment." While it is fair to highlight how Torino's squad were decimated by a COVID-19 outbreak, Cosmi still did a fine job rousing his struggling Crotone side.

CHIESA INFLUENCE GROWING AT JUVE With Cristiano Ronaldo given a rest for Saturday's visit of top-four chasing Lazio, Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo needed something from his other key players to ensure the champions could close the gap on league leaders Inter Milan.

Alvaro Morata grabbed the headlines with his two goals inspiring Juve to a 3-1 win, yet it was another all-action display from Federico Chiesa that drove the Pirlo's side forward. The 23-year-old's fine finish in Porto three weeks ago kept Juve in their last 16 Champions League tie, while another assist for Morata's second on Saturday that put his side in front against Lazio came at a crucial time.

"After the draw in Verona (last weekend) something clicked," Chiesa told DAZN after the Lazio win. "From now on every match is a final. Let's play like this if we want to win the Scudetto."

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)