Torino coach Paolo Vanoli released statements in a press conference ahead of the match against Bologna valid for the 17th round

Former Venezia coach and current Torino manager Paolo Vanoli released statements in a press conference ahead of the match against Bologna scheduled for Friday, December 21 at 15:00 at the Olimpico Grande Torino stadium.

Torino, Vanoli’s words

Below are the statements made by Torino manager Paolo Vanoli in a press conference ahead of the league match against Bologna:

How is the team doing?

“Good. As every week, there are some minor absences, we hope to have more peaceful weeks in the future. Sosa had a virus but has recovered, even Ricci had a problem but should be available. For the rest, everyone is fine.”

And Ilic?

“He is fine, part of the group. He needs to be ready and willing to help the team.

He has important qualities, like Vlasic, but in football, qualities are not enough on their own. You have to put the team first, he needs to put the team ahead of himself.”

How do you see Bologna?

“A nice challenge against an important team. I played with Italiano in Verona, he deserves where he is because he has principles.

It’s an intense and aggressive team, we shouldn’t make mistakes in the initial build-up as they turn mistakes into goal-scoring opportunities. We have to stay in the game and develop our ideas.”

Was Empoli the turning point?

“When you go through periods without wins, you lose some self-esteem. But in these two months, we’ve been good at keeping our heads up and moving forward with our ideas: I had seen growth for three weeks, the Empoli victory was the culmination.

But we haven’t done anything yet, it’s a long process. We’ve had two moments: a first beautiful one that excited us, then a total crisis. Now we’re looking for balance with our feet on the ground.”

Do you see Vlasic as an attacking winger?

“No, I prefer him more in the middle of the field. He has quality and knows how to protect the ball, he wants to be in the thick of the game. He’s growing. When I talk about 3-4-3, it can develop in the possession phase.

But we defend with 3-5-2, Vlasic is a willing guy and if he puts himself at the service of the team, he can give us something more.”

Without Coco…

“Maripan plays.”

And what changes in defense? Will there be only one change?

“It’s a straightforward substitution. Castro is a player with depth, but Maripan has the experience to face him. Adjustments are made as a collective: Coco’s strength in open play is different from Maripan’s, we need to be more compact to protect their quality, which is long depth.

We need to find a balance, then if everyone makes themselves available in both situations, all offensive players can play.

The step I’m taking is the mentality: I want hungry and ambitious players. Today in football, you can’t afford to only do one phase.”

Is Sanabria affected by the long goal drought?

“I see him well, he needs to be more aggressive in seeking goals. He had a great opportunity at Empoli, he needs to shed the blood of the forwards.

He has the goals, he has shown it: now he needs the desire to break the net. Then the field is at his disposal.”

How is the search for a striker progressing?

“I’ve already talked about it, I don’t want to repeat myself: I’m focused on bringing home important points, the club knows how to do its job well.”

If Vlasic plays, where do you position Ricci? Can they play together?

“I’ve shown that everyone can play together. Let’s see how Ricci is and the situations, the important thing is to understand that the team is more important than anything.

This is what I’m seeing: those who start have support from the bench, and so on. This will be our victory.”

What response do you expect?

“I expect continuity. We’ve had excellent performances, with this victory I expect continuity. We can play at home and understand our level.”

Is playing at home a problem?

“It’s the best thing, with fans cheering us on. We need to rally the fans, they are united with us: the best thing is to play at home.”

Do you have the concept of a player who can change the game in half an hour like in rugby? Like Njie?

“I always look at other sports and have also read the book ‘Niente teste di cazzo,’ this is a very important aspect: there are players who can change games. When you build a team, it’s crucial.

The Italian league is tactically challenging, having someone who can make a difference is crucial. But this doesn’t mean that a player necessarily goes to the bench:

Njie and Karamoh have these characteristics, they come into the game well, and so have Vlasic and Adams, but this is a process to become important players from the first minutes.”

Could Lazaro start?

“Everyone can play. Lazaro is training well, he came on at Empoli and showed experience and ball-handling skills. They are all available.

Right now with Sosa fully recovered, at Empoli he showed his qualities, we are lucky to have four wingers who can play on the right or left.”

Given the need for reinforcements, do you believe you have been reassured? Does the club understand the absolute need for signings?

“You asked me if I had talked about the transfer market with the club, I replied that I had met the president and director to discuss this.

Without Zapata, we need an addition, as the president has reiterated. I want to close the topic, I want the players to focus on the next two important games.

The squad always needs to be complete, you can’t play with just 11 or 12 players, and we need to focus on what we can change, which is the field.”