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Torino coach Paolo Vanoli spoke at the end of the match against Empoli, valid for the twenty-ninth round of Serie A.

A goal by Nikola Vlasic in the 70th minute of play allows Torino to beat Empoli and climb to 38 points in the standings, just -2 from Udinese who was surprisingly defeated by Hellas Verona. On the other hand, it’s a black crisis for the Tuscans, who haven’t won since the 1-4 against Bentegodi on December 8: since then, only 3 points in the following 14 Serie A matches, with the only satisfaction of eliminating Juventus in the Coppa Italia. The blues remain third to last, -3 from the safety zone, and risk being caught by Venice.

Torino-Empoli 1-0: Vanoli’s words after the match

At the end of the match, Torino coach Paolo Vanoli was intercepted by DAZN microphones. Here are his words.

Celebration at the final whistle
“It’s my passion, my desire to lead the boys to achieve something important. 10 points in the last 4 matches are not few: today’s match was the toughest, they were coming from negative results but they were always in the game. We need to become more skilled against those who play man-to-man all over the field. If we have the mentality we showed tonight, individual quality emerges. And Vlasic‘s quality was evident. We were good at suffering. In the first half, we didn’t start with the right attention, perhaps also because in the 4-3-3 formation, Vlasic wide was struggling, he likes to be in the center of the game. I asked Gineitis to sacrifice himself on Pezzella, I chose him to make the first plays towards Adams. We got three important points, suffering: I like it, it reflects the DNA of the garnet shirt.”

The garnet fans
“I always try to understand the history and I want to transfer it to the players. It’s important to understand where you’re going to work and find players suitable for Torino. Every city must find its own players. We made a good transfer in January for this reason, because we got functional elements with that mentality. It’s an important step to build. I didn’t like saying we have no goals, tonight we showed that we want to fight until the end and always try to win. The 10 points in the last 4 matches are also thanks to the fans. I encouraged them because it was a moment of suffering, I wanted them to push the team together with me. Maybe it’s a dream, but little by little I’m putting a piece at a time… I had goosebumps in Monza and Parma, it felt like playing at home. I have always said that our fans are too important: we have lost stupid points, but if these people come, they understand that we are giving 200%.”

Walukiewicz’s substitution
“He had a relapse of the problem he had during the week. We talked to Lazaro, he made himself available but didn’t have the 90 minutes. And on Sanabria, it was the doctor who stopped him, there were some doubts after the scan and he told me not to risk it. I want this spirit: Walukiewicz gave everything, even Lazaro wanted to be there. And also Sanabria, it was only the doctor who stopped him but he wanted to be there. It’s a small, but significant step forward.”

PAOLO VANOLI’S OUTBURST (PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI)

These are the statements the coach made to DAZN microphones.

Match analysis
“I would say well, the boys despite the difficulties managed to stay in the game and understand the moments of the match. We knew we were going to face a lively team, which also showed tonight. We started with some fear but when they play man-to-man against you, you have to be faster in moving the ball. I must say that the boys showed they want to achieve something important.”

Honoring the shirt
“When I start working at a club, I look at the history. And this is a club with an important history and we must always honor it. I always tell my boys that we have to lead the fans but I must say that the fans are also giving us a big hand. We must always have the DNA of Torino inside us because great results don’t come if you don’t know the history. Sometimes we have thrown away points but this team is running in the second half of the season. Tonight we stayed in the game against a dangerous opponent.”

The standings and objectives
“Since the second half of the season, we have stepped up by getting 10 points in the last 4 matches. We are having continuity even though we have also lost points from winning positions against Parma or Bologna. I don’t look at the standings. For me, from here on it will be 12 finals and we must always have a winning mentality. Every match will be against teams with different motivations, after the break there will be Lazio who wants to go to Europe. We must always be up to the task.”

What has changed since January
“The turning point was leaving the past behind and switching to a back four. We left a three-year process and completely changed, starting a new path.”