Torino’s Coppa Italia journey came to an abrupt end with a 2-1 defeat to Empoli at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. The home side was eliminated before reaching the round of 16, undone by Haas’ late goal. In the post-match interview, Torino manager Paolo Vanoli shared his thoughts on the disappointing result.
Vanoli began by analyzing his team’s performance: “In the first half, our attitude wasn’t wrong, but we were too slow with the ball in finding and seeing plays. Naturally, when you’re slow, you become predictable. We definitely improved in the second half. I had to change some things to speed up the game, but this defeat stings. I congratulate Empoli because they showed they’re in great form, came here and played with good personality. This should serve as a lesson for us.”
When questioned about his decision to start Milinkovic-Savic in goal, Vanoli explained: “I tried to field a lineup because we cared about doing well in this cup. Nothing against Alberto (Paleari) and Donnarumma, but at this moment, I have some difficulties at the back. With the recent arrivals and those who’ve just recovered, we’re not yet solid, and tonight we demonstrated that in some situations. So I needed at least one certainty there.”
Addressing whether this setback could be beneficial ahead of their match against Lazio, Vanoli stated: “We’ve always been grounded in reality, even tonight. We never look at this aspect. I’ve always said it’s right for our fans to enjoy this enthusiasm, but internally we know our journey. We know we need to improve, and tonight, especially in the first half, we didn’t do the things we were supposed to do. We know it’s all grist for the mill to look ahead to the future with serenity and try to take advantage of this. However, in the locker room, we’ve always remained aware of who we are and how much we need to grow.”
