As Torino prepares for their upcoming Serie A match against Bologna, head coach Paolo Vanoli addressed the media in a pre-match press conference. The Granata are looking to build on their recent positive results, having secured four points and two clean sheets in away matches against Genoa and Empoli.
Vanoli began by updating the team’s fitness status: “The team is doing well. As every week, there are some minor issues, but we hope to have calmer weeks in the future. Sosa had a virus but has recovered, and Ricci had a problem but should be available. Everyone else is fine.”
When asked about Ilic, Vanoli emphasized the importance of team mentality: “He’s doing well and is part of the group. He needs to be ready and available to help the team. He has important qualities, like Vlasic, but in football, qualities are an end in themselves. One must put the team first; he must put the team before himself.”
Discussing the upcoming match against Bologna, Vanoli expressed his respect for their opponent and his counterpart, Vincenzo Italiano: “It’s a great challenge against an important team. I played together with Italiano at Verona; he deserves where he’s reached because he has principles. They are an intense and aggressive team. We must not make mistakes in our initial build-up because they transform errors into scoring opportunities. We need to stay in the game and develop our ideas.”
Reflecting on the recent victory against Empoli, Vanoli cautioned against complacency: “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 down and moving forward with our ideas. I had been seeing growth for three weeks, and the victory in Empoli is the culmination. But we haven’t done anything yet; it’s a long journey. We’ve experienced two moments: a beautiful first one that excited us, then a total crisis. Now we’re seeking balance with our feet on the ground.”
