Torino coach Paolo Vanoli expressed his satisfaction following the team’s 1-0 victory over Empoli, which marked their first win in Serie A after a challenging 49-day period. The decisive goal came from Che Adams, who scored with a remarkable lob from the center circle, showcasing his growing understanding of Italian football.
In his post-match comments, Vanoli said, “I am happy, but I felt sorry for Sanabria because Vasquez made a fantastic save on him. Strikers suffer when they haven’t scored in a while. Adams is starting to understand Italian football and that he needs to study goalkeepers and defenders. I always tell him that this is a very tactical game where we are aggressive on the man.”
Vanoli acknowledged the difficulties faced by his team during their recent poor run of form. “When you encounter many negative results, you must always look for the key to make the players believe in what we are doing,” he noted. He praised Empoli as a strong team and highlighted the challenge of playing at their ground, where Torino had not won since 2022. “We did very well in the first quarter of an hour to endure and then play better,” he added.
Regarding his tactical decisions during the match, Vanoli remarked, “When you experience long moments without results, even if you perform well, you always fear conceding and play with less freedom. I told the players at halftime that we needed to do more because we could do more.” He introduced Nikola Vlasic at halftime to inject more offensive energy into the game. “Vlasic is a player who can change the momentum of this team, just like Borna Sosa, who had a great match,” he said.
Looking ahead, Vanoli emphasized the need for his team to stay grounded after this victory. “Now we must keep our feet on the ground and recharge our batteries,” he concluded. This win not only provided a much-needed boost for Torino but also lifted them to 11th place in the Serie A standings, equal on points with Empoli but trailing on goal difference.
