In the aftermath of the Turin derby that ended in a 1-1 draw between Torino and Juventus, Torino manager Paolo Vanoli shared his thoughts on his team’s performance and the overall match dynamics.
The game, which saw early drama with Yildiz’s opener for Juventus and Vlasic’s equalizer just before halftime, was a tense affair that ultimately failed to produce a winner. Vanoli began his post-match interview by addressing the challenges his team has faced:
“Over the course of these months, we’ve always had to deal with many things that forced us to constantly change. Zapata’s injury took a lot from us psychologically, as well as technically. For the past month, we’ve been getting back to doing what we know best. It was an important match for our people: a little more luck could have made history for us.”
When asked about a sideline altercation with Juventus coach Thiago Motta, which resulted in both managers being sent off, Vanoli downplayed the incident: “These are squabbles that happen: it’s the beauty of football.”
Reflecting on his team’s performance, Vanoli acknowledged a cautious start: “We began timidly. At times we only went into single-man pressure: when we did it collectively, we did better things. We were well-positioned on the field but we didn’t attack their defensive line enough. In the end, we lacked the courage to go and win the game.”
The Torino coach also praised midfielder Nikola Vlasic, who scored the equalizer: “Vlasic is a charged player with great qualities: he’s very important for us.”
