Vanoli insists Fiorentina 'improving' after 2-1 Inter defeat
Viola boss refuses to panic after San Siro heartbreak
Paolo Vanoli insisted Fiorentina are “improving” despite slipping to a 2-1 defeat away to Inter at San Siro on Sunday in Serie A. The Tuscans took a second-half lead through a stunning Alex Jimenez strike, only for Marcus Thuram’s late equaliser and a 97th-minute Piotr Zielinski penalty to flip the result and send Inter top of the table.
“We knew Inter were strong, but I think we played a great game,” Vanoli told DAZN. “We have improved in many aspects. Obviously, we had a couple of chances to score the second. This isn’t the first time Inter have made a comeback. We need to realise that we are improving. I’m sorry for the lads because they deserved an important win. We must keep our heads held high and keep this up.
“We must not look to last season. We are looking for the right suit. We are trying to win at all costs; the table doesn’t look pretty, and it makes things hectic, but I think this team is becoming a team and must keep going like this,” continued the Fiorentina coach.
“Going forward, I think these can be important games. Then the result determines morale, and we must look for it. Since I arrived, we have deserved more in some games, including against Genoa. We met a strong team today; we held on, and we understood that we can do well.”
Fresh legs and a tactical gamble
Vanoli also explained his second-half changes, replacing Jimenez and Mastantuono with Dodo and Wilfried Gnonto even as Inter had been struggling down that flank. “That is why I brought on two fresh players. I brought on Dodo and Willy because I thought Inter would struggle and force Mkhitaryan to track back,” the Viola coach said.
The defeat leaves Fiorentina in the drop zone after taking just one point from their last three league games, while Inter’s late turnaround — completed by Zielinski from the spot in the seventh minute of stoppage time after Thuram was fouled — moved them to the summit of Serie A. Thuram, who had scored five goals in seven Serie A appearances for Inter in the 2026-27 season as of a 25 October 2026 snapshot, has been central to Inter’s resurgence.
Dodo, brought on by Vanoli at San Siro, is reportedly set to leave Fiorentina at the end of the season, with Juventus, Milan and Barcelona all linked to the Brazilian in reports published on 25 October 2026 — though no bid has been confirmed.