Vanoli: ‘Fiorentina historic as nobody avoided relegation when failing to win first 15’

Fiorentina coach Paolo Vanoli had a special dedication for President Rocco Commisso and noted his team made history. ‘Nobody had avoided relegation after failing to win the first 15 rounds.’

The Viola were in truly dire straits when Vanoli was called in to replace Stefano Pioli on November 7, as they were rock bottom of the Serie A table with just four points from 10 games.

It was almost a Mission Impossible for the coach, but today he got the 0-0 draw against Genoa that was needed to guarantee safety with two rounds to spare.

“This safety is dedicated to Rocco Commisso, the first person I spoke to when I was appointed,” said Vanoli in his press conference.

“He and his family have done so much for Florence, between the Viola Park complex and the stadium work. Considering this is Fiorentina’s Centenary year, I always wanted to make sure the fans had something to celebrate.

“Now we need to look forward and I hope there will be a few more smiles.”

It has been a devastating year for Fiorentina, as President Commisso died in America on January 17, and health reasons meant he was unable to meet Vanoli in person.

Despite the sigh of relief of avoiding relegation, there was an ugly atmosphere inside the Stadio Franchi today with loud jeers at the final whistle of a dour 0-0 against Genoa.

“The players know they must do more and that they carry a lot of responsibility,” replied Vanoli.

“The fans deserve a completely different Fiorentina, but I think we did well to achieve this important target. The club asked me to secure safety with a team that was not built by me.

“Nobody in history had managed to avoid relegation after failing to win in the first 15 rounds. I always said this city deserves higher ambitions, but the first thing we had to do was resolve the current problem.

“Now I am sure that Fiorentina will build a team of a higher level.”

That probably will not be with this coach, as while Vanoli was brought in to rescue a dire situation, he is not considered the man to aim higher.

“I am a very direct person. Since I came here, I’ve been shown trust by everyone. I already sat down with Paratici and Ferrari to see what our vision of organisation can be. Then it is up to them to decide what to do.

“There is an option in my contract to extend. Meanwhile, we achieved this target, which was important. Now I intend to enjoy the moment, because it was a hard slog.”