Paolo Vanoli says Fiorentina's 4-2 win at Sassuolo was a long time coming, and praised the impact of his substitutes in the relegation battle at the Mapei Stadium.
With quotes courtesy of TuttoMercatoWeb , the Fiorentina coach spoke to DAZN after his side won for the first time in a month and a half. Armand Laurienté scored twice for Sassuolo. Mateo Pellegrino and Alieu Njie struck for the Viola, and substitute Pedro Gonçalves then set up Franco Mastantuono's winner with a no-look pass, before Valdepeñas sealed it late on.
"I'm happy for these lads, because we'd been playing very good football for some time, and more than once we deserved to get close to the three points," Vanoli said. "Sometimes because of our own mistakes, sometimes because we were still maturing, we didn't get them. But I always told the players this was the right path."
REGGIO NELL'EMILIA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 02: Franco Mastantuono of ACF Fiorentina celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and ACF Fiorentina at Mapei Stadium – Citta' del Tricolore on November 02, 2026 in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)
The win moves Fiorentina level with Sassuolo on eight points, three clear of the relegation zone. It also eases the pressure on Vanoli after a difficult run.
"The mistakes have helped us grow, because we're a young team. We threw away the result against Inter in Milan in five minutes, against Como the key moments went against us, and against Atalanta we didn't know how to manage the difficult moments," he said. "Now this win helps give us more self-esteem and awareness.
"But in a league like Italy's, we can't keep conceding two goals, so we have to look at that too."
He also explained what Pellegrino meant when he said Vanoli had taught the squad what playing for Fiorentina means. "We are Fiorentina. When we wear this shirt, we carry something important forward, and I have the great responsibility of making them understand that, because I think these lads have the talent to do something important for Fiorentina in the future," he said. "I've always said we need to put aside the 'I' and use the 'we'.
"I told the dressing room that Pedro Gonçalves is an example of professionalism, as João Mário was."
