Vanoli's young Fiorentina left to rue a missed chance against Juventus
Paolo Vanoli praised a bold Fiorentina performance in the 2-2 draw with Juventus, but says his young side should be angry at failing to see out two leads.
Fiorentina led Juventus twice at the Stadio Artemio Franchi and still only drew 2-2, a result head coach Paolo Vanoli says should leave his players frustrated rather than satisfied, Football Italia reports.
Mateo Pellegrino headed the hosts in front inside four minutes, only for Nick Woltemade to equalise. Alieu Njie restored Fiorentina's lead at the back post before Gleison Bremer headed in from a corner to level again. Radu Dragusin thought he had won it late on, but the goal was ruled out for a push on Bremer in the build-up.
"I think we had a great performance against a strong opponent," Vanoli told DAZN Italia. "We honoured what our fans asked for, and it must disappoint us that we did not get the full three points."
A courageous selection paid off in intent, not in points
Vanoli's team sheet raised eyebrows before kick-off, with Pedro Goncalves and Christ Inao Oulai preferred to Marco Brescianini and Niccolò Fagioli. The coach framed the choice as a statement about how he wants Fiorentina to press and work off the ball, rather than a tactical gamble built around attacking firepower alone.
"If we want to play football, then it's not about using players who are more defensive or more offensive, it's about everyone working hard and chasing down opponents," Vanoli said. He added that his side delivered on that principle, even if the final scoreline did not reflect it.
That framing matters because it shifts the read on the selection: this was less about shape than about which players Vanoli trusted to sustain pressing intensity against a Juventus side capable of punishing gaps in transition, as Woltemade's leveller and Bremer's set-piece header both showed.
Pellegrino still needs better support between the lines
Pellegrino scored Fiorentina's opener, but Vanoli again flagged the striker's isolation when the team builds attacks around him. The issue, by his own account, is less about delivering the ball into Pellegrino and more about what happens once he receives it.
"We are trying to give him better service, but above all get closer to him, as we tend to give him the ball and then aren't ready for when he holds it up," Vanoli explained. He wants Franco Mastantuono to occupy the space between opposition lines and link more directly with the striker, noting that Pedro Goncalves already does this more naturally because of his instinct for cutting inside from wide areas.
This is a recurring structural problem rather than a one-off issue: without runners and passing options close to Pellegrino once he wins the first ball, Fiorentina's attacking moves stall at exactly the moment they should accelerate. Vanoli's solution points toward reshaping how his attacking players occupy central zones rather than simply changing personnel.
Set pieces and game management undid the pressing gains
Fiorentina's problems were not only about possession phases. Bremer's equaliser came from a corner, underlining a vulnerability at set pieces that cancelled out the territorial and pressing gains Vanoli highlighted elsewhere. Dragusin's disallowed effort, ruled out for a push in the build-up, added to the sense of fine margins deciding the contest.
Vanoli did not dispute that his players deserved criticism for the outcome, even while defending the overall performance. "My players ought to be angry, because even if they are young and inexperienced, they should be upset at putting in such a great performance and not winning the game. We all expect more," he said.
He was explicit that defensive solidity in winning back possession remains an area Fiorentina must sharpen. "We need to do better and have more determination on the ball, or when winning it back, which is something we still don't do well enough," Vanoli said, describing the draw as "a strong signal" rather than a setback.
The point moves Fiorentina out of the relegation zone on the back of a three-round unbeaten run, though they sit only two points above Monza. The draw also extends their recent record against Juventus to two wins and three draws since a 1-0 defeat in April 2024, a run that will offer Vanoli some reassurance as he continues reshaping how his young squad presses, builds and defends set pieces.