Paolo Vanoli admits that it is an ‘emotional’ evening on a personal level ahead of his European debut as a head coach, but insists that he is ‘fully concentrated’ on the task at hand as Fiorentina host AEK Athens in the Conference League on Thursday evening.
Vanoli, who replaced Stefano Pioli as head coach of Fiorentina earlier in November, is taking charge of his first Conference League match on Thursday evening.
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Vanoli: ‘It’s an emotional night, an important game for the table’
GENOA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 09: Paolo Vanoli, Head Coach of Fiorentina looks on prior to the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and ACF Fiorentina at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)
This is Vanoli’s first game as a head coach in UEFA competition. He had been due to lead Spartak Moscow into the knock-out rounds of the Champions League in 2021-22, but saw his sides suspended as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“It is an emotional night, of course, but the situation means I’m not thinking about that,” Vanoli told Sky Sport Italia ahead of kick-off.
“I am fully concentrated. This is an important match for the table and for our confidence, so we need to find some consistency. I asked the lads to focus on the performance, because the performance is what leads to the results.”
Fiorentina are still in the relegation zone in Serie A after a tough start to the 2025-26 campaign under Pioli, but things have gone slightly smoother in the Conference League, where they currently sit in 11th place after two wins and a loss from their opening three games in the competition.
“I expect a lot from everyone tonight, including myself. We need stability, and more experienced players know how to deal with these situations, as well as helping everyone work their way out of them.
“The lads have this incredible desire to break out of this situation. We’ve got to focus on doing the simple things, taking it one move at a time, and do it as a team. Only by suffering as a group can we achieve great results.”
