Fiorentina vs Crystal Palace – Vanoli: ‘Conference League was never the priority but we can dream’

Paolo Vanoli has called on his Fiorentina players to cast aside inhibition and play with complete freedom when Crystal Palace visit the Stadio Franchi on Thursday evening, with the Viola requiring a 3-0 victory to overturn their first-leg deficit and reach the Conference League semi-finals.

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It is a tall order by any measure, and Vanoli was not about to pretend otherwise. But the Fiorentina coach, who has overseen one of Serie A’s more remarkable survival stories this season, knows better than most that the impossible can sometimes be achieved when a group of players stops thinking and starts believing.

“We will play with a free head, knowing that we will need something special,” he said, with quotes via AldredoPedulla.com.

“Sometimes what matters is not so much technical quality but desire, doing something that goes beyond what is expected, with courage and freedom. We have to risk, try and dream.”

Vanoli was equally honest about the context of this European run. With four points from their opening 11 league matches this season, survival was the only objective that mattered.

“When we had four points we were talking primarily about the league, that was the priority,” he said. “Then the story says the Conference must be an objective for this club.”

He also pointed to the broader lesson his side can take from facing a Premier League opponent of Palace’s quality. “The strong teams make you grow. When you don’t win, you learn.”

Fiorentina coach Vanoli: ‘I don’t want my future decided by one game’

On his own future, Vanoli was characteristically direct. He expressed genuine ambition to continue but refused to let Thursday’s result define his tenure one way or the other.

“I don’t want my future to be conditioned by one Conference League match,” he said. “I’m not a genius if we go through and I’m not a mediocre coach if we go out. I keep believing, despite the difficulties.”

He also delivered a pointed observation about Italian football’s relationship with courage, fitting given the national conversation currently raging about the men’s team. “In Italy, people say they want courage but then criticise it when they see it.”

On team news, Dodô will miss the match through suspension, while Pongracic is being assessed after carrying a hamstring overload. Rugani, who impressed against Lazio, is available, and Vanoli confirmed Kean is being monitored day by day as the club works to have him fit.