Fiorentina’s difficult run deepened in Florence as Como left with a 3-1 victory, a result that marked the Viola’s fifth defeat in seven league matches and their second in succession after the loss in Genoa. Paolo Vanoli faced the consequences of another painful afternoon with his position again under pressure, much as Fabio Grosso has recently experienced elsewhere in Serie A.
The coach did not hide his frustration after the final whistle. He felt key officiating decisions unsettled his side, while also insisting that Fiorentina must become more resilient when matches turn against them.
Vanoli pointed first to the incident involving Pedro and Gonçalves before Liberali’s goal, saying it left his players disorientated for five or six minutes. He also referred to a Fiorentina goal ruled out at 2-2, explaining that he had been told the software was not working before an offside decision was eventually made.
“More than from the team, the negative things came from the referees,” Vanoli said. “We should have been more ruthless at the start, but then there was the foul by Pedro on Gonçalves before Liberali scored and the team lost its clarity for five or six minutes. Then, at 2-2, I was told the software was not functioning and they gave offside. We lost our way again.
“That is something we have to improve before discussing tactics: we must learn to get beyond decisions that go against us.”
Vanoli demands a harder edge
Yet Vanoli’s assessment did not stop with the refereeing. The 1-3 defeat again exposed the ease with which Fiorentina have conceded, a recurring concern for a team unable to establish control through an early lead.
The coach was particularly unhappy with the goals allowed and called for a more streetwise approach from his players. Fiorentina, he said, had been in the right positions for Nico Paz’s goal, but still failed to prevent the decisive action.
“As a coach, I am angry because we are throwing away performances by conceding goals far too easily,” he said. “That is what we need to correct. I am trying to make the players understand that more aggression is required to avoid conceding. We were set up properly for Paz’s goal, but we also need to be more clever.
“My anger is about the goals we concede. They never allow us to begin from a position of advantage.”
For Fiorentina, the issue is no longer one isolated defeat or one disputed moment. The latest setback has added weight to a bleak sequence, leaving Vanoli with the task of restoring both defensive authority and the composure to survive the difficult passages of a Serie A season.
