Fiorentina’s international break has become a working week at Viola Park, with Paolo Vanoli asking for double sessions for a third successive day as he tries to give shape to a side still searching for its identity. Athletic programmes tailored to individuals have been combined with training-ground experiments after the club changed coach only three league matches into the season.
Vanoli’s search for balance
The midfield is central to the new coach’s early decisions. Several players arrived in that area during the summer, yet the unit has not fully settled, and Christ Inao Oulai remains one of the more intriguing cases.
Vanoli has already made clear that he rates the 20-year-old Ivorian highly, while also recognising the need to contain the risk in his game. After the draw against Napoli, he compared Oulai’s potential to that of N’Golo Kanté, whom he had worked with as an assistant coach at Chelsea.
“Oulai has real quality,” Vanoli said. “I mentioned Kanté, but Kanté read situations more consistently. Oulai is still very instinctive and exuberant, and sometimes I have to put balance ahead of talent.”
- Oulai has started only one of Vanoli’s three matches in charge: the Coppa Italia meeting with Pisa, when he was named player of the match.
- Fabio Grosso, before his dismissal, appeared to favour Oulai over Nicolò Fagioli.
- Vanoli has instead leaned on Fagioli alongside Cher Ndour.
- Ndour is the only outfield Fiorentina player to have completed all 270 minutes under the current coach.
A possible 4-2-3-1 could change that hierarchy. The idea would be to use Oulai and Fagioli as a double pivot, with the Ivorian asked to win the ball, provide a passing outlet and protect the side, while Fagioli would offer his ability to arrive further forward and attack space.
Oulai’s challenge after a major investment
Fiorentina committed €25 million, plus up to €4 million in bonuses and a 10 per cent clause on a future sale, to bring Oulai in after his strong World Cup performances. Juventus and Napoli had also shown interest in the midfielder.
His path into the team is not simply about technical ability. Vanoli’s approach requires collective running and responsibility without the ball, particularly if Fiorentina are to field a midfield based more on movement and passing than physical power.
There are aspects of Oulai’s game that still demand adjustment. Holding possession for an extra touch or playing out in dangerous zones can create avoidable trouble in Serie A. The concern is not viewed merely as a consequence of youth; it may be a more ingrained part of his playing profile.
That makes a gradual introduction likely. The Serie A return against Genoa could offer a first opportunity to test the two-midfielder solution, perhaps during the game rather than from kick-off. It appears less likely that Vanoli would make such a change before the result is secure.
International duty before the Genoa test
Oulai is one of eight Fiorentina players away with their national teams. He played the final 20 minutes of Ivory Coast’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over Ghana on Thursday and received a yellow card.
- Ivory Coast face Somalia on 29 September.
- The Elephants then meet Cameroon on 3 October.
- Oulai is expected back in Florence on 4 October.
When he returns, Fiorentina will hope his easy manner off the pitch can soon be matched by authority on it. Videos of the midfielder dancing in the dressing room and gym have already made him popular among team-mates, but the next step is to reproduce the influence he showed last season at Trabzonspor.
A club willing to wait, but not without ambition
Fiorentina are not planning a wholesale reset. The defence has been the main early warning sign, although the return of Dragusin to a high level has brought a measure of calm. The broader project remains ambitious despite results that have so far fallen below those expectations.
For Oulai, the task is clear: translate promise from Turkish football and international duty into a sustained role in Serie A. Fiorentina can afford patience, but Vanoli needs a midfielder capable of turning instinct into discipline — and of becoming a regular starter rather than an occasional possibility.
