Serie B 22/23: Palermo - Venezia postmatch

In Giornata 14 of the 2022/23 Serie B season, new manager Paolo Vanoli earned his first victory on the bench as Venezia put in a spirited performance and overcame hosts Palermo by the score of 0-1, thanks to a second-half goal from Joel Pohjanpalo and a heroic performance from ‘keeper Jesse Joronen to make the goal stand under pouring rain at Stadio Renzo Barbera.

Venezia manager Paolo Vanoli and striker Joel Pohjanpalo spoke to the press after the match.

Paolo Vanoli:

“Since I arrived, I have tried to give this team an idea of how to play, and this is a small step forward, especially in managing the moments of suffering. Today we dominated the first half, and managed the second half well, but we have to recognize that we are still not polished enough in some plays. Facing Palermo was not easy, especially with such an experienced coach in the league, which is why being able to hold our own in the difficult moments, that characterize all games at alternate times, is crucial.

With Perugia's victory yesterday, we knew we had nothing left to lose, and paradoxically that result gave us the right determination to prevail today. What we looked for was a step further in terms of mentality. I am pleased to have seen growth in that regard. We still have to learn to understand the dynamics of this league well, but we are on the right track.”

Joel Pohjanpalo:

“Today’s match was very important for us, we were aware of that. In the last two weeks we have gone through many changes with the manager, and we have worked hard. Today the whole team received a boost of confidence and morale, and although this victory is only a small achievement, it tells us that we are on the right track.

We played a very good first half and I felt that we would be able to score in the second half, even though we suffered a little more from Palermo's action. The goal now is to maintain a positive trend in the next week as well and to replicate at home the good work done today. We still need to work on concentration and keeping our focus high for the entire duration of the game.”