How Italiano’s Bologna are standing comparison with Thiago Motta’s | OneFootball

Bologna’s 1-0 win over Fiorentina gave further proof of Vincenzo Italiano’s brilliant job at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara as the Rossoblu are surprisingly replicating last season’s form in Serie A despite losing some of the major architects of the past campaign.

After achieving a historic Champions League qualification, Bologna lost coach Thiago Motta as well as stars Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori, casting doubts over Italiano’s chances to keep his side at the same level.

Vincenzo Italiano standing comparison with Thiago Motta at Bologna

Yet, after ending Viola’s nine-game winning streak through a Jens Odgaard winner last Sunday, the Rossoblu have picked up exactly as many points as in the previous season, although an increased competition at the top of the table means they’re currently two places behind than they were 12 months ago.

TURIN, ITALY – DECEMBER 07: Vincenzo Italiano, Head Coach of Bologna, gestures during the Serie A match between Juventus and Bologna at Allianz Stadium on December 07, 2024 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

While they had to wait for their fifth Serie A fixture to get their first domestic win, they have since lost only one of their following 11 matches, with a first-half red card heavily affecting the course of the game ended with a 3-0 defeat away to in-form Lazio.

Bologna are now one of only four teams in the league to have lost less than three games, which is particularly impressive when considering the squad Italiano could rely on with Champions League matches in between.

The former Fiorentina coach lost two of last season’s keystones and was without Lewis Ferguson for the opening months of the current campaign, being forced to accelerate the adaptation process of new signings Thijs Dallinga and Santiago Castro.

Santiago Castro of Bologna celebrates with teammate Benjamin Dominguez after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Coppa Italia match between Bologna FC and AC Monza at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on December 03, 2024 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Although he needed time before everything started to click into place, players like Jans Odegaard and Dan Ndoye also started to blossom under his stint, and the feeling is that the Rossoblu still have unexplored potential, particularly when it comes to capitalising on the volume of play they create.

As much as qualifying for the Champions League for a second consecutive season could prove even more difficult than last year, their latest victory against Raffaele Palladino’s side propelled Bologna into the 7th place, above Milan and only three points behind Juventus with a game in hand, meaning they still have plenty of reasons for dreaming another season filled with pride.