Italiano: ‘Nothing has changed, Bologna still in the battle’ for top 4 | OneFootball

Vincenzo Italiano insists ‘nothing has changed’ after the 1-1 draw with Juventus, as Bologna are still in the fight for Champions League qualification. ‘It will be a real battle.’

The Rossoblu went behind to the first chance of the game, as Lukasz Skorupski allowed a Khephren Thuram snapshot to squirm under him, but Remo Freuler got the equaliser with the aid of a deflection off Renato Veiga.

“I am very pleased with the performance, we kept a high tempo, of a high level, and I think after the opening goal we had the game in hand,” Italiano told DAZN.

“It’s natural Juventus had a few counter-attacks that were painful, as they were sharp and fresh, while after the equaliser we didn’t have the strength to turn it around completely. I saw quality too, it doesn’t end here, nothing changes, we are right up there and are capable of performances with this intensity 20 days from the end of a long, hard season.

“We lost a few duels in the first 15 minutes, unable to contrast the pace of Thuram, as he split our midfield in a couple of situations. We clearly could’ve done better on the goal, there was also a slight Ferguson deflection that surprised Skorupski. Once we got the handle of them, we won many duels and in my view it was an extraordinary performance.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Bologna 1-1 Juventus

They were hoping to get right back in front of Juve, having lost fourth place to them last week with the 0-0 draw away to Udinese, but remain one point behind what is now a trio of Juventus, Roma and Lazio all on 63.

Italiano keeps Bologna steady in Serie A and Coppa Italia

BOLOGNA, ITALY – MAY 04: Vincenzo Italiano, Head Coach of Bologna, and Igor Tudor, Head Coach of Juventus, embrace during the Serie A match between Bologna and Juventus at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on May 04, 2025 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

The run-in is going to be intense, as Bologna also have the Coppa Italia Final against Milan on May 14, but in Serie A they will be away to Milan and Fiorentina, then host Genoa on the last day.

“Clearly, the first meeting with Milan is in Serie A, we must go there to pick up points. I think we’ll be very concentrated and it won’t distract us ahead of the Coppa Italia. It’s good really, as it means we cannot afford to drop concentration, because we need to stay at that level,” assured Italiano.

“There are still nine points up for grabs and that’s an enormous amount at that level of the table. It will be a real battle, there are many head-to-head clashes still to be played, so whoever has the most consistent mentality and intensity will reach their objective.”

Italiano took Bologna to next level

BOLOGNA, ITALY – MAY 04: Remo Freuler of Bologna celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Bologna and Juventus at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on May 04, 2025 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Bologna already over-performed last season, but have if anything done even better since Italiano replaced Thiago Motta, so whatever happens, this will be a positive campaign.

“It has been a fantastic season, it was not to be taken for granted when the team had the added strain of the Champions League, changed coach and lost some key players. Maintaining that level, mentality and standards was the objective, we knew it would not be easy, but we’ve achieved that already.

“We are still fighting for fourth and have reached the Coppa Italia Final,” concluded Italiano.