The coach once mocked a disposable line, his goal is the Champions League and his fans are hot on his heels.
The calendar said April 1, but there was nothing suspicious about a ranking that showed Bologna in fourth place. Thiago Motta’s side have been in that position for more than a month, it was surprising to see after Monday’s 3-0 win over Salernitana that they had moved in relation to two problems for third-placed Juventus. The difference was 20 at the beginning of February.
April Fools’ Day in Italy is known as Pesce d’Aprile – April Fools’ Day. Tradition dictates that youngsters stick paper fish on people’s backs and see how long they go unnoticed, but the bloodhounds mark the moment with made-up stories, as happens in other Bologna enthusiasts will have to hope that the headlines now linking their coach to Juventus turn out to be fake news.
A report by SportItalia’s Michele Criscitello claimed that the Bianconeri had already reached an agreement with Motta on the terms of the contract, adding salary and duration, as well as a shared vision for the team’s development. The coach had said a day earlier that he was not thinking about his long career beyond the next game.
Both of these statements would likely be true. Such negotiations would not yet be carried out through Motta through its agent, and agreements can be reached in principle without commitments from the company. What we can say is that it would not be unexpected for Juventus to look in their direction.
No Serie A team has exceeded expectations this season like Motta’s Bologna. They have won 8 of their last nine games, with the only interruption coming in a 1-0 loss to leaders Inter. Their 38 problems in 16 home games are only those that the Nerazzurri themselves have.
Motta’s training has had a transformative effect on the careers of several players. Riccardo Orsolini, who opened the scoring against Salernitana with an Arjen Robben-esque inside play from the right flank to finish in front of goal with his left boot, has reached double figures in consecutive seasons.
This is the one that Riccardo Orsolini will have in REPLAY!✨ It’s UNREAL! ? pic. twitter. com/j6PTIrKKLy
Now 27, he had won just two caps for Italy before 2023, but he will most likely earn a place in Luciano Spalletti’s squad for this summer’s European Championship. Brought on from the bench for the final 15 minutes of the Azzurri’s recent friendly against Ecuador, Nicolò Barella fed with a beautiful pass to the goal that sealed the 2-0 win.
Then there’s the other Riccardo, Calafiori, who helped Orsolini on Monday. A graduate of Rome’s academy, known through the Guardian’s NextGen series in 2019 as one of the brightest clients to watch in his class, he failed to break into the starting XI under Jose Mourinho but joined Bologna for €4m last summer after a positive result. Season with Basel in Switzerland.
Formerly a left-back, Motta moved Calafiori to central defence. He thrived there, encouraged by his coach to play up front and use his speed to disrupt attacks and get the ball out of defense. Calafiori has 3 assists this season and is ranked in the rankings. fourth in Serie A in interceptions.
Lewis Ferguson was another player who thrived under Motta, taking the captain’s armband and brilliantly linking the game to the attack. Up front, Joshua Zirkzee’s elusive and explosive taste for play has caught the attention of Europe’s biggest clubs. He signed for €8. 5 million through Bayern. Munich in 2022, recent headlines value it at more than 8 times that figure. Bologna sporting director Marco Di Vaio said last week: “The figures you read are too low. “
Monday’s stars were different, though. Bologna’s second goal was scored by Alexis Saelemaekers, on loan from Milan after three disappointing seasons with the Rossoneri. The third came thanks to a wild run by teammate Charalampos Lykogiannis. And some important stops were made at the other end of the court. Federico Ravaglia, who spent much of this season as a replacement for Lukasz Skorupski.
These stories reflect Motta’s commitment to meritocracy and offer initial opportunities for all players who earn them on the field. They also communicate about the fluidity of their whole.
Motta, mocked for many years in Italy for a throwaway comment in a 2018 interview about betting with a 2-7-2 formation (he described the goalkeeper as one of two defenders), was only articulating a developing trend in football coaching. . : Consider that players have roles and tasks in the area rather than inflexible positions. His modern technique is part of the reason why clubs like Juventus turn to him.
Would this be the right resolution for Motta? While Bologna’s arrow is obviously pointing upwards, Juventus are in free fall. Their 1-0 loss to Lazio on Friday was belatedly sealed, but they deserved nothing more from a game in which they were obviously making their warring parties play their first game under new manager Igor Tudor.
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After the Promotion
Massimiliano Allegri returned to Juventus in 2021 as a certain spouse to get the club back on track after its run of nine consecutive league titles ended with fourth-placed Andrea Pirlo. No one expected brilliant football from a type that is rarely associated with this, but they expected greater results.
Despite periods of optimism, those measures have not been implemented consistently. Juventus finished fourth in 2021-22 and would have been third last season if not for their deduction issues. They kept up the pace with Inter in the first half of this crusade and were the most in January, but a dismal run of just one win in their last nine games has put even Champions League qualification in jeopardy.
Bologna enthusiasts are still hoping that, if their team manages to finish the season strongly, the prospect of taking them to Europe’s biggest club festival can convince Motta to stay where he is for another year. Although he did not speak directly about his long career, on Monday he asked about Xabi Alonso’s decision to stay at Bayer Leverkusen after leading them to a very likely Bundesliga title.
Motta kept a poker face as he responded, “I think it’s a fair and respectable decision. I wish him all the best because he’s a very intelligent coach. “
Is it too early to think that Motta deserves the same label?Bologna will compete with Leverkusen this season to win a trophy. But a team that hasn’t played in a European festival since losing to Fulham in the 2002 Intertoto Cup would celebrate his departure. Return to the Champions League with almost the same enthusiasm.
“We’re going through a good time, wonderful both in terms of the spin and the way we play,” Motta said Monday. Tougher clashes await them than the last Salernitana. But Bologna have already shown it in the last 28 games. who would be intimidated swimming with the biggest fish in Serie A.
Inter 2-0 Empoli, Lecce 0-0 Roma, Cagliari 1-1 Verona, Sassuolo 1-1 Udinese, Bologna 3-0 Salernitana, Fiorentina 1-2 Milan, Lazio 1-0 Juventus, Genoa 1-1 Frosinone, Turin 1-0 Monza, Napoli 0-3 Atalanta.