At the start of the 23/24 Serie A season Opta Analyst predicted Bologna to finish in 9th. And yet this season they sit in 4th, in a Champions League spot for the first time in their history.

The side originating from Northern Italy, have exceeded all expectations this season. As we approach the run in to a fascinating season in Italy they will be looking ahead at the chance of qualification to the most prestigious competition in Europe for the first time ever.

Having finished outside the top 10 in 7/9 seasons and with an average age of just 24 they are a team flying under manager Thiago Motta.

The Players

They have had a number of standout players this season. Most notably Joshua Zirkzee who is in his second season at the club with German Outfit Bayern Munich offloading Zirkzee to Bologna in 2022. This season the 22 year old has turned prime creator, with 14 goal contributions in the league. With goals against big teams such as Inter and AC Milan the Dutch forward will be hopeful of a deserved call up for Ronald Koeman’s Euro 2024 squad.

Fashioning chances for himself as well as being equally capable at providing for teammates. With adept finishing skills and since moving to Italy he has also improved in his decision making. Add this to good passing range as well as really quick feet for someone who’s 6ft 3 and exceptional hold up play and capability to drop deep. You’re looking at a player who could develop into an elite striker if he continues on this trajectory. The boy who failed to star at Bayern is most definitely starring in Italy.

Other players have had great success under manager Thiago Motta. With Scotsman Lewis Ferguson who signed from Aberdeen for a reported 2 million euros exceeding in an advanced midfield role. Playing 27 times and hitting double figures in goal contributions (6g 4a). Other players such as Ricardo Orsolini- who has been a mainstay in Bologna’s side since 2018 have also impressed. With Orsolini netting 9 goals, he is on track to match or beat his previous high of 10 goals in a season.

When we look at the squad in general we see no standout names, no big money transfers with their most expensive transfer ever being a minor 15 million euros. Bologna at the start of the season had a squad market value of 147.9 million euros which placed them in 12th in the Serie A for squad value according to Transfermarkt. It is clear that the players are exceeding all expectations. They currently sit above Italian giants such as Roma and Napoli, both of whom have squad values much higher than Bologna and a lot more finance available in the transfer window.

The Tactics

Thiago Motta has undoubtedly revitalised a stagnant Bologna. Before Motta came in Bologna were sat in the bottom half of the Serie A since the 2015/16 season. Not threatening relegation but not pushing on into the top half of the table. In Motta’s first season at the club he lifted them into 8th, and this season they’re set for European football. All of this within the space of 2 seasons and a net transfer spend of only 22.55 million euros (figures calculated based off of transfermarkt numbers). It is clear that Motta has revolutionised this Bologna side and his tactics and footballing ethics have played a huge part in the sides success.

Motta is a veteran of the game, playing at the highest level of football with some of the best teams in the world such as Barcelona, Inter Milan and PSG. The defensive midfielder started his prolific career at the most well known academy in the world. La Masia. From here he began an illustrious career but notably playing under some of the ‘greats’ of management. Mourinho, Ancelotti, Emery and Van Gaal all have played apart in the way Motta employs his players on the pitch.

Motta has spoken on countless occasions of his 2-7-2 formation, sounds absurd. But Motta doesn’t see the pitch horizontally, the typical way of seeing the game (think 4-3-3 splitting the pitch by defence, midfield, attack). No, Motta sees the pitch vertically. This 2-7-2 Motta envisions is 2 wide men the wide full back and winger, 7 players in the middle third of the pitch and 2 wide men in the last third.

I count the goalkeeper as one of the seven players in the middle of the pitch,” he said. “For me, the striker is the first defender and the goalkeeper the first attacker.”

Thiago Motta

You may notice that apart from the 2-7-2 sounding bonkers that it also adds up to 11 players and not your typical 10 outfield player formations such as the 4-3-3. That’s because Motta sees his keeper, in this case Skorupski, as an outfield player. Motta loves his keeper to be utilised as an extra man and this has been clear throughout the season and it gives them the ability to overload central areas and always have a man spare. This allows space for there wide men to run the lines with more time on the ball. This has helped players like Orsolini on the right and Leicester City loanee Victor Kristiansen on the left excel in their respective positions, and their output shows that with both players recording good numbers.

Furthermore this system allows Motta to differentiate their buildup, often starting in the build up as a 3 with the full backs pushing on and the most defensive midfielder dropping to provide an option. This allows Bologna to build up and utilise the space created out wide as well as having enough players in the middle to account for fast turnovers of the ball in the central third. This focus on overloading the centre compliments Bologna’s possession based buildup against most sides. However it also allows for a more direct route against stronger teams. Motta’s ability to switch between patient possession build up to more direct counter attacking football is commendable and the players also deserve praise for there ability to suit both systems with players like Saelemaekers coming in on the wing when the style of play changes.

What Next?

Fairytales always have an ending, and for Bologna that could be years from now or it could unfortunately be the summer. However their fortunes look positive. Their run in is favourable, with only 4 out of 10 teams they play being in the top 10, Monza, Roma, Napoli and Juventus. The run in puts them in pole position to hold off Roma (3 pts behind) and Atalanta (4 pts behind) both of whom have harder fixtures and also are in other competitions, the Europa League for Roma and Coppa Italia for Atalanta. If Bologna pull it off and achieve Champions League football they will get credit across all of Europe, not just Italy and this unsung story will quickly gain traction across the footballing world.

This attention if they achieve European football will also bring unwanted attention to there stars, Joshua Zirkzee has already been linked with Premier league sides Arsenal and Manchester United. And with a number of high end managerial jobs freeing up in summer such as Barcelona, Motta too has been linked with a big move away. However if Bologna can keep hold of there important players and staff. As well as invest the funds they earn from this season well, then they have no reason to not use this season to propel themselves into a mainstay in the European spots in the Serie A. Especially with teams such as current champions Napoli having poor seasons to there standards. This is a chance for the young side. Let’s see if they take it.