February is often the sign of the beginning of the enterprise finish of a soccer season. So, having an ideal file this month can present a large increase to any staff seeking to end the season on a excessive. Thiago Motta’s Bologna have taken this mantle by coronary heart after successful all their earlier 5 video games.
The Petroniani have now acquired into the highest 4 and discover themselves in an intense title race for the European locations. With Motta, the staff possesses one of the modern minds within the sport, and this season has been a real reflection of that.
Motta was born in Brazil and, all through his profession, performed in Spain, Italy, and France. The Italian has thus picked numerous traits from this nation’s footballing philosophy to craft his ways.
So, how did Motta and Bologna produce a successful mixture within the present Serie A season?
Bologna 2023-23 waysÂ
Bologna’s ways are an amalgamation of a number of philosophies. These are the Gegenpressing, the counterpressing (Germany 2014), Tiki Taka, and Marcelo Bielsa’s ways at Leeds. For starters, throughout his time in Spain, he discovered that the principle goal of any sport is the ball. So, the principle focus was to maintain the ball for so long as attainable and, if misplaced, to get better it as rapidly as attainable.
Nonetheless, he has mixed this with the Italian ways of exploiting areas. And that is mirrored in Bologna’s stats. They carry out higher than the Serie A common on Area Tilt and possession. Additionally they are among the many prime groups within the league on metrics comparable to whole passes (1st) and correct passes (third).
The stats until now completely present us a aspect that likes to have the ball thus permitting their opponents to have as little ball as attainable. Nonetheless, there may be one flaw on this assumption: Bologna doesn’t have the standard of gamers throughout the squad that may play this technique on the similar tempo for everything of a sport.
This implies they lose the ball usually and in addition give the opposition loads of possibilities of their half. Motta has, subsequently, made a superb defensive technique to counter them. The membership have made essentially the most tackles within the league. On prime of that, they’ve additionally conceded the third least targets per 90 minutes (0.88), the third-best within the league.
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The explanation behind their spectacular defensive stats is Motta’s reverence of the counter-pressing methodology efficiently deployed by Germany on the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Euro beneath Joachim Loew. In his thesis titled ‘The Worth of the Ball – The Devices of Alternate within the Coronary heart of the Recreation,’, Motta said that he was extremely impressed by Germany’s willingness to place themselves 5-10 metres close to the opponent as quickly as they misplaced the ball.
In his thesis, Motta additional said that ‘the ball is at all times the focus of my consideration, as a result of I consider that when the staff positions itself in a constant and homogeneous means with respect to the place of the ball, not solely do the tactical choices of the opposing staff mechanically scale back, however above all of the tactical and bodily effectiveness of your staff is elevated.’
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Bologna 2-7-2 and off-the-ball workÂ
5 years earlier, Motta triggered a stir when he really useful that he would like to play with a 2-7-2 system the place the goalkeeper ought to function as an outfield participant, serving to his staff with passes to conjure up play from the backline. Nonetheless, Motta’s 2-7-2 was not vertical however somewhat aspect to aspect. Which means the 2 full backs, together with the wingers, managed the 2 wing zones whereas the 2 centre backs, the 2 pivots, and the 2 central attackers managed the central zone together with the goalkeeper.
Motta most well-liked to play the ball extra centrally to make sure his staff had the utmost possession. And it has labored to important impact for the staff. We now have to know that Motta will sacrifice the pace of his transition for extra possession of the ball.
The supervisor has additionally introduced a brand new evolution to the sport: roaming centre-backs. Pep Guardiola has assigned this function to John Stones at Manchester Metropolis, however at Bologna, each the centre-backs are tasked to maneuver ahead primarily based on the scenario to make sure the staff retains its tactical form.
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When the keeper begins the ball, Motta will place his centre again to face on both aspect of him contained in the field. Nonetheless, certainly one of his midfielders within the double pivot will transfer ahead, leaving his place. Nonetheless, as quickly because the ball begins rolling, one of many defenders rushes ahead to fill the house. The motto is straightforward: dominate areas and minimise the probabilities of dropping possession.
That is the place we return to the three basic ideas he talked about in his thesis.
- A) To acquire a dominant kick, you have to not be afraid of the ball.
- B) For an assault kick you must need and get possession of the ball.
- C) The defensive section should be aimed on the quickest attainable restoration of the ball.
We now have tackled Motta’s ways in depth, however now we have to give attention to the lads efficiently implementing this on the pitch.
Bologna gamers stats 2023-24 seasonÂ
One of many important males within the Bologna staff is former Bayern Munich man Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutch striker has been a workhorse for the staff. His function takes us again to Motta’s thesis, the place he made an attention-grabbing commentary. He argued that at a number of golf equipment the place he performed, he noticed technically gifted gamers trying down upon others who won’t be as proficient as them. This led them to play in a means that allowed the so-called much less proficient gamers much less time on the ball, thus inflicting stress on the staff’s system.
Motta continues stating that this sense triggered attackers to not put in effort for defensive work as a result of they deemed it not as essential as scoring targets or creating them. Motta mentioned minimising these conditions was the important thing to a staff’s success.
Zirkzee is the proper instance of that, as he’s tasked with being the primary defender of the staff, counter-pressing the opposition centre-backs as quickly as they’ve the ball. He has additionally shaped partnership with Riccardo Orsolini, the staff’s prime scorer.
Orsolini is the proper embodiment of the 2-7-2 system, as is clear by his heatmap. He runs up and down the wing and solely comes into the field when he sees a transparent alternative, which he is superb at.
Different prime performers embody Lewis Ferguson, who has made the center a part of the pitch his personal. He’s the staff’s enforcer and leads the league in most fouls gained for his staff, which reveals his dedication to not dropping the ball, one thing Motta values above every little thing.
Sam Beukema and Jhon Lucumà have additionally made the centre-backs spot their very own, with the latter being the second-most correct passer in the whole league.
What Thiago Motta has achieved at Bologna is nothing wanting wonderful. And if the membership qualifies for Europe, groups throughout the continent will face a staff armed with ways they’ve by no means encountered. This might result in groups selecting up a factor or two from them, and that proper there may be the most important praise for the rising giants from the Serie A.