February is normally the sign of the beginning of the enterprise finish of a soccer season. So, having an ideal report this month can present an enormous increase to any workforce seeking to end the season on a excessive. Thiago Motta’s Bologna have taken this mantle by coronary heart after profitable all their earlier 5 video games.
The Petroniani have now obtained into the highest 4 and discover themselves in an intense title race for the European locations. With Motta, the workforce possesses some of the modern minds within the recreation, 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 profitable mixture within the present Serie A season?
Bologna 2023-23 ways
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 recreation is the ball. So, the principle focus was to maintain the ball for so long as potential and, if misplaced, to get better it as shortly as potential.
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 facet that likes to have the ball thus permitting their opponents to have as little ball as potential. Nonetheless, there may be one flaw on this assumption: Bologna doesn’t have the standard of gamers throughout the squad that may play this method on the identical tempo for the whole thing of a recreation.
This implies they lose the ball typically and in addition give the opposition loads of probabilities of their half. Motta has, subsequently, made a superb defensive technique to counter them. The membership have made probably 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.
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 underneath Joachim Loew. In his thesis titled ‘The Worth of the Ball – The Devices of Trade within the Coronary heart of the Sport,’, 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 all the time the focus of my consideration, as a result of I consider that when the workforce positions itself in a constant and homogeneous manner with respect to the place of the ball, not solely do the tactical choices of the opposing workforce mechanically cut back, however above all of the tactical and bodily effectiveness of your workforce is elevated.’
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Bologna 2-7-2 and off-the-ball work
5 years earlier, Motta induced a stir when he advisable 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 workforce with passes to conjure up play from the backline. Nonetheless, Motta’s 2-7-2 was not vertical however fairly facet to facet. Which means that 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 workforce had the utmost possession. And it has labored to vital impact for the workforce. We have now 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 position to John Stones at Manchester Metropolis, however at Bologna, each the centre-backs are tasked to maneuver ahead based mostly on the state of affairs to make sure the workforce retains its tactical form.
When the keeper begins the ball, Motta will place his centre again to face on both facet of him contained in the field. Nonetheless, considered 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 area. The motto is easy: dominate areas and minimise the probabilities of dropping possession.
That is the place we return to the three basic rules he talked about in his thesis.
- A) To acquire a dominant kick, you could not be afraid of the ball.
- B) For an assault kick you need to need and get possession of the ball.
- C) The defensive section should be aimed on the quickest potential restoration of the ball.
We have now 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 season
One of many primary males within the Bologna workforce is former Bayern Munich man Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutch striker has been a workhorse for the workforce. His position takes us again to Motta’s thesis, the place he made an attention-grabbing statement. 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 manner that allowed the so-called much less gifted gamers much less time on the ball, thus inflicting stress on the workforce’s system.
Motta continues stating that this sense induced 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 stated minimising these conditions was the important thing to a workforce’s success.
Zirkzee is the proper instance of that, as he’s tasked with being the primary defender of the workforce, counter-pressing the opposition centre-backs as quickly as they’ve the ball. He has additionally shaped partnership with Riccardo Orsolini, the workforce’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 excellent at.
Different prime performers embody Lewis Ferguson, who has made the center a part of the pitch his personal. He’s the workforce’s enforcer and leads the league in most fouls received for his workforce, which exhibits his dedication to not dropping the ball, one thing Motta values above every part.
Sam Beukema and Jhon Lucumí have additionally made the centre-backs spot their very own, with the latter being the second-most correct passer in the complete league.
What Thiago Motta has achieved at Bologna is nothing in need of superb. And if the membership qualifies for Europe, groups throughout the continent will face a workforce armed with ways they’ve by no means encountered. This might result in groups choosing up a factor or two from them, and that proper there may be the largest praise for the rising giants from the Serie A.