February is normally the sign of the beginning of the enterprise finish of a soccer season. So, having an ideal file this month can present an enormous enhance to any crew 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 acquired into the highest 4 and discover themselves in an intense title race for the European locations. With Motta, the crew possesses one of the revolutionary 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 varied traits from this nation’s footballing philosophy to craft his techniques.
So, how did Motta and Bologna produce a profitable mixture within the present Serie A season?
Bologna 2023-23 techniques
Bologna’s techniques are an amalgamation of a number of philosophies. These are the Gegenpressing, the counterpressing (Germany 2014), Tiki Taka, and Marcelo Bielsa’s techniques 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 potential and, if misplaced, to get well it as shortly as potential.
Nonetheless, he has mixed this with the Italian techniques of exploiting areas. And that is mirrored in Bologna’s stats. They carry out higher than the Serie A common on Discipline Tilt and possession. Additionally they are among the many high groups within the league on metrics equivalent 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 technique on the identical tempo for the whole thing 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 probably the most tackles within the league. On high 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 Change within the Coronary heart of the Sport,’, Motta acknowledged 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 acknowledged that ‘the ball is at all times the point of interest of my consideration, as a result of I consider that when the crew 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 crew mechanically cut back, however above all of the tactical and bodily effectiveness of your crew is elevated.’
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Bologna 2-7-2 and off-the-ball work
5 years earlier, Motta prompted 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 crew with passes to conjure up play from the backline. Nonetheless, Motta’s 2-7-2 was not vertical however reasonably facet to facet. 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 popular to play the ball extra centrally to make sure his crew had the utmost possession. And it has labored to vital impact for the crew. We have now to grasp that Motta will sacrifice the velocity 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 primarily based on the state of affairs to make sure the crew 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, 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 area. The motto is straightforward: dominate areas and minimise the possibilities of dropping possession.
That is the place we return to the three elementary ideas 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 must need and get possession of the ball.
- C) The defensive section have to be aimed on the quickest potential restoration of the ball.
We have now tackled Motta’s techniques in depth, however now we have to concentrate on the boys efficiently implementing this on the pitch.
Bologna gamers stats 2023-24 season
One of many foremost males within the Bologna crew is former Bayern Munich man Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutch striker has been a workhorse for the crew. His position takes us again to Motta’s thesis, the place he made an fascinating commentary. He argued that at a number of golf equipment the place he performed, he noticed technically gifted gamers wanting 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 proficient gamers much less time on the ball, thus inflicting stress on the crew’s system.
Motta continues stating that this sense prompted attackers to not put in effort for defensive work as a result of they deemed it not as vital as scoring targets or creating them. Motta mentioned minimising these conditions was the important thing to a crew’s success.
Zirkzee is the right instance of that, as he’s tasked with being the primary defender of the crew, counter-pressing the opposition centre-backs as quickly as they’ve the ball. He has additionally fashioned an excellent partnership with Riccardo Orsolini, the crew’s high scorer.
Orsolini is the right 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 high performers embody Lewis Ferguson, who has made the center a part of the pitch his personal. He’s the crew’s enforcer and leads the league in most fouls received for his crew, which reveals 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 all the league.
What Thiago Motta has achieved at Bologna is nothing wanting superb. And if the membership qualifies for Europe, groups throughout the continent will face a crew armed with techniques 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 largest praise for the rising giants from the Serie A.
