That is the primary article in a six-part sequence a few of European soccer’s most revolutionary up-and-coming managers.
Thiago Motta is aware of a factor or two about success.
When your CV contains two La Liga titles, one Serie A title, 5 Ligue 1 titles and two Champions League winners medals, you are inclined to command prompt respect inside a dressing room.
That mentioned, few individuals want reminding {that a} profitable enjoying profession doesn’t immediately translate to a profitable teaching profession — so, what of Thiago Motta, the supervisor?
The 41-year-old has remodeled Bologna from Serie A strugglers to some of the aesthetically pleasing sides in Italy. With simply 9 video games remaining this season, the Rossoblu sit in fourth place and are inside touching distance of a Champions League spot for the primary time in 60 years.
Motta’s inventory has by no means been greater, however persistence and endeavour throughout tough durations have already formed his early managerial profession.
Life as a top-flight coach obtained off to one thing of a false begin after Motta was sacked after simply 9 video games at Genoa in December 2019. It was not till the summer season of 2021 that he had a full season to completely show his teaching credentials by retaining relegation-favourites Spezia in Serie A in an against-all-odds marketing campaign.
A transfer to Bologna adopted in September 2022, the place issues didn’t begin in accordance with the script after taking up from much-loved Sinisa Mihajlovic in controversial circumstances. Winless in his first 4 video games, Motta needed to steadily earn the belief of the Bologna followers, repaying their religion by main the membership to a ninth-placed end in 2022-23 — the membership’s greatest for over 10 years.
With the assist of Giovanni Sartori (technical director) and Joey Saputo (Bologna’s proprietor), Motta has been entrusted to place his tactical beliefs into place — however what precisely are these tactical beliefs?
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Motta was not shy in sharing his philosophy throughout his first teaching position with PSG’s under-19s squad in 2018. It was right here that he garnered pointless derision for discussing a 2-7-2 formation — which was erroneously interpreted as a construction spanning from back-to-front, somewhat than his meant left-to-right.
“I depend the goalkeeper as one of many seven gamers in the course of the pitch,” Motta mentioned. “For me, the striker is the primary defender and the goalkeeper the primary attacker. The goalkeeper begins the play together with his toes and the attackers are the primary to place strain to recuperate the ball.”
It’s truthful to say that Motta has since efficiently moulded Bologna in his picture.
This may be seen within the information under when trying on the Rossoblu’s playstyle evolution, which breaks down a staff’s metrics in contrast with the highest seven European leagues.
In particular reference to Motta’s philosophy, you may see a notable uptick in Bologna’s defensive work fee from the entrance since 2022-23, not often permitting the opposition to construct a sequence of passes earlier than making a sort out (Depth, 80 out of 99).
As a consequence, Bologna’s defensive basis is among the strongest in Europe this season (Probability prevention, 92 out of 99), with simply 0.8 non-penalty anticipated objectives conceded — a fee bettered solely by Torino, Juventus and Inter Milan in Serie A.
The way during which Bologna prefer to construct out from the again (Deep build-up) is especially attention-grabbing.
Mostly organising in a fluid 4-2-3-1, Motta encourages his centre-backs to push ahead and act as a pivot participant when in possession — in an analogous means you may see Manchester Metropolis’s John Stones rolling into midfield.
With goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski trusted because the “first attacker” inside build-up, the core concept is that there ought to all the time be a free man to move to when progressing the ball by way of the thirds.
An instance of this may be seen from the primary minute throughout Bologna’s sport with Inter Milan earlier this month. As Jhon Lucumi has possession, fellow centre-back Sam Beukema ventures right into a central space forward of the ball to supply a passing possibility on a unique attacking line. Beukema’s positioning helps Lucumi to obtain the returned move in house earlier than releasing right-back Stefan Posch down the suitable flank.
Later within the first half, it’s Lucumi who pushes into midfield to obtain the ball as Bologna kind a again three — this time with midfielder Michel Aebischer (20) dropping in. On this event, Lucumi doesn’t obtain the ball, however his positioning drags an Inter participant with him to create space elsewhere, with Bologna persevering with to have a free man as they construct out.
The place Bologna differ from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Metropolis is that Motta encourages each centre-backs to float into midfield, with full-backs tucking inside to be… totally again.
Whether or not it’s Lucumi, Beukema, or 21-year-old starlet Riccardo Calafiori, this method is foundational to the fluidity of Bologna’s play and depends on a robust technical profile amongst Motta’s centre-backs.
In his UEFA Professional Licence thesis, titled “The Worth of the Ball”, Motta discusses collective “technical belief” as a key a part of his philosophy, the place every participant is given the liberty to make selections that they imagine are most helpful to the staff in a given state of affairs.
Unsurprisingly, possession is central to the choices which can be made.
Solely Napoli boast the next share than Bologna’s 58 per cent possession in Serie A this season, with Motta eager for his facet to patiently work a gap with their dynamic positional rotations.
As proven by this season’s playstyle wheel, Bologna’s excessive “Flow into” rating exhibits that Motta’s facet usually are not fast to progress the ball ahead, however will as a substitute make quick, sharp passes to maneuver the opposition construction and bait the press earlier than working a gap — not dissimilar to Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton.
Motta can be a eager admirer of Marcelo Bielsa’s huge physique of labor and can steadily concentrate on third-man mixtures and off-ball operating as a key a part of Bologna’s development upfield.
One instance may be seen throughout Bologna’s sport in opposition to Roma this season, the place Beukema attracts strain on the suitable touchline with team-mates gathering intently. A blindside run from midfielder Remo Freuler sees Beukema thread the ball into the house to transition ahead at velocity, with winger Dan Ndoye subsequently chopping it again for Nikola Moro to complete the quick break that Bologna have curated for themselves.
Such penetrative runs from Bologna’s forwards are a key theme in Motta’s model. As you may see from their “Central development” ranking (98 out of 99), Bologna usually are not frequent crossers of the ball — solely Frosinone common fewer than their 13.4 crosses per 90 — however will use the tempo and trickery of harmful wingers in Ndoye, Alexis Saelemaekers and Riccardo Orsolini to drive ahead and shoot or create from superior positions.
In the end, Bologna’s key attacking threats run by way of the centre of the pitch, with versatile Scotsman Lewis Ferguson capable of drift right into a No 10 place behind the technically gifted Joshua Zirkzee.
The pair have solid a potent partnership collectively and are accountable for over one-third of Bologna’s purpose involvements in Serie A this season.
“I play near Joshua. Technically, he’s actually, actually good,” Ferguson advised The Athletic final 12 months. “He’s sturdy, quick, highly effective. He’s obtained every part you’d need in an attacker. It’s pleasant to play with him. We bounce off one another. If he makes one run, I make one other.”
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Whereas Zirkzee’s 10 Serie A objectives (eight non-penalty efforts) cleared the path throughout the Bologna squad, the 22-year-old Dutchman just isn’t your typical No 9. Past his technical skill, Zirkzee is extra appreciated by his team-mates for his skill to carry others into play — often dropping off right into a false 9 place or pinning a centre-back to launch runners forward of him.
Judging him on his objectives alone — he’s but to register an effort from contained in the six-yard field this season — can be to misconceive his position inside Motta’s system.
Bologna’s current purpose in opposition to Empoli brings collectively a number of the mentioned themes in how Motta likes his facet to play within the opposition half. As Empoli’s centre-back performs the ball right into a central space, Moro pounces to nick the ball away. Because it falls to Zirkzee, he pins the defender together with his again to purpose earlier than flicking the ball to Orsolini making the overlapping run. The Italian drives into the field and converts emphatically.
From regaining possession excessive as much as breaking the impasse in not more than seven seconds.
If Motta is ready to information Bologna to a top-four spot this season (fifth place may suffice), the prospect of main the Rossoblu into their first European Cup marketing campaign since 1964-65 will certainly be the spotlight of Motta’s early managerial profession.
The truth is that Motta’s contract expires in the summertime and there are already loads of high European golf equipment who’re out there for an thrilling younger supervisor forward of the 2024-25 season. Bologna CEO Claudio Fenucci was understandably deflective at the potential of shedding his coach within the coming months.
“Thiago may be very pleased in Bologna,” mentioned Fenucci in a radio interview lately. “It’s as if he had an extended contract than he really has.”
Regardless of the final result in the summertime, Motta has proven himself to be some of the engaging managerial prospects in European soccer.
Wherever he goes, success usually follows.
(Prime photograph: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Photos)