Bologna – Only if Di Vaio delivers
By David, BettingExpert.com | Published
After five games Bologna saw fit to sack the manager they had appointed over the summer, Bisoli, and gave the reins to another manager who had been sacked a few weeks ago, Stefano Pioli. The latter should have more experience and given his past achievements with Chievo can recreate the same tactical chemistry that allowed Bologna to retain their Serie A status.
Manager: Pioli
Tactics: 4-4-1-1
Players In: Diamanti, Kone, Gillet, Acquafresca, Antonsson, Coda, Vantaggiato, Raggi, Agliardi, Vitale, Pasi, Jose Angel Crespo, F. Rodriguez, Rickler, Stojanovic
Players Out: Britos, Viviano, Ekdal, Della Rocca, Meggiorini
Current Probable Formation: Gillet, Cherubin, Portanova, Loria, Raggi, Diamanti, Perezi, Mudingayi, Kone, Ramirez, Di Vaio
Bisoli did not prove himself up for the job, having lost four games and drawn one in the first five matches he was in charge for at Bologna. To think he had spoken very ambitiously when appointed head coach after Malesani was let go this summer. He had explained how he would be refusing offers from big clubs like Milan, Inter and Juventus until the Bologna administration would not give him the go ahead. He was clearly talking about the future, a very distant future, perhaps improbable, at this point.
Pioli’s dismissal from Palermo was less reasonable However, all things are usually when they involve Palermo boss Zamparini. Pioli was not even given the chance to take his team out for the first match. In Bologna’s books he was not the first choice either, appointed only after Delio Rossi and Ballardini had refused the offer.
Nonetheless, the choice may eventually prove to be the right one, at least based on what we can say from last season’s campaign with Chievo. His unit was a solid one there and playing a classical 4-4-1-1, with defence in mind first and foremost, the Lanceri landed smoothly in the eleventh position in the standings when the games were over.
Defeats came mainly against the top teams and on away turf. They were a solid bunch overall and always took their chances after approaching each game with the necessary patience. At times they depended a lot on star man Pellisier but others stood up when he was missing eventually.
An interesting statistic of that Chievo lead by Pioli is that, excluding games against the top four teams, they lost only five games with a margin higher than two goals, and only one of them at home.
Pioli’s Bologna should be very similar to that Chievo from last season and Malesani’s Bologna from 2010/11. With goalkeeper Viviano, defender Britos and defensive midfielder Della Rocca sold over the summer the potential of the team has decreased. The administration, in between managers, was probably planning on making the step up to a more attractive football style. They brought on Diamanti and Kone to shore up the lines in midfield with players capable of working towards that target.
At this point, however, the situation looks much more drastic for the team and the one point after five games says there is no time for experiments. The choice of the manager seems to suggest the club administration are willing to settle for another season of defensive play as long as they stay in the top division.
Pioli is the right man for the job but he will probably have to make sacrifices. The number one target looks Diamanti. Bisoli had eventually redirected the ex-West ham and Brescia playmaker on the right side of midfield. He did perform well there as well – in fact he has been the best player for the club after five games – but it was clear that he was not used to running down the flank with the opponents.
An alternative to sending him warming the bench would be replacing Ramirez with him. The Uruguay forward will definitely not be an ideal option for the wing. He is much less versatile then Diamanti. For him it will be either behind Di Vaio or out of the first eleven. The latter has been the team’s savior last season and has been the focal point of the team’s attack for the past three season, in which he scored a total of 55 league goals. Should Di Vaio not recover in time and start delivering Bologna will be in serious trouble.
Predicted finishing position: 17th
In their current situation and with important players having been sold this summer Bologna will have to sweat in order to retain their place in Serie A. Pioli should be able to recreate the solidity which allowed Bologna to sail towards safety relatively easily last season. The road will be bumpy but with the right mix of discipline and character they should make it alive. Of course they will need 35-year old Di Vaio to give the final push and lead them to safety otherwise it will be an uphill struggle.
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