That is the primary article in a six-part sequence taking a look at a few of European soccer’s most modern 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 larger, however persistence and endeavour throughout troublesome durations have already formed his early managerial profession.
Life as a top-flight coach received 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 holding 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 response to the script after taking on 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 help 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, relatively than his supposed left-to-right.
“I rely 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 ft and the attackers are the primary to place stress to get well the ball.”
It’s truthful to say that Motta has since efficiently moulded Bologna in his picture.
This may be seen within the knowledge beneath when trying on the Rossoblu’s playstyle evolution, which breaks down a group’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 charge from the entrance since 2022-23, not often permitting the opposition to construct a sequence of passes earlier than making a deal with (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 targets conceded — a charge bettered solely by Torino, Juventus and Inter Milan in Serie A.
The style wherein Bologna wish to construct out from the again (Deep build-up) is especially fascinating.
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 the same 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 go to when progressing the ball by 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 distinct attacking line. Beukema’s positioning helps Lucumi to obtain the returned go in house earlier than releasing right-back Stefan Posch down the proper 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 powerful 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 consider are most helpful to the group in a given state of affairs.
Unsurprisingly, possession is central to the choices which are made.
Solely Napoli boast a better 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 will not be fast to progress the ball ahead, however will as a substitute make brief, 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 also be a eager admirer of Marcelo Bielsa’s huge physique of labor and can continuously concentrate on third-man mixtures and off-ball operating as a key a part of Bologna’s development upfield.
One instance might be seen throughout Bologna’s sport towards Roma this season, the place Beukema attracts stress on the proper 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 will not be 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.
Finally, Bologna’s key attacking threats run by the centre of the pitch, with versatile Scotsman Lewis Ferguson in a position to 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 informed The Athletic final yr. “He’s sturdy, quick, highly effective. He’s received all the pieces you’d need in an attacker. It’s gratifying 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 targets (eight non-penalty efforts) cleared the path inside the Bologna squad, the 22-year-old Dutchman shouldn’t be your typical No 9. Past his technical capacity, Zirkzee is extra appreciated by his team-mates for his capacity to carry others into play — repeatedly dropping off right into a false 9 place or pinning a centre-back to launch runners forward of him.
Judging him on his targets 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 latest purpose towards Empoli brings collectively plenty 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 fact is that Motta’s contract expires in the summertime and there are already loads of high European golf equipment who’re available in the market for an thrilling younger supervisor forward of the 2024-25 season. Bologna CEO Claudio Fenucci was understandably deflective at the potential for shedding his coach within the coming months.
“Thiago may be very comfortable in Bologna,” mentioned Fenucci in a radio interview not too long ago. “It’s as if he had an extended contract than he truly has.”
Regardless of the final result in the summertime, Motta has proven himself to be some of the enticing managerial prospects in European soccer.
Wherever he goes, success sometimes follows.
(Prime photograph: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Pictures)
