This is the first article in a six-part series looking at some of European football’s most innovative and promising managers.
Thiago Motta knows a thing or two about success.
When your CV includes two La Liga titles, one Serie A title, five Ligue 1 titles and two Champions League winners’ medals, you tend to command instant respect within the dressing room.
That said, few people need to be reminded that a successful playing career does not directly translate into a successful coaching career; So what about Thiago Motta, the coach?
The 41-year-old has transformed Bologna from a struggling team in Serie A to one of the most aesthetically pleasing teams in Italy. With just nine games remaining this season, the Rossoblu sit in fourth place and are within striking distance of a Champions League spot for the first time in 60 years.
Motta’s stock has never been higher, but persistence and effort during difficult periods has already shaped his early managerial career.
Life as a top-flight manager got off to a false start after Motta was sacked after just nine games at Genoa in December 2019. It was not until the summer of 2021 that he had a full season to fully showcase his coaching credentials. keep Spezia, a relegation favorite, in Serie A in a campaign against all odds.
In September 2022 he moved to Bologna, where things did not start according to script after replacing the much-loved Sinisa Mihajlovic in controversial circumstances. Winless in her first four games, Motta had to gradually earn the trust of Bologna fans, returning their faith by leading the club to a ninth-place finish in 2022-23, the club’s best in over 10 years.
With the support of Giovanni Sartori (technical director) and Joey Saputo (Bologna owner), Motta has been entrusted with the task of putting his tactical ideals into practice, but what exactly are those tactical ideals?
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Motta was not shy about sharing his philosophy during his first coaching role with PSG’s under-19 team in 2018. It was here that he received unnecessary ridicule for talking about a 2-7-2 formation, which was misinterpreted as a structure that spanned from behind. -in front, instead of its left-to-right intention.
“I count the goalkeeper as one of the seven players in the middle of the field,” Motta said. “For me the striker is the first defender and the goalkeeper the first attacker. The goalkeeper starts the play with his feet and the attackers are the first to press to recover the ball.”
It is fair to say that Motta has since successfully molded Bologna in his image.
This can be seen in the data below when looking at the evolution of Rossoblu’s playing style, which breaks down a team’s metrics in comparison to the top seven European leagues.
In specific reference to Motta’s philosophy, a notable increase can be seen in Bologna’s defensive work rate from the front since 2022-23, rarely allowing the opposition to build a sequence of passes before making a tackle (Intensity, 80 of 99).
As a consequence, Bologna’s defensive base is one of the most solid in Europe this season (prevention of chances, 92 of 99), with only 0.8 expected goals without penalty, a rate only surpassed by Torino, Juventus and Inter Milan in Serie A. .
Particularly interesting is the way Bologna likes to build from the back (deep building).
Commonly organized in a fluid 4-2-3-1, Motta encourages his centre-backs to push forward and act as a pivot player when in possession; Similarly, Manchester City’s John Stones could be seen rolling towards midfield.
Since goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski is trusted as the “first attacker” in the build-up, the central idea is that there should always be a free man to pass the ball to when advancing towards the thirds.
An example of this can be seen from the first minute of Bologna’s match against Inter Milan earlier this month. While Jhon Lucumi has possession, his central partner Sam Beukema ventures into a central area in front of the ball to provide a passing option in a different line of attack. Beukema’s positioning helps Lucumi receive the returned pass in space before releasing right back Stefan Posch down the right flank.
Later in the first half, it is Lucumi who pushes towards midfield to receive the ball as Bologna form a back three, this time with midfielder Michel Aebischer (20) coming on. On this occasion, Lucumi does not receive the ball, but his position drags an Inter player with him to make space elsewhere, while Bologna still has a free man as they build.
What makes Bologna different from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City is that Motta encourages both The centre-backs move towards the midfield, with the full-backs tucked in to be… completely behind.
Whether Lucumi, Beukema or 21-year-old rising star Riccardo Calafiori, this approach is fundamental to the fluidity of Bologna’s game and relates to a strong technical profile among Motta’s centre-backs.
In his thesis on the UEFA Pro License, titled “The value of the ball”, Motta discusses collective “technical confidence” as a key part of his philosophy, where each player has the freedom to make the decisions they believe are most beneficial for the team in a given situation.
As expected, possession is fundamental to the decisions that are made.
Only Napoli have a higher possession percentage than Bologna’s 58 percent in Serie A this season, and Motta wants his team to patiently work an opening with his dynamic positional rotations.
As shown by this season’s playing style wheel, Bologna’s high “Circular” ranking shows that Motta’s team is not quick to advance the ball forward, but will instead make short, precise passes to move the structure rival and provoke the press before making an opening, not unlike Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton.
Motta is also a big admirer of Marcelo Bielsa’s vast body of work and will often focus on third-man combinations and off-ball runs as a key part of Bologna’s progression on the pitch.
An example can be seen during Bologna’s match against Roma this season, where Beukema exerts pressure on the right touchline with his teammates gathered closely. A blindside run by midfielder Remo Freuler sees Beukema pass the ball into space to advance at high speed, and winger Dan Ndoye subsequently cuts it in for Nikola Moro to finish the counter-attack that Bologna have prepared for themselves.
These penetrating runs by Bologna’s forwards are a key theme in Motta’s style. As you can see from their “central progression” rating (98 out of 99), Bologna are not frequent crossers of the ball (only Frosinone average less than their 13.4 crosses per 90), but they will use the pace and deception of the dangerous extremes in Ndoye. , Alexis Saelemaekers and Riccardo Orsolini to advance and shoot or create from advanced positions.
Ultimately, Bologna’s main attacking threats come through midfield, with versatile Scot Lewis Ferguson able to slot into a number 10 position behind the technically talented Joshua Zirkzee.
The two have forged a powerful partnership and are responsible for more than a third of Bologna’s goals in Serie A this season.
“I play close to Joshua. Technically, he is really good,” Ferguson said. The Athletic last year. “He is strong, fast and powerful. He has everything you would want in an attacker. It’s fun to play with him. We bounce off each other. If he does one race, I do another.”
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While Zirkzee’s 10 goals in Serie A (eight without penalties) lead the way within the Bologna team, the 22-year-old Dutchman is not your typical number 9. Beyond his technical ability, Zirkzee is most appreciated for his teammates for his ability to bring others into play: regularly dropping into a false 9 position or pinning a center back to free up runners in front of him.
To judge him on his goals alone (he is yet to record an effort from inside the six-yard box this season) would be to misunderstand his role within Motta’s system.
Bologna’s recent goal against Empoli brings together many of the topics discussed about how Motta likes his team to play in the opponent’s half. As the Empoli centre-back plays the ball towards a central area, Moro pounces to steal the ball. When he drops to Zirkzee, he pins the defender with his back to the goal before throwing the ball to Orsolini who makes the overlapping run. The Italian enters the area and converts decisively.
From recovering possession at the top to breaking the score in no more than seven seconds.
If Motta is able to guide Bologna to a top-four finish this season (fifth place may also be enough), the prospect of leading the Rossoblu to their first European Cup campaign since 1964-65 will surely be highlight of Motta’s early managerial career.
The reality is that Motta’s contract expires in the summer and there are already many important European clubs that are looking for a young and interesting coach for the 2024-25 season. Bologna general manager Claudio Fenucci was understandably evasive about the possibility of losing his coach in the coming months.
“Thiago is very happy in Bologna,” Fenucci said recently in a radio interview. “It’s like he has a longer contract than he actually has.”
Whatever the outcome of the summer, Motta has proven to be one of the most attractive managerial prospects in European football.
Wherever you go, success usually follows.
(Top photo: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
