This is the first article in a six-part series profiling some of the most innovative up-and-coming managers in European football.
Thiago Motta knows a thing or two about success.
When your resume 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 in the dressing room.
However, few people need to be reminded that a successful playing career does not directly translate into a successful coaching career. So what about director Thiago Motta?
The 41-year-old has transformed Bologna from a struggling side in Serie A to one of Italy's best-looking teams. With nine games remaining this season, the Rossoblu are fourth in the table and within reach of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in 60 years.
Motta's stock has never been higher, but his tenacity and hard work during difficult times have already shaped his early managerial career.
Motta's career as a top-flight coach got off to something of a false start after he was sacked after just nine games at Genoa in December 2019. It wasn't until the summer of 2021 that Motta had a full season to qualify as a coach. Against all expectations, they allowed relegation candidates Spezia to remain in Serie A.
He was set to move to Bologna in September 2022, replacing popular Siniša Mihajlović in controversial circumstances, but things did not start according to script. After failing to win his first four games, Motta had to gradually earn the trust of Bologna fans, which he rewarded by leading the club to ninth place in the 2022-23 season, their best finish in more than a decade.
With the support of Giovanni Sartori (technical director) and Joey Saputo (Bologna owner), Motta is tasked with putting his tactical ideals into practice. But what exactly is that tactical ideal?
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Motta wasn't shy about sharing his philosophy when he took up his first coaching role with PSG's Under-19 team in 2018. It was also at this time that he drew unnecessary ridicule for discussing the 2-7-2 formation (which was incorrectly interpreted as a structure extending from the rear) rather than from left to right as he intended. It's from.
“I count the goalkeeper as one of the seven players in the middle of the pitch,” Motta said. “For me, the striker is the first defender and the goalkeeper is the first attacker. The goalkeeper starts the play with his feet and the attacker is the first to apply pressure to win the ball back.”
Since then, it is no exaggeration to say that Motta has successfully shaped Bologna's image.
This can be seen in the data below, which looks at the evolution of the Rossoblu's playing style and analyzes the team's metrics compared to Europe's top seven leagues.
With particular reference to Motta's philosophy, Bologna's defensive work rate from the front has increased noticeably since the 2022-23 season, rarely allowing opponents to build up a series of passes before making a tackle. (Strength, 80 out of 99).
As a result, Bologna's defensive infrastructure this season has been one of the strongest in Europe (chance prevention, 92 points out of 99), with an expected goal conceded of just 0.8 points other than penalties, a rate higher than any other league in Serie A. That leaves only Turin, Juventus and Inter Milan. .
The way Bologna build up from the back (deep build-up) is particularly interesting.
Most commonly set up in a fluid 4-2-3-1, Motta encourages his centre-backs to come forward and act as pivot players when in possession. In a similar fashion, we might see Manchester City's John Stones rolled into midfield.
With goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski trusted as the 'first attacker' in the build-up, the basic idea is that there should always be a free man available to pass when advancing the ball into the third.
An example of this can be seen in the first moments of the match between Bologna and Inter Milan earlier this month. When John Lukumi holds the ball, fellow centre-back Sam Boukema moves in front of the ball into the central area, providing a passing option for another attacking line. Boukema's positioning helps Lukumi receive the returned pass in space and release right-back Stefan Posch to the right.
At the end of the first half, while Bologna formed a back three, it was Lukumi who entered the midfield and received the ball. This time, midfielder Michelle Aebisher (20) dropped. At this time, Rukumi did not receive the ball, but his positioning was not good. By bringing in Inter players to create space elsewhere, Bologna will continue to secure free players as they strengthen their squad.
What sets Bologna apart from Josep Guardiola's Manchester City is what Motta encourages. both The centre-backs drift into the midfield, the full-backs are pushed inside…and then back all the way.
Whether it's Lucumi, Beukema or 21-year-old star Riccardo Calafioli, this approach is the basis of Bologna's fluidity of play, relying on the strong technical profile of Motta's centre-backs. .
In his UEFA Pro License paper entitled 'The Value of the Ball', Motta discusses collective 'technical trust' as an important part of his philosophy, giving each player the ability to do what is most beneficial to the team. He says he is given the freedom to make decisions that he believes are true. in the given situation.
Unsurprisingly, possession is central to decision-making.
Napoli are the only team in Serie A this season to have more possession than Bologna (58%), and Motta wants his team to be patient and create chances with dynamic positional rotation.
As this season's playing style wheel shows, Bologna's high 'Circulate' ranking means that Motta's side do not advance the ball quickly, but instead play short, sharp passes to move the opposition's structure and press. This shows that he creates an opening after luring out the enemy. Not unlike Roberto de Zerbi's Brighton.
Motta is also a keen fan of Marcelo Bielsa's extensive work and will frequently focus on third-man combinations and off-ball running as key parts of Bologna's progress upfield.
An example of this can be seen in this season's match between Bologna and Roma, where Beukema was applying pressure on the right touchline with his teammates close together. Midfielder Remo Freuler's blindside run allowed Beukema to play the ball into space and speed forward, before winger Dan Ndoye cut the ball back and Nicolas Moro completed Bologna's self-arranged fast break. completed.
Breaking runs like this from the Bologna forwards are a key theme in Motta's style. Bologna is not a player who crosses the ball often (only Frosinone averages less than 13.4 crosses per 90), as can be seen from his “Central Progress” rating (98 out of 99), but Ndoye's danger will take advantage of the pace and trickery of the winger. , Alexis Saeremakers and Riccardo Orsolini drive forward, shooting and creating from high positions.
Ultimately, Bologna's main attacking line-up runs through the center of the pitch, allowing versatile Scotsman Lewis Ferguson to emerge into the number 10 position behind the technically gifted Joshua Zirkzee.
The two have formed a strong partnership and have been responsible for more than a third of Bologna's goal involvement in Serie A this season.
“I play close to Joshua. Technically, he's really, really good,” Ferguson said. The Athletic last year. “He's strong, fast and powerful. He has everything you want in an attacker. It's fun to play with him. We bounce off each other. If he scores a goal, I do too. I'll score one more point.”
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Zirksee's 10 goals in Serie A (8 non-penalty goals) put him at the top of the Bolognese squad, but the 22-year-old Dutchman is not your typical No. 9. Beyond his technical ability, Zirksee is more highly regarded by his teammates. His ability to involve others into play is such that he regularly drops into a false nine position or locks down the center back and frees up the runner in front of him.
To judge him solely on goals – he has yet to record a shot from inside the six-yard box this season – would be to misunderstand his role within Motta's system.
Bologna's recent goal against Empoli sums up many of the themes in the discussion about how Motta prefers his team to play inside the opposition half. Empoli's centre-back plays the ball into the central area and Moro rushes out to steal the ball. When the ball falls to Zirksee, he pins the defender with his back to goal and flicks the ball to Orsolini for an overlapping run. The Italian drove into the box and converted powerfully.
It takes just seven seconds to win the ball back high and break the deadlock.
If Motta can lead Bologna to a top-four spot this season (fifth might be good enough), the prospect of leading Rosoblu to their first European Cup competition since the 1964-65 season is a sure bet in Motta's early managerial role. It will be the highlight of my career.
The reality is that Motta's contract expires in the summer, and a number of Europe's top clubs are already in the market for an exciting young manager ahead of the 2024-25 season. Bologna CEO Claudio Fenucci has unsurprisingly digressed about the possibility of losing his coach in the coming months.
“Thiago is very happy in Bologna,” Fenucci said in a recent radio interview. “It's as if he has a longer contract than he actually has.”
Whatever the outcome of the summer, Motta has shown himself to be one of the most attractive managerial candidates in European football.
Wherever he goes, success will follow.
(Top photo: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
