How Thiago Motta Tactics Changed Bologna FC – Tactical Analysis

Thiago Motta Style Of Play

A few seasons back, Thiago Motta raised some eyebrows of curiosity in the football world by revealing his idea for a 2-7-2 formation, something which has never been seen before, at least not since the early 1900s when supposedly nobody cared about defending.

Some chuckled at this admission, many were even concerned, but the vast majority were intrigued about how such a setup would work at the highest level.

However, Motta had merely labelled the 4-3-3 by breaking the structure down horizontally rather than vertically, which is certainly not commonplace in the game.

Using a fullback and a winger on both sides, as well as seven players in the central areas, Motta’s quantification of the conventional shape was just an unorthodox way of characterising a 4-3-3, essentially looking at the formation sideways.

Nevertheless, the young coach is still making a name for himself in the game.

A disciple of Louis van Gaal, Frank Rijkaard, Jose Mourinho and Unai Emery, Motta is already on his fourth club since taking the leap into management.

Following his departure from Spezia in the summer, the 40-year-old is now at the helm of Bologna, tasked with restabilising the ship after Siniša Mihajlović was dismissed in the first week of September due to the Rossoblù’s woeful start to the Serie A campaign.

With an attacking philosophy, Motta has begun implementing his vision at the Stadio Renato DallAra just four games into his tenure.

This piece will be a tactical analysis of Bologna under Motta.

It will be an analysis, breaking down Thiago Mottas tactics, which the two-time UEFA Champions League winner has deployed thus far in his winless start to his reign.

Thiago Motta Preferred formation

While Motta has advocated for the 4-3-3 in the past, the Italian has favoured the 4-2-3-1 in recent years.

Regardless, Serie A’s second-youngest coach has not been as stubborn as Mihajlović despite the dismal start to the season.

At Spezia, Motta really showed his tactical flexibility, which is becoming increasingly important for top-level coaches in the modern game because of the rapidly evolving tactical demands within the sport.

While the 4-2-3-1 was still Spezia’s primary shape for the entirety of the 2021/22 campaign under his tutelage, Motta was not afraid to switch things up, even employing his preferred 4-3-3/4-1-4-1, as well as the 4-4-2 along with several variations of back-three formations.

Upon accepting the job in Northern Italy, Motta took over a team that had mainly used the 3-5-2 during Mihajlović’s reign.

This is something that the coach looked to change instantly.

The team had set up in the 3