View from the opposition: Bologna

Twelve games into the season, what have you made of Bologna’s start to the season?

“It's been a fairly slow start but that's partly because Bologna completely overhauled their squad in the summer with 18 players coming in and 22 leaving. Big changes were needed after getting promoted from Serie B in June and they spent a lot of money on young players, who of course are a bit of a risk because at the moment they don't have the experience needed for a Serie A side.

“They finished putting the squad together in the second half of the transfer window and that gave them a handicap to start with and Delio Rossi paid the price after collecting six points in 10 games.

“Then they decided to change and Roberto Donadoni was brought in. He immediately spotted what adjustments needed to be made in midfield and defence and suddenly they picked up six points from two games, scoring five and keeping two clean sheets. Now Bologna have lifted themselves out of the drop zone for the first time in 12 games.”

How have the new summer signings settled in?

“The new players' performances have obviously partially reflected the team's performances. Take Mattia Destro, for example, who came with the biggest expectations at the start of the season. He clearly didn't live up to them in the first 10 games and found himself benched against Inter, although he came on late on and missed a chance to equalise at the death.

“The same goes for Emanuele Giaccherini. He joined at the end of the summer and had some physical problems in his first two outings, which had the fans wondering about his fitness. He's found his form in the last few games and together with Godfred Donsah in midfield he's played a big part. Destro has got off the mark too now since Donadoni took over and that just shows that the team is growing. People are starting to re-evaluate the newcomers after some initial criticism.”

Who has been Bologna’s most consistent player so far?

“I'd say Amadou Diawara, a Guinean midfielder with Italian nationality. He joined from San Marino in the summer for €400,000 after just a few appearances in Lega Pro but after his sensational start in the league, Bologna have already received and rejected a multi-million Euro bid from Schalke 04. That tells you how much the boy is improving. When they signed him he was supposed to flit between the Primavera and first team this year but it only took him a couple of games to make one of the starting spots his at the expense of Lorenzo Crisetig.”

What has been Bologna’s best performance of the season and why?

“I should start by saying that Bologna played well against Inter for at least an hour before losing but I think their best performance of the season so far was the last match at Hellas Verona. It was an authoritative performance and came on the back of a win over Atalanta the week before. They basically wrapped up the game with two goals inside the first 15 minutes and never let the Gialloblu back into the game.”

What has been the worst match and what went wrong?

“Funnily enough the worst performance might have been against Carpi, a game they ended up winning. But until Lorenzo Lollo got sent off, Rossi's side were trailing by a goal and really struggling. They turned it around in the second half thanks to the extra man. If we consider the result as well as the performance then it has to be Fiorentina v Bologna – the Rossoblu virtually never threatened and just weren't in the contest at all.”

What area of the team needs strengthening the most in January?

“The attack because they don't really have an alternative to Destro. Bologna found it hard to put together their new strikeforce this summer. Initially it was supposed to be a 4-3-1-2 but then when wide players like Giaccherini and Anthony Mounier arrived – and no trequartista joined – it became a 4-3-3 with Destro as the lone striker. The alternative, Matteo Mancosu, probably isn't up to the task at the moment. If Bologna wanted to mix things up and switch to a front two with Destro and a penalty-box striker, they don't have anyone who can play in that role so I think it's something they need.”

From what you’ve seen of all the Serie A teams, which side has impressed you the most so far?

“Napoli. In Maurizio Sarri they have a coach who was brave enough to change a formation he was very fond of and adapt it to the players he had at his disposal. Napoli are playing well and producing quality football in the Europa League too. Apart from Napoli, the other three teams at the top all have something that sets them apart: Inter have stability, Fiorentina their flowing football and Roma their offensive firepower. The Giallorossi have some phenomenal players from the midfield up and Edin Dzeko is finding his best form again now too.”

What have you made of Roma’s start to the season?

“They've made a very good start and their frontline is frightening. They even managed to get Gervinho back on track after he looked like leaving in the summer. I like the way Roma are set up in attack with a target man, Dzeko, and two lightning-fast wide forwards in Gervinho and Mohamed Salah. Of the four teams up there I think Roma are the best equipped to do well. If they can sort out their defence as well, perhaps using Daniele De Rossi at centre-back as they have before now a few times, I think they can be considered favourites. If I have to find a black mark to Rudi Garcia's side it's their lack of consistency. They've gone off the boil a few times, although more in their Champions League matches at Borisov and Leverkusen than in Serie A.”

Who is the Roma player most Bologna fans fear?

“If he wasn't injured, I'd have said Salah. I think he's an amazing player. With him out of the equation I'll say Miralem Pjanic. It's incredible that free kicks on the edge of the box are almost like penalties for him now. That ability he has affects opponents too because they try not to give away free kicks in that area.”

If you could add one Roma player to Bologna’s team, who would you pick and why?

“Following on from what I was saying about Bologna's squad earlier, I'll pick Dzeko. He's getting back to his Manchester City form of old and personally I love him. But I must say I think Rudi Garcia is very lucky to have a player like Alessandro Florenzi who can do a fantastic job in all sorts of positions. I'm happy to see him making a name for himself on the European scene with his hard work and modest disposition.”

What’s your score prediction for Saturday?

“It's a tough game for both sides. Bologna go into it with less pressure on them after winning the last two, though after Roma they have two more difficult games against Torino away and Napoli at home. Roma certainly start as favourites but they've had lots of players away on international duty and have a massive game against Barcelona in the Champions League just afterwards. I think Roma will win it but Bologna will pull out all the stops to try and take home a point that would do wonders for them.”