The victory over Roma is another small milestone in Bologna’s rise in Serie A

Photo: Massimo Paolone/LaPresse/Shutterstock

At the end of Bologna’s 2-0 win over Roma on Sunday, Dazn reporter Tommaso Turci found a crumpled letter near the dugouts. It was addressed to José Mourinho by a fan who had traveled from Madurai, India. The author praised the “Special One”, thanked him for inspiring them to pursue a career in football and asked for an opportunity to work as his assistant.

Bologna manager Thiago Motta was also generous in his praise for Mourinho before kick-off. He played under him at Inter, making 40 appearances in the treble-winning team of 2009-2010. “Mourinho was and remains a fantastic coach,” said Motta. “I don’t believe in luck; he has earned everything he has acquired so far.”

But at full-time, Motta’s team had risen above Mourinho’s in Serie A to fourth. Fortune had nothing to do with it. Bologna controlled the match from first to last, patiently waiting for a Roma side in a familiar low block to find ways to break through their lines without overcommitting or risking vulnerability on the break.

Related: Liam Henderson: the Scottish footballer who built his career in Italy

It wasn’t much of a spectacle. The closest either team came to a goal in the opening half hour was a free kick from Roma defender Diego Llorente, who tried to chip the Bologna goalkeeper from the center circle. Andrea Belotti did win a header in the penalty area for the Giallorossi shortly afterwards, but on neither occasion did it look like Federico Ravaglia would let the ball pass.

The hosts instead scored in the 37th minute, after a more purposeful maneuver. Sam Beukema passed a pass between three opponents, causing Remo Freuler to run across the right. He picked out Dan Ndoye and accelerated past the full-back. Joshua Zirkzee called for the ball in the middle, but Ndoye had spotted Nikola Moro’s late run from midfield and pulled the ball back to him. The Croatian shot aside from the penalty spot.

The story continues

Mourinho tried to shake things up by introducing Renato Sanches from the bench at half-time. But Bologna doubled their lead in the 49th minute when Rasmus Kristensen slotted Lewis Ferguson’s cross into his own goal. That was that. Fifteen minutes later, Mourinho brought back a stunned Sanches.

In a sense, the result was no surprise. Bologna had already shown us what a team they were becoming under Motta, with draws against Inter, Juventus and Napoli – and a win over Lazio. Roma, meanwhile, arrived for this game missing a number of key starters. Romelu Lukaku and Nicola Zalewski were serving suspensions, while Paulo Dybala was recovering from a hamstring injury. Tammy Abraham and Chris Smalling are absent for a long time.

Still, this felt like another little milestone in Bologna’s rise. Their 28 points are the most they have achieved after 16 games since Serie A started handing out three for a win in 1994. As impressive as these results are, the calm control over their performance. From the opening kick, they held the ball for almost two minutes without Roma touching it.

Ferguson stood out as one of the team’s best players. His role has evolved throughout the season, but even now it is difficult to pin down, something between a number 10 and a box-to-box mezzala. Sometimes it can feel like there just has to be two of him: one swapping places with Joshua Zirkzee up front and a twin brother waiting to interrupt attacks at the other end of the field.

The Scot wore the captain’s armband on Sunday, but this was a rotating honor, passed between players in recognition of their achievements. It is a conscious decision by Motta to encourage his entire team to work harder and show leadership. It is no coincidence that Bologna has covered more distance on the pitch than any Serie A team except Lazio.

Some individuals have distinguished themselves. Besides Ferguson, 22-year-old Zirkzee stands out: Bologna’s top scorer, but also an impressively selfless centre-forward who unsettles opponents as much with his off-the-ball runs as with his dribbling. Beukema, 25, and Riccardo Calafiori, 21, form an impressively consistent duo in central defense.

Yet the power of this side really lies in the collective. Only Inter and Juventus have conceded fewer goals than Bologna in Serie A this season. Motta – who only lets his players know who the starting XI is on the morning of each match – opted to swap starting goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski for Ravaglia against Roma : a 24-year-old with four Serie A appearances to his name, the last of which came in 2021.

“He played because we have a group,” Motta explained matter-of-factly, “and healthy competition within it. Today was Federico’s time, but we have two great goalkeepers.”

The contrast between his rhetoric and that of Mourinho was stark. “Without Paulo [Dybala] we have no class,” said the Roma manager. ‘And without Romelu [Lukaku] we don’t have physicality… the players we had on the pitch wanted to give more, but the problem is not tactical, but physical. Bologna had the legs, players with intensity, we don’t have many players with those qualities.”

Genoa 1-1 Juventus, Torino 1-0 Empoli, Napoli 2-1 Cagliari, Lecce 2-1 Frosinone, Lazio 0-2 Inter, Bologna 2-0 Roma, Udinese 2-2 Sassuolo, Fiorentina 1-0 Verona

Despite these words, Mourinho said he hopes to stay at Roma and extend his contract beyond the end of this season, even if it means accepting a project with greater financial constraints and an emphasis on developing young players. “If I leave, it will never be because I want to go to another club or go on holiday,” he said. “I want to continue here.”

The supporter who threw him a note on Sunday will no doubt be hoping that the club will oblige him to do so, just like those who have continued to pack the Stadio Olimpico for home games. Renato Sanches might think differently. Mourinho offered him a public apology at full time, but no explanation.

The Bologna owner may already be worried about how long he can keep Motta, whose contract also expires in 2024. Joey Saputo traveled from Canada to the game on Sunday and hosted Sinisa Mihajlovic’s family. Tributes were paid to the former manager before kick-off to mark the one-year anniversary of his death.

Saputo will attend a meal for players and coaches on Monday. He will undoubtedly spend time there with Motta. Maybe they will talk about contracts, or maybe that will be left to a more formal setting. It could be a moment, for a club that hasn’t played in Europe since the 2002 Intertoto Cup, simply to celebrate being one game away from Christmas and in a Champions League qualification place.