Italiano: Bologna 'knew the win would come', but still have 'aspects ...

Vincenzo Italiano admitted that Bologna still have improvements to make, despite their 1-0 victory over Lecce in Serie A on Saturday afternoon, but insists that he is pleased from what he saw from his players, even if they had to leave it late. 

Bologna picked up their second consecutive league win thanks to an 85th minute winner from Riccardo Orsolini. The seven-time Italy international looked relieved after hitting the net. 

“It was a feeling of liberation after a fear that we wouldn’t find the home victory that we wanted,” Italiano said when asked about Orsolini’s celebration in his post-match interview. 

Italiano felt that the win was never in doubt, even though the breakthrough wasn’t found until the last 10 minutes of regular time. 

“We knew it would come, even if it was in the last minute, so I’m happy. We thought about a game like that might happen, we prepared for it, with good management and we managed to see it out in the end. 

“Sometimes a coach has to vent, but for now I’m happy, we all wanted the win and we dedicate it to the fans, who stood by our side until the end.”

The coach did not deny the fact that the Rossoblu still have work to do, even though they currently sit in eighth place with a game in hand.  

“We have a few aspects to fix in our team. You have to be a bit more patient when the games are so close together. We are one of the teams that makes the most mistakes in the opponents’ half. This leaves you exposed to risks and does not help you to find the breakthrough any sooner. We have the quality to do better.”

BOLOGNA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 02: Remo Freuler of Bologna misses a goal during the Serie A match between Bologna and Lecce at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on November 02, 2024 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Italiano rounded off his post-match interview with a quick word on Kacper Urbanski. 

“He has lots of quality. He had a chance in the final stages and someone like him has to finish the game .He can play as a midfielder in the pivot, as a mezzala and as an attacking midfielder. He is good at understanding the game, his intelligence is extraordinary.” 

During his post-match press conference, Italiano also had a few words of praise for Scotland international Lewis Ferguson, who marked his return to action against Lecce after a cruciate ligament injury he picked up in April. 

“I’m happy about Ferguson because I could already feel what he meant to the dressing room when I first got here. We were able to use him to give Freuler a break today. 

“We’re getting a great player back, a strong personality in the locker room. He doesn’t have more than 20 minutes in his legs at the moment, so we preferred to put him in a position where he could get a lot of touches of the ball, like he did.”

Serie A | Bologna 1-0 Lecce: Orsolini third time’s the charm

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