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Napoli victory can be the start of something special for Bologna this season
When Bologna stunned reigning Serie A champions Napoli with a 2-0 triumph at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara last weekend, it felt like much more than a one-off result. The goals from Thijs Dallinga and Jhon Lucumi underscored a club in the midst of a transformation.
Just months earlier, Bologna had ended a half-century silverware drought by lifting the 2025 Coppa Italia, beating AC Milan 1-0 in the final to claim the club’s first major trophy since 1974.
That triumph laid the foundations for this season’s surge. Now the Rossoblu are not simply building on success, they are shaping a new identity.
Since arriving in the summer of 2024 to replace the departing Thiago Motta, head coach Vincenzo Italiano has been quietly remodelling Bologna.
He has ushered in sharper pressing, higher defensive lines and a more vertical transition game – traits familiar from his previous stop with Fiorentina and already visible in Bologna’s performances. The result is a team that not only wins but increasingly controls games from the front.
Recruitment has played a big role too. Dallinga’s arrival from Toulouse in July 2024 for around €18 million signalled Bologna’s ambition. The club also showed smart succession planning. Despite losing key players like Dan Ndoye and Sam Beukema in the summer, they have managed the transition without losing momentum.
That decisive victory over Napoli was built on structure and belief. Bologna absorbed pressure, waited for their opportunities and struck with precision.
They dominated key moments despite inferior possession (40.6 %) and outshot their opponents. Players like Dallinga and Lucumi are growing into the roles set for them, while stalwarts such as Riccardo Orsolini continue to deliver the attacking spark that underpins this project.
Perhaps the most important factor is the transition from a side that celebrated one great night in last season’s cup win to one that wakes up thinking about consistency and sustained challenges. The win over Napoli had the feel of a statement match. Bologna are no longer just a surprise package, they are contenders with structure behind them.
Under Italiano, backed by a willingness to invest smartly rather than recklessly, Bologna have managed to convert momentum into solidity. Their season is no longer defined by what they achieved last May, but by what they are building now.
If that victory over Napoli was the springboard, the task now is to ride it. Bologna aren’t just chasing glory – they’re constructing it.
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