Bologna on my mind: From grapes to wine. (23 Dec)

Written by: Massimo Sampaolesi. Translated by: Carlotta Belluzzi.

If last year we had been told that at this point of the championship, we would more or less have as many points as Sassuolo, we would have probably been very happy. However, Sassuolo seems to not be having a great season so far, so our achievement is somewhat belittled. Maybe that’s the case; the most disappointing thing is the number of our victories: just 5.

Yes, over 17 matches played so far, we only won 5: against Crotone, Cagliari, Sampdoria, Palermo, and the latest against Pescara (and our first away game victory). Of these teams, only Sampdoria is sitting above us on the table, but just by 2 points. We have certainly had the chance to be better off than this, but the points taken from us in the last few seconds (see the game against Lazio), have really taken their toll on our performance so far. If we had had those 4 or 5 additional points, they would have been legitimate, as Donadoni himself emphasised. Moreover, we would have spent a much more relaxed Christmas, as our expectations would have been more closely matched.

Let’s be clear – I do not want to discuss the “ifs” and “buts”: I am simply stating that our current points in the league do not necessarily represent our journey so far all that accurately.

Giaccherini and Diawara leaving the team caused us to fear that we would not be able to replace them, and maybe that’s the case. However, we are lucky to have Nagy and Dzemaili, and to regret their absence if we don’t see them on the pitch. We have also seen a very encouraging performance by Taider, who is currently going away to dispute in the African championship. We have had proof of how both of our goalkeepers are as good as each other. We have witnessed a lowly valued player transform into an idol: and if bad luck hadn’t temporarily stopped him, Simone Verdi would have given a very precious contribution to make us progress further. We have observed Mattia Destro play more energetically, even if he has often been stopped by injuries, just like for Mimmo Maietta, whose contract with Bologna has just been renewed. We have had a taste of the potential of Di Francesco and of Krejci’s skills, and we are witnessing the recent growth of “boom boom” Viviani as a playmaker. We have even experienced the joy of being part of one of the most amazing fan bases of Italy, who support their team and love it because they love its president, who keeps BFC out of trouble and is granting us potential for improvement – something which we thought we had lost for good.

All this is to argue that Bologna seems to me to be stronger than last year. The path taken by our president and managers reassures me that the team is run with the right frame of mind, aims and ambitions: the latest piece of evidence for this attitude is the recent acquisition of the training grounds and complex in Casteldebole.

However, this peace of mind does not change the fact that the won matches are still only 5. And yet, such matters should be left to the experts, and Donadoni certainly has the capability of instilling energy and dynamism in the players, allowing us to enact that perseverance which will make us perform “a bit better than last year”, as our chairman said.

To conclude, to go from the grape to a glass of wine, some time needs to pass. But we will not die of thirst.

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