Italiano and Castro outperform Motta and Zirkzee at Bologna | OneFootball

Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano earned one more point than Thiago Motta did last season after 22 rounds, while Santiago Castro scored the same number of goals as Joshua Zirkzee but provided more assists.

Bologna have lost just one game in the last 15 across all competitions and qualified for the Coppa Italia semifinal for the first time in 26 years, beating Atalanta on Tuesday.

As reported by Gazzetta, Italiano has earned one more point than his predecessor, Motta, at the same stage of the season (37 to 36). Bologna have also scored more goals – 35 to 27 – and even if they conceded more (27 goals to 20), they have lost just three games against Motta’s four.

Italiano and Castro outperform Motta and Zirkzee at Bologna

Bologna’s coach Vincenzo Italiano celebrates winning the UEFA Champions League soccer match between Bologna FC and Borussia Dortmund at Renato Dall’Ara stadium in Bologna, Italy, 21 January 2025. EPA-EFE/ELISABETTA BARACCHI

Castro played alongside Zirkzee at Bologna in the second part of 2023-24 and has become a more than valuable replacement to the Dutchman, who joined Manchester United last summer.

At this stage of the season, Zirkzee had scored eight goals and provided two assists. Castro has scored the same number of goals this term but has delivered seven assists so far.

In the 2023–24 Serie A campaign, Zirkzee made 34 appearances for Bologna, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists.

His contribution was instrumental in Bologna securing a fifth-place finish and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1965.

The Rossoblu are now seventh in the Serie A table, five points below the top four, and they have a game in hand against Milan, which they will play at home.

Source: Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, February 6, 2025, page 18.