Vincenzo Italiano, the head coach of Bologna, has shared his thoughts following the team’s impressive 3-2 victory against Napoli. He explained why forward Jonathan Rowe was not in the starting lineup and acknowledged that the player’s future with the club will be a topic of discussion with directors soon.
Bologna had experienced a dip in form towards the end of the season, failing to score in their last four matches across Serie A and the Europa League. However, they secured a significant upset at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, completing a season double over Napoli.
The match saw Federico Bernardeschi and a Riccardo Orsolini penalty give Bologna a 2-0 lead, only for Napoli to equalize through Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Alisson Santos. The winning goal in stoppage time came from a spectacular acrobatic volley by Jonathan Rowe. Italiano revealed that Rowe was not in the starting eleven due to a minor injury.
Italiano Expresses Delight at Bologna’s Response
Speaking to DAZN Italia, Italiano joked about Federico Bernardeschi’s antics on the touchline, saying, “Bernardeschi told me it’s in his contract that every time he gets substituted, he needs to kick the bottles around on the touchline.”
He then focused on Rowe’s contribution: “I am happy for Rowe, because I had told him he could come on today for 20-25 minutes and bring his unpredictability. He had a nasty bruise to his foot against Cagliari and didn’t train much last week. When someone with his quality comes on, he must put it at the disposal of the team with his talent and by taking on defenders. I feel we had the just reward for an excellent first-half performance. Clearly, Napoli fought back, but we gave a strong response to a difficult period.”
Both Rowe and Bernardeschi, who also scored, have faced fitness challenges and adjustments to Serie A. Italiano commented on Bernardeschi’s progress: “We knew that Berna needed some time, that English players struggle more than others to adapt to Serie A, but after four months he started to really understand the movements and work with his teammates. He is young and has shown a lot of quality. Berna has impressive statistics for his fitness levels; you see the quality he brings.”
Regarding Santiago Castro, who was named in Argentina’s preliminary World Cup squad, Italiano stated: “He is still very young but has been a starter for the last two years. He is improving the way he works for the team off the ball; he still has enormous room for improvement. If he keeps his feet firmly on the ground and continues to show this effort, he can become a great centre-forward.”
Bologna currently sits in eighth place. While European qualification is out of reach, they have the opportunity to avoid the first two rounds of the Coppa Italia next season.
“We were unable to be quite as amazing as last season, but there were some bright moments this year too. It’s a pity about the last few months, but now we have another two games and will hope to do as well as we did tonight,” Italiano added.
Italiano has been linked with a departure from Bologna, with clubs like Milan and Napoli reportedly interested. Newspapers suggest a meeting with directors is scheduled for the following day.
“I don’t know about there being a meeting tomorrow. There will be a meeting with the club to discuss how the season went and future plans; we did it last year and will do it again this time,” Italiano responded. “I always said this is a top club and atmosphere around us. We were sad for the jeers recently, but these things happen. We’ll discuss it and see what we should do.”