Vincenzo Italiano Makes Bologna Plea As Glory Beckons In Super Cup Final

Vincenzo Italiano has expressed his desire for his Bologna to be deemed a vintage side ahead of the Italian Super Cup final against Napoli. 

Italiano has worked his way up the ranks in Italian football, becoming one of its most underrated coaches.

He has steered his Bologna side to the Italian Super Cup final after beating Inter on penalties at the weekend.

This will be Italiano’s fifth cup final in four years, spanning Bologna and Fiorentina.

And speaking ahead of the game, Italiano said he hoped his Bologna side would be remembered as one of the great teams in the club’s history.

“Football for me is a reason for living,” he said at his pre-match press conference.

“Since I was born, first in the streets, then on the fields of the suburbs, it has always been a reason for living.

“You do your job with a smile, you can’t wait to get on the pitch and work. Preparing for matches, leading training sessions.

“I’d like my Bologna to be remembered like the great Bolognas of the past.

“I wouldn’t mind hearing that this Bologna has carried these colors forward around the world. I’d like to join the great Bolognas of the past.”

The Italian Super Cup winner stands to pocket close to €10million, making Monday night’s game especially lucrative.

Perseverance and flexibility could see Italiano go from underrated to elite

In a country that worships tactical caution, Italiano’s teams keep reaching showpiece occasions by playing forward, not hiding.

Reaching a final is not a fluke: Italiano keeps taking different squads to showpieces, which suggests repeatable coaching rather than lucky runs.

Before Bologna, he dragged Fiorentina into three major finals: a Coppa Italia and back-to-back Europa Conference League showpieces.

They lost them all, beaten by Inter, then falling to West Ham and Olympiacos, the latter in extra time.

Italiano did not let those losses drag him down. Indeed, they built a coach who talks about preparation, detail and eliminating regrets.

When Bologna beat Milan 1-0 to win the Coppa Italia in May, Italiano praised his players and cited lessons learned.

It ended a 51-year wait for Bologna silverware and turned a “nearly man” into a winner with proof in his hands.

Now the Supercoppa offers another test of nerve, and Italiano says the head matters as much as legs for 90 minutes.

A modern Italian coach is one who marries identity with flexibility, and Italiano’s work shows both.

His football has an identity: intense pressing, brave build-up, and constant movement between lines to create chances quickly.

Italiano is also adaptable. At Fiorentina he shifted things round when needed, yet kept the same principles of aggression and quick passing.

Bologna started the season brightly and things are certainly continuing on the right track.

If he keeps reaching finals, and keeps learning in them by winning, Italiano will surely go from underrated to elite.