Is Thiago Motta the next great coach?

Thiago Motta's has transformed Bologna from Serie A strugglers to one of the most aesthetically pleasing sides in Italy. With just nine games remaining this season, the Rossoblu sit in fourth place and are within touching distance of a Champions League spot for the first time in 60 years.
How has he achieved such a turnaround? Adam Leventhal is joined by James Horncastle and Mark Carey to dive into how the Champions League winner has found a home in Northern Italy.
00:00 Intro
00:25 Thiago Motta's journey so far
04:43 How he has transformed Bologna?
06:52 Motta's "Wacky" set up
12:21 Perception of Motta in Italy
17:17 How well has he evolved at Bologna?
19:59 What is Motta's personality like?
24:20 The signings Motta has made
27:51 Where does Motta go next?
38.17 Roberto De Zerbi's next step?
42:03 Final comments
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Thumbnail: Nicolò Campo / Contributor / LightRocket via Getty Images
#seriea #championsleague #italy

[@soorajgb344]

Remember the time when Thiago Motta was trolled for sharing his formation as 2-7-2 and now the same guy is in the conversation to become Europe's next big thing....unreal💥

[@GarthMarenghiMD]

He was only trolled because people only looked at a headline an didn't read any further. His 2-7-2 was to be read from side to side (e.g. the 2's are the wingers on each side) not from back to front as formations are usually read. Any team with 2 fullbacks and 2 wingers is a 2-7-2

[@Montycat78]

Shout out to Lewis Ferguson, left Aberdeen to go to Bologna 2 years ago, i think and now the captain there.

[@diinomaaxi]

Yeah he is the Captian and now him and Thiago motta are both moving to juve in the summer

[@gokukaarot3126]

​@@diinomaaxi😂😂😂😂 keep dreaming

[@nathanielarcher7076]

Thiago Motta will be Juventus next manager 🤍🖤

[@john-adriancoker2789]

I agree with Horncastle's assessment of Thiago Motta as a highly suitable candidate to succeed Xavi as the Barcelona Manager at the end of the season. As a Barça fan, he's clearly the best candidate because he simultaneously offers something different & familiar at once. Barça's board wants a change from the coaching profile they usually hire. Hence why they want a German coach, having ruled out De Zerbi due to his buyout clause. Motta, like Alonso, is a fellow serial winner, offers many philosophies & influences that he draws from that's vividly clear in the way his team plays. The best parts of not just both the Positional (Bielsa) & Gegenpressing (Löw) worlds but the Relational (Gasparini) & Transitional (Mourinho/ Conte) ones too. All tied together in a blue & claret bow underpinned by the Total Footballing philosophy education he received at Barcelona. Where he began his journey in Europe at the age of 17 & spent 8 years in both the B team (2 years) & 1st team (6 years) from 99-07. So it is safe to say that Thiago Motta has Barça DNA... that has been genetically engineered by his wide array of experiences he draws from. Ironically a similar story almost identically applies to his namesake Thiago Alcantara. Whom, I'm sure Motta would love as a player in his Barça team. It'd be such a full circle moment & welcomed homecoming for both Thiago Motta & Alcantara to come back to where it all began! *MANAGER:* THIAGO MOTTA *4-2-3-1:* SQUAD AVG AGE (23.8) ST LEWANDOWKSI 9 LWF CAM RWF LUIS DÍAZ PEDRI RAPHINHA 7 8 11 CDM CM ZUBI GAVI 14 6 LWB RWB GRIMALDO CANCELO 20 2 LCB RCB PAU TORRES ARAUJO 15 4 SWK TER STEGEN 1 *SUBS/RES:* 13. PEÑA (GK) 3. BALDÉ (LB) 5. MARTÍNEZ (LCB) 33. CUBARSI (RCB) 24. GARCIA (RCB) 39. FORT (RB) 26. CASADO (CDM) 21. DE JONG (CM) 30. THIAGO (CM) 17. FELIX (AMF) 18. TORRE (AM) 16. FERMIN (AM) 27. YAMAL (RW) 19. ROQUÉ (CF) 38. GUIU (ST) *ARRIVALS:* 20. GRIMALDO - €45m 15. PAU TORRES - €45m 24. GARCIA - END OF LOAN 2. CANCELO - LOAN 14. ZUBIMENDI - €50m 30. THIAGO - FREE 7. LUIS DÍAZ - €75M 18. TORRE - END OF LOAN 17. FELIX - LOAN ----------------------------------------------- = €215m ----------------------------------------------- *DEPARTURES:* ALONSO - €3m LENGLET - €10m CHRISTENSEN - €40m KOUNDÉ - €50m DEST - €22m J. ARAUJO - €8m ROMEU - €3m ROBERTO - END OF CONT GUNDOGAN - €16m FATI - €30m FERRAN - €35m ----------------------------------------------- (POTENTIAL SALES) €217m + (LA LIGA CAP) €270m = €487m ÷ 2 as 50-60% can be spent on players, coaches, youth etc as per Ben Burrows' article 14/9/23 = €243.5m to spend based on sales & spending cap -----------------------------------------------

[@FootballDrawn]

Thank you for covering this⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽

[@thomaslovatt3684]

Done a great job there and deserves credit also did a great job at Spezia as well!

[@IntoTheWeeds71]

I'd love Motta to go to Milan if Pioli leaves. The way he makes them play, the fluidity of their passing, Milan desperately needs that kind of confidence. Only issue is that many coaches struggle when jumping up to a bigger club with more pressure and a different environment, just like Giampaolo

[@user-uv9js9yy2x]

Finally an expose on Thiago Motta. Great content

[@jakubparadowski3688]

i love that James seems to be even more annoyed about english football punditry than me 😀

[@Maddy-kb2co]

This was a good show guys enjoyed it

[@FuerstMykisch]

I appreciate all your free, exquisite content (including all the other podcasts) yet it was a bit tiring for me to have repeatedly Chelsea or Manchester United podcasts ... it is refreshing to have a podcast about such topic. (As a Stuttgart fan I cannot help but need recommend to have a look on Hoeness :) ...)

[@joshbrown2217]

Even as a Chelsea fan, I was getting tired of those podcasts

[@rahuljain3303]

😂😂

[@ponteakabridge]

Cool to see Viktor Gyokeres doing a podcast in the UK. Bro really is everywhere.

[@Defensive_Dynamo]

Wonderful episode!

[@eggsII]

Does anyone have comparables between Motta and Tuchel? When Tuchel first came to Chelsea, he was defensively solid, but they struggled to score. Chelsea were really strong in possession. What I’m hearing (without seeing Motta’s teams) sounds like Tuchel. Sounds like Motta has more positional fluidity… Additionally, Tuchel’s Chelsea were built in the Conte style, so maybe the possession-based football was as much a vestige of older coaches as it was Tuchel. His last few months were a defensive nightmare.

[@Diablo98ssy]

James is a great journalist but sometimes makes me really doubtful of how he follows italian football. How can he says allegri deserves more recognition for his work with youngsters? Miretti and Fagioli played last season because Pogba is Pogba and Mckennie was kicked out of the door, in the same way this season Giuntoli clearly showed he’s not going to buy the players he want. Acciughina wanted Bonaventura and Giuntoli got Alcaraz. Yildid is notoriously an incedibile player for those who know academy football. Huijsen had to go to Roma to play, like Barranchea and Soule, and Caviglia, Rovella and Cambiaso last year. Iling is a desaparecidos at time. C’mon

[@dopecityproductions]

Odd to find Horncastle not even mention Juve in his answer to where Motta goes next, when talking of the top italian clubs...barely mentioned until later on, then in passing really. Yet within Juve fan circles, many assume the deal is as good as already done.

[@dontwannaname]

Used to be that clubs were falling over themselves to sign players who were the "next Messi" etc. Now it's the head coaches turn.

[@acescholar8760]

Shout out to McKenna at Ipswich. He has similar levels

[@ulfricstormcloak4230]

Horncastle hates Mourinho so much that he was unable to mention Jose's influence on Thiago Motta, despite the fact he won the historic treble with him.

[@totolino85]

Anyone i know with half brain in turin is hoping that giuntoli gives him the key of juve for the next 4/5 years.

[@Tmoney0594]

You guys said this about Erik Ten Hag too and look how that’s gone at Man U….

[@IggyGoesPop666]

2 - 7 - 1 formation in front of the goalkeeper sounds interesting as I'm a West Ham fan and I hate Moyes 9 - 1 formation ... Moyes out ... Motta in 🤣

[@just_a_yokai1103]

Oh i guess you've never heard of Allegris legendary 10-0-0 Formation 😂

[@diinomaaxi]

Welcome to juve Thiago

[@orhallurv.birgisson8367]

Thiago Motta would be good at Man Utd!

[@CharlesOffdensen]

I checked and Deco did say he doesn't follow Bologna. Very unprofessional. Serie A is perhaps the most interesting league in the last 3-4 years, and it is a very strong league, this season it showed. If my team's boss said he doesn't follow Bologna or Seria A I would want him out immediately. He is either a moron or says things that are lies, disrespectful and unprofessional.

[@ETHAN_HEMRAZ]

Would he fit Liverpool?

[@phongthehun1721]

Ruben Amorim would fit better

[@Ground_Dee]

No

[@MistaMoses]

Would be different, sadly not lol

[@Fgd231]

Hype job 🥱

[@lucamazzantijovicevic4478]

If this had been some English manager with 4 wins in a row this video would have ,2 milion views. Instead it's serie A so the hype is 0