Thiago Motta
BolognaRaffaele Palladino
Monza
Meeting Highlights…CHAMPIONS LEAGUE POSSIBILITY
Let's make things clear, since the beginning of the championship we have never been written into any race for Europe. The Champions League is a normal obsession for other clubs, such as Inter, Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Lazio, Atalanta or Roma... For us this obsession has never existed. At the moment we are the 'pain in the ass' of this championship here because at the moment no one expected us to be in this area of the standings. This is what we do well in football: we brought competition, competitiveness and we deserved to be where we are. We intend to remain a pain in the ass to the core, but without any obsession. And when I use the term pain in the ass I don't mean that we are ugly, dirty and bad, indeed... We are determined, focused and willing to achieve our goal. We will do everything to give joy to our fans. However, I believe that a clear analysis of what the boys have done so far is needed, on the part of the whole environment.
…ZIRKZEE
We have to start by thinking what Joshua's normal game is. In my opinion, not even he knows because he is young. I think the important thing is to always have balance, and we have it. The boys know they are going through a great moment and we will continue until we end up being what I said at the beginning.
…MONZA
It's a team that has changed formation but has maintained the same mentality. When they recover the ball they try to maintain balance behind and already in recovery they manage to advance and gain ground. They have the quality of understanding when to attack quickly, and they are aware of the quality techniques of their players and when to exploit them. We must be ready to play against a team that knows what it wants: it will be a good battle, which we will play at home with our heads and our hearts.
Thiago Motta
Manager on Bologna…CHAMPIONS LEAGUE POSSIBILITY
Let's make things clear, since the beginning of the championship we have never been written into any race for Europe. The Champions League is a normal obsession for other clubs, such as Inter, Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Lazio, Atalanta or Roma... For us this obsession has never existed. At the moment we are the 'pain in the ass' of this championship here because at the moment no one expected us to be in this area of the standings. This is what we do well in football: we brought competition, competitiveness and we deserved to be where we are. We intend to remain a pain in the ass to the core, but without any obsession. And when I use the term pain in the ass I don't mean that we are ugly, dirty and bad, indeed... We are determined, focused and willing to achieve our goal. We will do everything to give joy to our fans. However, I believe that a clear analysis of what the boys have done so far is needed, on the part of the whole environment.
…ZIRKZEE
We have to start by thinking what Joshua's normal game is. In my opinion, not even he knows because he is young. I think the important thing is to always have balance, and we have it. The boys know they are going through a great moment and we will continue until we end up being what I said at the beginning.
…MONZA
It's a team that has changed formation but has maintained the same mentality. When they recover the ball they try to maintain balance behind and already in recovery they manage to advance and gain ground. They have the quality of understanding when to attack quickly, and they are aware of the quality techniques of their players and when to exploit them. We must be ready to play against a team that knows what it wants: it will be a good battle, which we will play at home with our heads and our hearts.
Raffaele Palladino
Manager on Monza…RIVALRY
No, it's not a match between me and Thiago Motta but between Monza and Bologna who I believe are two teams that have improved a lot compared to last season. Bologna is doing unimaginable things, credit must be given to the club, the coach and everyone's environment. They deserve to qualify for the Champions League. We weren't able to do something extraordinary like them but we still did better than last year. There is no finish line to be reached, we will be called to face a Bologna team that is doing amazing things. It will be important to go to them with a clear identity.
…LAST DEFEATS
We haven't lost the audacity that distinguished us. Against Napoli we did well for large stretches of the match then they scored sensational goals and it went that way. But Monza is doing very well and tomorrow we will compete again against a team stronger than us. We will give our all knowing that even in the defeats against Torino and Napoli the performances were right. Bologna will need a match of great level and personality, which however has never been lacking.
…POSSIBLE SYSTEM
Against Napoli we set up with three, mine is a team with great flexibility. Monza had the courage to follow a path from last season that allowed us to change the system of play and for this I have to congratulate the staff. Everything always starts from the weekly work, from the technical activation up to the day of the match. I come from an era when football was different and if you want to play from the back you have to have courage. We try to do it, Bologna tries to do it and football is now headed in this direction.