Bologna boss makes Celtic demand as Scotland international delivers 'safe' Martin O'Neill verdict
Celtic take on Bologna in the Europa League this week.
Bologna head coach Vincenzo Italiano has demanded his side put an end to their recent poor form by delivering a ‘real’ performance against Celtic in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The Italian outfit hosts Martin O’Neill’s side in their penultimate League Phase game at the Renato Dall'Ara Stadium, knowing that a win will put them on the brink of a top-eight place in the competition. However, they are under increasing pressure from the Rossoblu fanbase, having won just two of their last 11 games in all competitions.
Their home defeat against Fiorentina at the weekend meant they dropped to eighth place in the Serie A table, and the 48-year-old boss is hoping that Thursday’s visit of the Scottish champions will prompt an improvement in performance as his side looks for their first home win since a 2-1 victory over Parma in the Coppa Italia on December 4.
“There's no time to get depressed,” said Italiano. “But I want a reaction against Celtic. I want to see the real Bologna on Thursday. We started so slowly and gave ourselves far too much to do. So I want to see us go for it straight from the very first kick of the ball this week.
“Having to make four subs at half time was certainly not part of my plans, but when six or seven of my players play badly, you can’t hope to win the game against a hungry side like Fiorentina. We started so slowly and gave ourselves far too much to do. So I want to see us go for it straight from the very first kick of the ball this week.”
Meanwhile, Bologna captain and current Scotland international Lewis Ferguson believes that Celtic arrive in a better place, having reinstated O’Neill as manager following Wilfried Nancy’s ill-fated spell in charge of the club.
The 26-year-old former Aberdeen star has been in and out of the club’s starting XI this season, with Ferguson failing to start any of Bologna’s last three games. However, having been introduced off the bench during the weekend defeat to Fiorentina, he’ll be hoping to be restored to the team when they play host to Celtic this week.
“I watch a lot of Scottish football,” Ferguson told The Sunday Post. “Whenever I am at home and there is a game on the TV then I will watch it, so I keep up with events. Celtic did not start the season the way they would have liked under Brendan Rodgers and they figured it was time for change. Brendan did an incredible job over his time at Celtic but, at the end, for whatever reasons, they were not performing to the levels they expect.
“Then Martin O’Neill came back on an interim basis and I thought they were good. He is such an experienced manager – he has been there and done it all. He is one of Celtic’s most successful managers and, as such, he knows the club so well. Winning seven out of eight games in that period is impressive.
“After that it was Wilfried Nancy and it was a bit crazy because he only lasted 33 days. He did not hit the levels that a club like Celtic would expect. When you get off to such a bad start, it is so hard. For a club like Celtic, where the expectations are so high, losing six out of eight games is not good enough.
“It must have been tough [for Nancy], but they have changed again and, as I say, Martin is a safe pair of hands. He knows how to get the best out of the players, so we will be expecting a really tough game. They decided they had made a mistake and it was time to change again, which is fair enough. If it is not working, then it is not working. Unfortunately, that is how football goes nowadays.”
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