Bologna’s season has reached its first uncomfortable pause: five league matches have produced only three goals, leaving the Rossoblu with Serie A’s least productive attack alongside Genoa. At Casteldebole, the concern is no longer confined to a missed chance or an unlucky afternoon. The team have yet to find the goals that might turn their work into points and, with the wait for a first victory continuing, Raffaele Palladino’s immediate task is to give his side a sharper edge.
There was initially room to point to misfortune. Bologna created opportunities against Lazio and Atalanta that amounted to two expected goals across those fixtures, yet scored none. The subsequent 180 minutes against Napoli and Torino, however, made the issue harder to dismiss as a statistical accident. The forwards have scored rarely, while the midfielders and defenders have so far offered no additional scoring return.
The only mildly reassuring comparison comes from the opening of the 2023-24 campaign, when Thiago Motta’s eventual Champions League side also had three goals after five rounds. That team had collected six points by the approach to its sixth match, through three draws and a win, and two of its three goals had been enough to overcome Cagliari. It was a restrained beginning before Bologna’s attacking game developed over the season. Motta’s side had conceded four goals at that stage, compared with six for the current group.
There is nevertheless a limit to how far that parallel can be taken. During Joey Saputo’s ownership, Bologna have made a poorer scoring start only once: in 2018-19, when Pippo Inzaghi’s team managed two goals in the first five fixtures. Even then, those goals brought three points. Palladino’s Bologna have three goals but remain without a win, making the need for a response more pressing.
Palladino needs his scorers back in the picture
The recovery of Artem Dovbyk could be central to the attempt to change the rhythm. He has not started a match, but he has scored once, against Sassuolo. Piccoli has the same total despite playing considerably more, beginning every match, while Bernardeschi has also contributed one goal. It is not enough for a side trying to emerge from an early-season stall.
Riccardo Orsolini’s absence has been particularly felt. He remains without a goal after the injury suffered in the second round, and Bologna need him, the other wide players and the rest of the squad to raise their output. The answer cannot rest solely with the centre-forwards: the midfield and back line must also offer something in the opposition penalty area.
The comparison with Motta’s old campaign is a reason for patience rather than complacency. That Bologna eventually grew into a Champions League team, but the present side cannot simply wait for a similar transformation. Palladino must find a way to make chances count, restore his attacking players and turn this thin opening chapter into something less troubling before it becomes the defining problem of the season.
