Bologna have begun a compressed new chapter under Raffaele Palladino, with the coach using his first full day at Casteldebole to set priorities before Saturday’s 15:00 home meeting with Torino: greater speed, technical conviction and a more direct route towards goal.
Raffaele Palladino begins work at Casteldebole
Palladino arrived at the training centre at around 11:30 on his first day and remained there until late in the evening. The schedule reflected the scale of the task: he met his own staff, toured the facilities and spoke with the people who run them, had lunch with the squad, held a session with the club’s communications team and then took training at 16:00.
The players had been called in well before the afternoon session, allowing the new coach to establish contact with the group before turning to the field. With only three days to prepare for Torino, the work has started at an accelerated pace.
Drone footage was used during training, giving Palladino and his assistants another tool to review positioning, errors and the team’s developing instructions ahead of his debut on the Bologna bench.
A demand for quicker attacking football
The first ideas emerging from the session point towards a Bologna side asked to move the ball with fewer touches and a clearer attacking intent. Palladino’s early themes were speed, quality and a fast offensive phase, with simple decisions expected to become a central principle.
The coach wants Bologna to play forward earlier rather than allowing moves to become burdened by long sequences of intermediate passes. The intention is to give the club’s attacking players more frequent opportunities to run beyond opponents and find the penalty area.
Bologna’s forward players have the capacity to score, and Palladino’s immediate objective is to put them in conditions to do so. His instructions also included moments when a midfielder or wide player must attack the available space, as well as guidance on applying pressure rather than allowing it to dictate the game.
The team had appeared more measured under Tedesco, particularly in the lower number of forward movements demanded from the wide attackers compared with the approach previously seen under Vincenzo Italiano. Palladino’s first training session suggested an attempt to restore greater aggression in possession.
He also praised Roberto Piccoli during the work, one of several individual messages delivered as he began to define the standards he wants from the group.
Man-to-man duels and a possible back three
Individual duels could become an important feature of Bologna’s immediate approach. The word “man” was repeatedly stressed in training, raising the prospect of man-oriented defensive work being carried into Saturday’s match and beyond.
Palladino may also consider a three-man defence. Bologna have five central defenders available in Vitik, Heggem, Helland, Theate and Casale, and the coach has the personnel to explore a change from the outset.
A 3-4-3 or a 3-4-2-1 are possible shapes, although the exact system remains to be decided. Palladino had watched Bologna in person on three occasions before taking charge, beginning with the opening match against Lazio, and already knows the squad he has inherited.
The new coach believes that, despite the departure of some technically gifted players, Bologna still possess enough quality to build a productive side. The emphasis now is on making that quality visible through sharper, more decisive football.
A large staff around the new coach
Palladino’s working group includes several trusted figures from his Atalanta background. Citterio will serve as assistant coach, with Peluso working as a collaborator. Corabi and Riva are the fitness coaches, while Ramponi and Casella join as match analysts.
They will work alongside Bianchi, Sentimenti, Prandelli, Granato, Lobascio, Aiello and Onnivello. It is a sizeable technical group, assembled to give Bologna a rapid platform for the first match of Palladino’s tenure.
Claudio Marchisio was also seen at Casteldebole, attending in his capacity as an agent rather than in a sporting role with the club.
Palladino is due to be presented at 17:30. By then, Bologna’s direction should be clearer: an attacking vocation, straightforward instructions and a team expected to play with more conviction when Torino arrive on Saturday.
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