Bologna assistant manager Emilio De Leo admits they “started badly” and were unable to turn around an early 2-0 Lazio lead.
Sinisa Mihajlovic was given a wonderful welcome at the Stadio Olimpico, presented with a gift and given a stating ovation before kick-off, with a banner: ‘Always a courageous man with a warrior spirit, we are by your side during your most important battle. Forza Sinisa.’
Bologna assistant manager Emilio De Leo admits they “started badly” and were unable to turn around an early 2-0 Lazio lead.
Sinisa Mihajlovic was given a wonderful welcome at the Stadio Olimpico, presented with a gift and given a stating ovation before kick-off, with a banner: ‘Always a courageous man with a warrior spirit, we are by your side during your most important battle. Forza Sinisa.’
Luis Alberto scored one and assisted Joaquin Correa for the 2-0 victory, although Bologna had two goals disallowed using VAR for Stefano Denswil’s handball and Rodrigo Palacio’s offside position.
“We started badly and Lazio came out fighting, we have to admit that, and did not implement the strategy we had prepared," assistant manager De Leo told Sky Sport Italia.
“In our view, we stabilised it a little and then could’ve got back into the game, but were either unfortunate or not sharp enough to finish the chances that we created.
“We knew it was going to be a complicated match and we couldn’t afford to be sluggish in our initial approach, so it’s disappointing to see that we did that.
“The real Bologna emerged after a while, we were better set out, had the right distances and didn’t allow Lazio many chances after that.
“Our plan was to work defensively the same way we did earlier this season, but when we saw they were constantly finding gaps and breaking on the counter, we moved to more of a 4-2-3-1.
“Getting players like Roberto Soriano, Nicola Sansone and Federico Santander back is important, as this is a team that needs quality in attack.”
Bologna are due to host Juventus next week, assuming that goes ahead amid the Coronavirus outbreak. How does De Leo see the Scudetto race?
“We are focusing on improving our own performances. As far as I can tell, Inter, Juventus and Lazio are all strong teams, but the Biancocelesti are making the most of their current form, enthusiasm, motivation and passion. It could well make the difference.”