Bologna One Shot: Serie A Glory and Cup Double

Bologna finished the Serie A season with:














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Game status



38 matches
24 wins
8 draws
6 defeats
97 goals scored
47 conceded
+50 goal difference
85 points

Only Blu-neri finished above on the screenshot with the same 85-point area, but Bologna’s campaign was elite by any normal Serie A standard. The attack was the real headline: 97 goals scored, the best attacking return visible on the table. This was not a low-block grind. This was aggressive, high-output football.

The final day summed up the season perfectly: Como 0-5 Bologna away from home. That result was not just a win; it was a statement.

Season Review

Bologna started strongly in pre-season, including big friendly wins over Pordenone, Empoli, Ravenna and Südtirol. The competitive season began with a few warning signs, including a 2-2 draw with Parma, but the attack quickly clicked.

Important early results included:

Hellas Verona 1-6 Bologna
Celesti 0-2 Bologna
Bologna 5-1 Qairat Almaty
Bergamo 1-3 Bologna
Bologna 5-0 Sassuolo

That early run set the tone. Bologna were not waiting for matches to happen. They were forcing the issue, attacking early, and making even difficult away fixtures look manageable.

The middle part of the season was where the save became serious. Bologna beat Juventus 3-1, beat Blu-neri 3-1, and continued scoring heavily in both domestic and European games. The Italian Super Cup final was also won, with Bologna beating Parthenope 4-1.

The spring period had some rough edges. There were defeats against AS Roma, Fiorentina and Hellas Verona, and the Europa League run ended after the AS Roma tie. But the team recovered well and finished the season with excellent momentum.

The final month was almost perfect:

Bologna 1-0 Parthenope
Torino 2-4 Bologna
Bologna 4-0 Juventus in the Italian Cup Final
Bologna 2-1 Bergamo
Como 0-5 Bologna

That is an elite closing run. No bottle job. No collapse. Proper champion behaviour.

Cup Success

The domestic cup campaign was another major success.

Bologna won the Italian Cup Final 4-0 against Juventus, which is probably one of the biggest results of the whole save. Beating Juventus is good. Beating Juventus 4-0 in a final is FMScout article headline material.

The club also won the Italian Super Cup, beating Parthenope 4-1 in the final.

So this was not only a good league season. This was a multi-trophy Bologna campaign.

Tactical Setup

The tactic used is called “Bologna one shot” and it uses a very aggressive attacking structure.

The base shape appears to work like a 3-4-2-1 / 3-4-3 hybrid, changing depending on possession phase.

In Possession

The in-possession structure is built around:

A back three
Two aggressive wing-backs
Two central midfielders
Two wide attacking midfielders
One central forward

The key attacking idea is width plus overloads. The wing-backs push high, while the wide attackers stay advanced enough to stretch the opposition back line. This gives Bologna multiple routes into the final third.

The shape gives you:

Width from Miranda and De Silvestri
Central control from Freuler and Ferguson
Direct threat from Rowe and Orsolini
A focal point through Dallinga

This is why the tactic produced so many goals. Bologna were not relying on one superstar. The goal threat was spread across the front line and midfield runners.

Out of Possession

Out of possession, the tactic becomes more compact. The back three remains protected, while the midfield pair helps screen central areas. The wing-backs drop into deeper positions when needed, creating something closer to a back five.

That balance is important because the attacking numbers are wild, but the defensive record was still respectable. Bologna conceded 47 league goals, which is not elite defensively, but acceptable considering the attacking output. This tactic is not built to win every match 1-0. It is built to score more than the opponent — and it did that brutally well.

Key Players
Riccardo Orsolini

Orsolini was one of the main stars of the season. From the squad screen, he finished with:

48 appearances
17 goals
18 assists
7.10 average rating

That is a superb return from the right attacking midfield role. He was one of the biggest creative and scoring outlets in the tactic.

Jonathan Rowe

Rowe was another major attacking weapon. He finished with:

46 appearances
16 goals
14 assists
7.18 average rating

This is exactly what you want from a wide attacker in this system: goals, assists, constant direct threat, and strong average ratings.

Juan Miranda

Miranda had an excellent season from the left side. His numbers were very strong:

47 appearances
10 goals
11 assists
7.03 average rating

For a wing-back, that is a huge attacking contribution. He was clearly one of the main reasons the tactic had so much width and progression.

Santiago Castro

Castro also delivered important attacking output:

36 appearances
16 goals
8 assists
7.10 average rating

Even if Dallinga started in the shown tactic screen, Castro’s contribution across the season was too important to ignore.

Remo Freuler

Freuler was the stabiliser in midfield. He played a huge number of matches and still returned:

43 appearances
13 goals
10 assists
7.00 average rating

That kind of midfield return is excellent. He was not just recycling possession; he was actively contributing in the final third.

Lukasz Skorupski

Skorupski remained the first-choice goalkeeper and finished with a 7.02 average rating across 53 appearances. In such an attacking system, the goalkeeper will always face awkward moments, so keeping a rating above 7.00 is a good sign.

Best Results

The standout results from the screenshots are:

Como 0-5 Bologna
Bologna 4-0 Juventus
Bologna 5-1 AS Roma
Bologna 5-0 Sassuolo
Hellas Verona 1-6 Bologna
Bologna 5-3 Cascavit
Bologna 3-1 Juventus
Bologna 3-1 Blu-neri
Bologna 4-1 Parthenope
Bergamo 1-3 Bologna

These results show the tactic was not only farming weaker sides. It also worked against big teams.

Weaknesses

This was not a perfect tactic defensively. The team conceded 47 goals in the league, and there were some clear bad results:

Blu-neri 4-0 Bologna
Cascavit 4-1 Bologna
AS Roma 2-1 Bologna
Hellas Verona 2-0 Bologna
Fiorentina 1-0 Bologna

So the tactic has risk. It is not a conservative plug-and-play tactic for people who want 25 clean sheets. It is aggressive, emotional, slightly chaotic, but very effective when the attacking rhythm is working.

The biggest weakness seems to be defensive exposure against stronger transition teams. Because the wing-backs push high and the wide attackers stay aggressive, quick counters can hurt the back line if the midfield is bypassed.