The Bologna coach, Vincenzo Italianoin his press conference on the eve of the match against Monaco, valid for the fourth day of the Champions League, also spoke about the objective of trying to reach the playoffs: “It’s something that we will try to achieve without the obsession of performing above our level. I came from the Conference and I saw very strong teams in Europe, but what I’m seeing in the Champions League, especially in the last two games, is something we weren’t used to.
Our goal is to try to arrive in what is 24 hours: if we make it it will mean that we have done a great job. However, for us the Champions League must be about growth and the obsession is to play well, not the league table.”
At what point is your growth process considering the last two games without conceding a goal?
“I believe there has been growth in the department. Against Lecce we conceded few shots to our opponents and that was what we wanted. In the last matches, against Cagliari and Genoa, we conceded too much to our opponents, lowering the attention threshold. Against In Lecce we did very well in this respect. The motivation has grown both in the team and in the individuals.”
The updated Champions League standings
1. Aston Villa 9 (dr +6)
2. Liverpool 9 (dr +5)
3. Manchester City 7 (dr +9)
4. Munich 7 (dr +5)
5. Brest 7 (dr +5)
6. Leverkusen 7 (dr +5)
7. Inter 7 (dr +5)
8. Sporting 7 (dr +4)
9. Arsenal 7 (dr +3)
10. Barcelona 6 (dr +7)
11. Dortmund 6 (dr +6)
12. Real Madrid 6 (dr +4)
13. Benfica 6 (dr +3)
14. Juventus 6 (dr +2)
15. Lille 6 (dr +1)
16. Feyenoord 6 (dr -1)
17. Atalanta 5 (dr +3)
18. Stuttgart 4 (dr -1)
19. PSG 4 (dr -1)
20. Celtic 4 (dr -2)
21. Sparta Prague 4 (dr -2)
22. Dinamo Zagreb 4 (dr -5)
23. Bayern Munich 3 (dr +3)
24. Girona 3 (dr 0)
25. Milan 3 (dr -1)
26. Club Brugge 3 (dr -4)
27. Atletico Madrid 3 (dr -5)
28. PSV 2 (dr -2)
29. Bologna 1 (dr -4)
30. Shakhtar 1 (dr -4)
31. RB Leipzig 0 (dr -3)
32. Sturm Graz 0 (dr -4)
33. Red Star 0 (dr -9)
34. Salzburg 0 (dr -9)
35. Young Boys 0 (dr -9)
36. Slovan Bratislava 0 (dr -10)