The enthusiasm of Bologna fans: "A team without limits. Now we can dream."
Bologna, November 11, 2025 – " The word 'Scudetto'? They don't even mention it." After dominating Napoli at the Dall'Ara – winning 2-0 – Bologna is fifth, three points off the top of the league, but the feeling is that they deserve to be higher. The fans know it. Many of them in the stadium are daydreaming and hoping to replicate a night like the return leg of the Champions League in 2024 or the Coppa Italia victory last May. It's only November, but the excitement is sky-high.
"The team is wonderful," says Francesco Mafaro. "I was pessimistic at the start of the year, but now I'm pleasantly surprised. With Sartori , we're in a very strong position; he doesn't make any mistakes." And there's a certain awareness, as some fans in Piazza Maggiore believe, that "if they continue like this, Italiano 's boys can even win" a league title that hasn't been won in over 60 years. "The other teams aren't more competitive than us," continues Mafaro. "The players need to stay focused." One of the Rossoblu players most closely watched is Nicolò Cambiaghi . "Under Italiano's guidance, he's been reborn," acknowledges Massimo Venturi. "He's got a different pace, so much so that he's just been called up to the national team."
Overall, "Bologna is giving us a lot of satisfaction. We're stronger than everyone and everything, but we're keeping our feet on the ground. If we hadn't dropped points in Lecce and Florence, we'd be first now," explains Venturi. Massimo Vandi is also surprised "by the way they're approaching the Italian Championship matches, especially at home." The Dall'Ara "is a fortress, we're unbeatable," says Vandi. It was a "beautiful" Sunday, as was "Pessina's moving entrance, the reflection of a solid and perfect group," Vandi concludes.
Within the ever-widening connection between the fans and the city, the most beloved, and it couldn't be otherwise, is Riccardo Orsolini . "A symbol after so many betrayals," exults Matteo Badiali, "we needed someone like him." According to Badiali, it's "a team that inspires enthusiasm in the city, and we need that feeling. It's a joy to see him like this. Scudetto? 'We're drunk' right now, so it's nice to dream. Maybe in May we'll wake up and be on top." The coach, Vincenzo Italiano , is described as "a balancer" by Massimo Vanini.
"He's a coach who pulls the strings and creates a great atmosphere wherever he goes," Vanini continues, unperturbed. "It's a great team, one that can confidently aim for Europe again," he says. "But the other teams are very strong in the title race; I'm not saying that out of superstition (laughs)." Bologna is "the pain in the neck in the fight for Serie A," as Stefano Gamberini calls it. "We're stronger than last year. It would be great to win our eighth title, after so many disappointments. The players are now certainties. And Moro's return to top form has surprised me," Gamberini emphasizes. The Bologna store on Via D'Azeglio was also packed.
There are also some Dutch players. Their idol? "Of course, Thijs Dallinga . It was great to see him score yesterday from the stadium," says one fan after buying the first BFC jersey. And Dutch players like Beukema and Zirkzee? "Already forgotten," he continues. The passion for Bologna, then, extends beyond Italy's borders. A city and a team that are increasingly international and European, "it's great to be recognized by tourists for our sporting achievements. It's a success that unites and improves the people of Bologna themselves," says Anna Gatti. Emanuela Agnoli is also happy with Bologna's victory. "After the Coppa Italia, the Italian title? We say it quietly, but deep down, we're all hoping for it," she concludes.
İl Resto Del Carlino
