LOSC resumes its conquest of Europe with a trip to Bologna this Wednesday as part of the 5th day of the Champions League. To introduce this new meeting, The Little Lille went to meet Enzo, a Bolognese supporter whose passion was passed on by his grandfather.
How did your passion for Bologna FC begin?
My family is from Cmâc' (Comacchio), a small town located less than a hundred kilometers from Bologna, on the east coast of Italy, right next to the Adriatic Sea in Emilia-Romagna. “Little Venice” as we like to call it, that’s where my passion was born, through my grandfather. The exploits of Giuseppe Savoldi, the rock Carlo Nervo, the brief visit of Roberto Baggio, he told me everything. At the moment, in view of the match that is looming, I am reminded of all the anecdotes around Kennet Andersson (who played for Lille in 1993-1994). My grandfather always had this flame and he passes it on from generation to generation. In other words, I think he wants to recruit the whole family (laughing).
What are they? These anecdotes?
It's simple, he always starts with the 1994 World Cup, his five goals (and two assists) from memory, and especially his half-volley against Brazil. He was still playing for Caen at the time, but he had already made his mark before becoming a major player at Bologna. He was even called “the third tower of Bologna” for his heading play. They had imagination at the time. And then… the fantastic 1998-1999 season with the Intertoto Cup, the semi-finals of the Italian Cup and the UEFA semi-finals!
What can you tell us about Bologna? Its start to the season and its current dynamic?
Last season was historic with Thiago Motta. The big problem is that we lost him, but also our most important players like Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee. The club is always ambitious, the arrival of Vincenzo Italiano reflects this, but logic dictated that we would obviously be less visible this year. We still remain quite solid and we manage to be regular in the league even with the Champions League. Despite everything, we are fishing a little offensively with, in particular, the adaptation difficulties of Dallinga, who was still recruited for €15M.
This is all for the championship. In the Champions League, we are in difficulty at the moment, but we are clearly not ridiculous. At home, I think we can still knock down anyone. The current problem is that we are up against the wall. If we don't win there, I think we can say goodbye to Europe.
As a Bologna supporter, what is your perception of LOSC?
It has evolved, and this is clearly the case for all Bologna supporters. We obviously knew Lille, and at the time of the draw we said to ourselves that this duel could be balanced and pleasant. The thing is, with your latest results in Europe, we don't really know what to think anymore. Honestly, we're all very suspicious. We know that it won't be easy and that Lille are the favorites.
Is there a player you are wary of heading into the upcoming duel?
In Bologna, and in Italy, everyone is talking about Zhegrova who also recently scored. He is the one to fear and Vincenzo Italiano understood this well by quoting him at a press conference.
Afterwards, looking at the summaries, we also saw that Lille was a team above all. Otherwise, you would not have beaten Real Madrid or resisted Juventus. If Lucas Chevalier could let us score, that wouldn't be bad either.
Finally, what would be your scenario and your prediction for this match?
Given the context, we must try everything to try to get back into the competition. I imagine a fairly disjointed, open match, with lots of chances. It will be nice to see, especially for us (laughing). We will score our first two goals in the Champions League for a first narrow victory (2-1). We want to believe in our chances.
