Bologna one step away from the Coppa Italia final: Vincenzo Italiano aims for history

It happens that even a coach with his feet firmly planted on the ground and allergic to emphatic tones like Vincenzo Italiano for once makes an exception to the rule. "We have the goal of the Coppa Italia final within reach, we know we are playing for history", says the coach. And then along the way, in a Casteldebole where the flavor of the triumphal night of the championship with Inter still lingers, he expresses a concept no less strategic: "This Bologna in many ways is already a big one and with the desire to grow that Saputo has here you can aspire to anything".

Words that weigh, at least as much as it would weigh tonight to get through the Empoli matter without excessive worries to challenge Milan in Rome and reach a final that has been missing for 51 years, that is, since that 23 May 1974 in which on the Roman pitch of the Olimpico, the same one that will host the next final on 14 May, the rossoblù lifted the trophy by beating Palermo 5-4 on penalties.

After the resounding 3-0 in the first leg of the semi-final on April 1st at the Castellani (goal by Orsolini and a brace by Dallinga), it doesn't seem like a titanic undertaking to get rid of an Empoli that will only have its mind on the championship. But Italiano is a guy who doesn't trust appearances. "We earned an advantage in the first leg and we have to protect that advantage without doing anything stupid," orders the driver of a car that will have many spare parts but that will once again feature Dallinga as center forward. "Castro is at fifty-five percent and some of those who have always played will rest," admits Italiano: ambitions certainly won't rest.

"We play for it a lot – admits the rossoblù coach –. Before the quarterfinals with Atalanta I said that the dream was to bring thirty thousand Bolognese to the Olimpico and now we can make that dream come true. For the club and for president Saputo, who cares a lot about this Coppa Italia".

The fans also care, and even tonight they won't fill the Dall'Ara completely. Italiano is always the voice of sincerity: "I've been looking for days to find out which Dall'Ara we'll see and I see that the stadium is slowly filling up. I hope so, because these guys deserve an important setting".

After that, no jokes. "Two years ago in Conference with Fiorentina, I already happened to win the first leg away and then in the return leg, at home, I found myself down by two or three goals...", says Italiano, dusting off the challenges, then won, with Sporting Braga and Lech Poznan. On with Empoli, then: knowing that this is already a party. "The key word of this group is fun - says Italiano -. Seeing people with tears in their eyes after a victory is as exciting as celebrating in the square".

As for the future, Joey guarantees: "For how it is growing, for how it plans and for the ambitions that this club has, it is already a big team. And with Saputo you can aspire to anything". Things that Stranino must have never even thought of.

Strange also Marcenaro, who is officiating tonight and who with Inter, as fourth official, was decisive in transforming the warnings of Italiano and Farris into expulsions. Sometimes they come back.