Bologna will have stunned many with the ease at which they managed to survive relegation in the end especially given the start they had to the season. With Pierpaolo Bisoli in charge, they lost four of their first five games and the manager was quickly given the boot.
Stefano Pioli was his replacement and although results improved, he still had a job on his hands to secure the club's top flight status. Scoring was a constant problem for the Rossoblu. They have relied almost solely on Marco Di Vaio for goals in recent years but with the veteran's powers on the wane, he needed help from elsewhere. Robert Acquafresca was brought in to help lighten the load but failed to do so. Another summer signing was the erratic Alessandro Diamanti, who is capable of lighting up the pitch on occasion but not consistently enough. The real star of the early season was young Uruguayan playmaker, Gaston Ramirez, who chipped in with goals and assists which have alerted some of Europe's top clubs. Despite his form, Bologna continued to struggle in front of goal. However, they found something at the other end with a resolute and well organised defence. Two summer signings proved effective in that sense - Mikael Antonsson proved to be a solid addition to the backline whilst Jean-Francois Gillet was one of the best keepers in the league. The new year brought about a new 3-4-2-1 system which yielded a seven match unbeaten streak, including five clean sheets. The new formation not only helped tighten up the defence, it also liberated Diamanti and Ramirez to probe and create just behind Di Vaio. Their counter-attacking style proved effective on many occasions away from home where they achieved results against almost all of the top sides. Another solid seven match unbeaten streak in the run-in secured comfortable safety and an excellent top half finish. However with Di Vaio's retirement and Ramirez's likely departure, it will be difficult to match these feats next season.
