Another inconsistent season on the pitch for Bologna was overshadowed by events off it. Sinisa Mihajlovic's shock revelation of a leukaemia diagnosis before the start of the campaign made football seem insignificant.
Typical of the type of man Mihajlovic is, he acted as if he'd merely stubbed his toe and got on with it. A fighter in every sense of the word, not many would have bet against him beating cancer. However, the fact that he was still determined to carry out his work, even from his hospital bed, was staggering.
Bologna made a great start to the season with 7 points from three games to sit joint-top with Juventus at the top of the table but their form dipped badly going into the Autumn, winning just 1 of their next 10 league games. The inconsistency continued as the Rossoblu would follow a great run with another just as poor streak, something which would ultimately cost them a potential bid for European qualification.
As the team got closer to the 40 point mark and secured safety, there was an easing off period which was amplified by the Coronavirus break. Bologna lacked the same intensity after lockdown and won just 1 of their last 8 league games. Despite that, there were some memorable results throughout the season, including away wins at Inter, Napoli and Roma.
The biggest positive for Bologna was again their exciting frontline. The likes of Roberto Soriano, Nicola Sansone and Riccardo Orsolini were a menace to any defence. Orsolini was again particularly impressive with 8 goals and 8 assists from the right flank. The Rossoblu added even more thrust to their attack with the January recruit of Musa Barrow who struck 9 goals in just 16 appearances.
The defence remains a problem for Mihajlovic with his side keeping just two clean sheets and conceding more goals than any team outside the bottom 5.
The unflappable Serb has almost inevitably seen off leukaemia and will likely be as determined as improve his team back on the touchline next season.
