Aston Villa vs Bologna – Italiano: ‘Mission impossible, Tom Cruise could give us a hand’
Aston Villa vs Bologna – Italiano: ‘Mission impossible, Tom Cruise could give us a hand’ Vincenzo Italiano arrived at his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final second leg at Villa Park with his trademark wit intact, joking that he had asked the club to fly in Tom Cruise to help with what he described as a near-impossible mission, while also outlining a clear and serious tactical plan to give Bologna a genuine chance of completing one of European football’s more remarkable comebacks. Read Football Italia Ad-Free and get access to Exclusive News & Content – Free Trial – Click Here The Rossoblù head into the tie trailing 3-1 from the first leg, and Italiano was under no illusions about the scale of the task. “I’ll drop the percentages this time,” he said, with quotes via TMW , referencing his pre-match 50-50 prediction ahead of the first leg.
“This is a mission that is almost impossible. I had asked the club to bring in Tom Cruise, he could give us a hand. ” The laughter subsided quickly, however, as Italiano returned to the serious business of how Bologna might make life uncomfortable for an Aston Villa side that will be looking to manage the game on home soil.
“We ruined the first leg with some lapses of concentration within what was otherwise a very high-level performance,” he said. “Tomorrow we must make life difficult for them, not let them have a quiet evening. It would be important not to concede.
And then we have to try to hurt them: they do give something away, as we saw in both previous matches here. ” BOLOGNA, ITALY – MARCH 12: Vincenzo Italiano, Head Coach of Bologna, reacts during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Bologna FC 1909 and AS Roma at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on March 12, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images) Aston Villa vs Bologna – Italiano: ‘Ravaglia will play’ On Unai Emery’s attacking philosophy, Italiano was playful.
“Emery’s mantra is attack, attack, attack. Mine, by contrast, is defence, defence, defence,” he said with a smile. He was more measured on what he genuinely expects from Villa.