His brace on Sunday brought Bologna legionnaire Marko Arnautovic more praise from the Italian press. The 102-time ÖFB team player took the lead in the Serie A top scorer list with five goals from five games after the 2-2 draw at Spezia Calcio. Nevertheless, Bologna is still waiting for its first win and the coach is increasingly being criticized.
Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic’s bench is shaking. Italy’s newspapers praise the Austrian Arnautovic as “goal king” and “fix star”. But his performance alone is not enough to keep Mihajlovic in office.
“Arnautovic is a top scorer, but Bologna are still not making the breakthrough they are hoping for. The Austrian is a player of a higher level, a fixed star in the team who has also now become the top scorer. But Arnautovic alone is not enough for Bologna to stay afloat,” commented the “Gazzetta dello Sport” on the 33-year-old’s performance.
“A wild Arnautovic saves FC Bologna, but coach Sinisa Mihajlovic’s bench is shaking,” wrote the “Corriere della Sera”. “Arnautovic is trying to save his coach Mihajlovic’s bench with a brilliant brace,” according to the Roman daily “La Repubblica”.
Mihajlovic has a “clear conscience”
Bologna’s club boss Joey Saputo will decide this week on the possible dismissal of the Serbian coach, who brought Arnautovic to Bologna in 2021. The team’s performances this season have been disappointing, Mihajlovic has also come under criticism from the fans.
However, the Serb, who has been fighting leukemia since 2019, does not want to give up and does not give up. “It hurts that we didn’t win even though we had the opportunity. I have a clear conscience. I’ve fielded new players but it takes time for them to settle into Italian football,” commented the 53-year-old, who has been in charge for six seasons.
