[2] During his long and illustrious coaching career, Bagnoli is best remembered for being the manager which led an underdog Verona side to its first (and so far the only) Serie A title during the 1984–85 season; Bagnoli was in charge of a team which featured several promising players who had been unable to fulfil their potential until then, such as Pietro Fanna, Roberto Tricella, and Antonio Di Gennaro, but who later played a key role in the club's league title success as they matured.

[2][3][4][5][6][7] Bagnoli was the club's head coach from 1981 until 1990;[2][6] in addition to winning the league title in 1985, during his time with the club, he helped Verona obtain promotion to Serie A in his first season, winning the 1981–82 Serie B title, and the following season, he led Verona to a fourth-place finish in the league and the Coppa Italia final, qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

At Verona, Pietro Fanna was also required to play an important role on the wing under Bagnoli, who utilised the winger's technical skills, speed, and intelligent movement to help the team push forward quickly on the break; in this role, Fanna was also known for his ability to hold up the ball in order to create space for teammates and full-backs making overlapping attacking runs, functioning as a playmaker himself on the flank at times.

Bagnoli usually attempted to field his players in a system which best suited their technical and tactical characteristics, and often felt that they should be given the freedom to express their individual skills in their most appropriate position.

In spite of his friendly and reserved character, and reputation as a man of few words, he was known to be an excellent motivator and communicated well with his players, often looking to collaborate with them in implementing his ideas.

Regarding Bagnoli, Italy's 1982 World Cup-winning manager Enzo Bearzot commented that he saw his own system in Verona's formation.