Cagliari, third from last with 14 points, will play tomorrow at 3:00 pm on the pitch of Venezia, which is last at 10 points. A very important match for both before Christmas on the same pitch that cost the Sardinians relegation in 2022
Having archived the Italian Cup, Davide Nicola’s Cagliari must now think about the real objective of the season: salvation. The Sardinians were eliminated by Juventus in the national cup but against Venezia it will be a real final. It will be played in the same stadium where 2 years ago a 0-0 on the last day cost the rossoblù relegation. The lagoon players are last with 10 points while the Sardinians are third to last with 14 points.
Cagliari, only Luvumbo out against Venezia
—
The calendar therefore poses a fundamental match for both. Davide Nicola presented the match between Venezia and Cagliari in a press conference, starting from the injured players and from the match two years ago which saved Salernitana for the current Sardinian team: “Only Luvumbo is injured, all the others can be recruited. No, not we talked about the match two years ago, with different management. We will try to do our best tomorrow.”
On the one-day early retirement: “This team must not demonstrate attachment to this place. It was a decision shared unanimously and it was all about resting as best as possible after the midweek away match. I like the spirit of the boys and it shows how much they care.”
On the points collected last year which were 15 at the end of the first round: “For me today it makes no sense to talk about these data. We must not be satisfied and live the week as if it were the last. I don’t believe in clichés and ‘decisive’ matches. The important thing is to believe you can give your best in every match.”
On the paradox of Cagliari who played well but found themselves third last: “I don’t experience this paradox. I won’t make a film about why Venezia comes today as a match. We must be aware that if we play in a certain way we will be competitive. We must materialize always better: this is the path we must follow and not think about useless things. We have the means to achieve our objective which does not end today but which we all want to achieve together.”
Nicola is not satisfied with his Cagliari
—
On the fact that Nicola’s Cagliari adapts to other teams: “You never adapt to the opponent. Everyone plays their own game, we change but because we change strategy. Each team can change its way of playing or exchange positions on the pitch because it is more difficult for opponents to read.”
On the fact of signing on to play badly and win in Venice: “It’s tactical nonsense. If you play badly you lose in the long run. To reach a goal you have to try to express yourself as best as possible. We develop the game in convincing way but we have to raise our quality, even against opponents who are stronger on paper. The growth process then leads you to express yourself at your best.
On the pitfalls of facing last-place Venezia: “Many teams could have picked up a few more points and whoever is last with three more points could have been higher. We shouldn’t look at these things now. We need to improve the quality of the game also to find some more point but it is something that all teams do. Venezia has quality and ability, even if it has fewer points it is not inferior to the others, for the first time in the last 7 years it is one of the most competitive championships Tenth in the standings, the championship wouldn’t be easier.”
On the aggressiveness that Venezia has and less so Cagliari: “The work methodology also goes in this direction, the players are trained to recognize game situations in both phases. The rules have changed, the speed of the game has changed, also determined by the referee’s decisions. You have to train your emotional state, if a foul is not recognised, you can catch fire, I think Cagliari are aggressive, some players are more physically familiar, others pass the ball off first and he does density to restart, the difference is the ability to stay in the game without giving weight to the emotional aspect. The matches vary every quarter of an hour in terms of emotional values and in this we must be thoughtful without losing aggression.”
On what Nicola takes away after the Italian Cup match: “They are different competitions, but from a personality point of view I liked the match against Juventus more than the first one in the league. Scoring a goal after 40″ would have changed the game, but the opponent was also good at not conceding the goal, I’m not talking about our mistake. From 2-0 onwards the lesson we must learn is that we must understand that we can take a few more risks to understand that matches are never over. We can never give up, we must always maintain the right level of energy, but recognizing that the loss of balance can give something extra to the opponent.”
On the possible midfield: “Mediana Adopo-Makoumbou-Deiola? It could happen again. One thing must be clear, I want a Cagliari that is here and now. The boys have to learn to manage some emotional levels, some matches are considered more important than others, this for me is a mistake. If I had followed this way of doing things I would always have been relegated. We go to Venice knowing that it is a team on par with the others, we don’t have to look at the rankings. Results are achieved in every single match.”
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED