PRESS ROOM | Nicola after Milan-Cagliari
This is what Davide Nicola said to the media in the tunnel of the “Giuseppe Meazza” in Milan after Milan-Cagliari 1-1. These are his words.
ANALYSIS
“Perfection is always difficult to achieve, so I’m not sure it’s right to talk about a perfect performance from Cagliari. Today, we expected a great team with great quality, energized by their Supercoppa victory. I liked the way the team played, not giving up on trying to attack. Felici? He had the chance to adapt to a league he wasn’t familiar with. He has qualities, but he can do much more, and that needs to come from his own awareness. There’s a need for time and hard work, but his performances show that the path is the right one. We are aware that achieving survival is not simple; we come from a great performance, yet we’re still second to last. The point we earned becomes crucial when you back it up with a solid performance because it helps build self-esteem and confidence. In the last six matches, we’ve faced top teams, and in all of them, the team delivered excellent performances, but we lacked the ability to turn the key moments in our favor. I’m happy with what the group is doing, and we need to remain humble as we go and pick up points against any opponent.”
PERFORMANCE
“Today was a completely different match compared to the first leg, when we had a higher defensive line and, in some ways, we were the better team, playing against a side with a somewhat slower tempo. Today, we had some debutants or near-debutants, Milan came off the back of winning a trophy, and the players were commendable, helping each other a lot, communicating a lot, which is something we needed to improve. We never gave up on playing football, of course, with our qualities and possibilities. I’m also happy with the goal, which was similar to the one against Monza. A point may seem like little, but it means a lot for all the reasons it carries: for the prestige of a point at San Siro, and for the way we earned it.”
THE ROAD
“We firmly believe in our objective, we know that it won’t be achieved today or tomorrow, and that it’s important to stay connected to the pack, match after match. There are direct confrontations, there are challenges like today’s one. It’s not easy for anyone to stay up, and so we must fight as a team.”
PLAYERS
“Caprile? He has the ambition to become very good in his role, he knows he has to work hard, as he is doing. We know his characteristics, and that’s why we wanted to bring him with us. Zortea on the right? With everyone, we work to accentuate their strengths. Nadir, at first, had to adapt to this more advanced role. There are matches like today’s one, or against Atalanta, or other big teams, where you have to help a lot defensively. He’s interpreting the position of an advanced midfielder well. We’re thinking about the many young players we have. The club has a philosophy and wants to develop certain profiles, alongside the more experienced players who provide huge support in this work.”
