PRESS ROOM | Mister Nicola before Torino-Cagliari
Mister Nicola spoke to the media on the eve of the match against Torino. Here are his words from the press room at the CRAI Sport Center:
RED AND BLUE HEART
“Luvumbo is improving, but he’s still doing personalized training. I hope to have him back at full capacity in a couple of weeks; we’ll assess with the medical staff. This week we were guests of our fans at the Cagliari Club Coordination Center. Our supporters always back us, following us everywhere and making sacrifices. That’s why, even against Torino, we need to put that red and blue heart on the field in a meaningful way. C.U.O.R.E. will become a new acronym for us: we must be Compatti (Compact) and Coraggiosi (Courageous); in a stadium I know well, we’ll need the strength to remain Uniti (United); we’ll need Organizzazione (Organization) and Resilienza (Resilience) to adapt to different moments of the match and the environment; but above all, we must be tremendously Efficaci (Effective) in situations that turn into key moments, both in attack and defense. We must give everything we have; it will be crucial.”
AWAY AGAINST TORINO
“Can the protests in Torino affect the match? I focus on my team; for sure, we will find an environment where the home fans make their presence felt. We’re facing a quality team, capable, tough, and well-prepared. They play proactive football, and they have some interesting players. Against such a strong opponent, we must remain focused and express ourselves. It’s another opportunity to continue our growth, to raise our level, knowing that in every match, we must try to earn points, regardless of the opponent’s name. In recent matches, Torino has slightly changed their defensive approach. Sometimes, they also adjust during the game. They play a 4-2-3-1 build-up and attack with either a 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1. They’ve made a step forward in this regard; it’s a really competitive team. Now, it’s up to us to prove that we can compete with them.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GROUP
“Five days to prepare for a match and recover is enough. Moreover, as we’ve been showing, we can count on more than eleven starting players. The team’s performance against Lecce in the first half was good, although we were maybe a bit too slow in managing certain passes, too many touches. But we deserved the lead; we created four excellent chances, and instead, we found ourselves behind. At the start of the second half, I wasn’t getting the responses I wanted. They made a change by pushing Dorgu to the right, taking off Krstović and putting in a center-back as a full-back. They seemed to want to counter-attack more, while we managed to find the equalizer and our playing profile through substitutions. That move paid off. We must have the ability to adapt to every context. It will need to be the same against Torino.”
AMBITION AND HUMILITY
“The road we have to travel is very long. Scoring 4 goals is nice, it’s rewarding, but it’s definitely not enough. Especially the points we’ve earned so far aren’t sufficient to reach our goal. In fact, we’ll need to get at least as many more given the standings. We can’t live off highs and lows, but, as I always say, we need to have tremendous balance. Achieving consistency in results for a team fighting for survival isn’t easy; to close the gap, you also need a lot of mental energy. We’ve already shown that we can be competitive even against teams that are on paper superior to us: the next step is to keep pushing, to always want to take points. I dream too, we are ambitious, but we always need to keep our feet firmly on the ground and stay humble.”
THE STRENGTH OF MINA
“I’ve heard manipulative criticisms towards Yerry, labeling him as a provocateur. Personally, I want great aggression from my defenders, of course, in a sporting and fair way. Yerry embodies this spirit: in the 17 games he’s played this season, Mina has never displayed violent conduct, never a reckless or unfair challenge. The two red cards he received were clear, and if one of my players did something similar, I’d expect the red. I remember, however, the double yellow Yerry got against Lazio in Rome, where nothing had happened. Mina is a great professional who constantly embraces both the physical and mental duel. Often, I see opponents who, not accepting his ability, his personality on the field, exaggerate. There are situations that happen during the game, like a player stopping and waiting for the referee’s whistle, for example. We accept these; they are ‘mental games.’ Yerry is a fair player who plays to the maximum of his mental and physical qualities. I want him to keep being like this, showing everyone his correctness, loyalty, and ability to perform.”
GO GIANLUCA
“It hasn’t been easy for Gaetano. He arrived in poor physical condition, he’s a young player who still has to build himself up, even though there were already high expectations for him. He played regularly, and we always had confidence in him, but he needed to find his rhythm. Gianluca was clever in understanding that at any moment, he could find that spark to light him up: now that he’s found it, he must continue to play with that carefree attitude and intensity. We need everyone in both phases of the game: for him to do it consistently, but with the lightness of someone who is aware of their own strength. Over time, he will prove all of this.”
ONLY PLAYER FROM CAGLIARI
“The Director knows what our needs are in the market, and the President has shown the ability to participate in building the team, always and in any case. I’m confident, but at the same time, I’m aware that this team has values. Whoever joins must be fully aware of what Cagliari is, what it represents: they must have specific professional, qualitative, and moral characteristics. Here, the jersey is not just a piece of clothing, it’s a second skin: either you feel it or you don’t deserve it, and it’s better if you don’t come to us.”
THE MEMORY OF GIGI
“Yesterday was an emotional day. We remembered the legend of Riva, and it was then beautiful to speak with past rossoblù champions like Tommasini, Reginato, Copparoni, and his teammates. They gave me advice, and I noticed their great solidity, as well as their ability to lighten the mood, which is typical of the greats. They were the teachers of those who, in turn, became my mentors: men who not only taught you about football but also gave you great life advice. We remembered them together.”
