Pisacane presents Cagliari-Genoa

Fabio Pisacane held a press conference the day before the Cagliari-Genoa match, meeting with the media in the press room at the Crai Sport Center in Assemini.

THE MEMORY OF SCOPIGNO
“Today marks the anniversary of Manlio Scopigno’s birth. He would have turned 100, and he is a name and a crucial figure in the history of Cagliari Calcio. He brought a different approach to Sardinia, a style as a coach and as a man without equal. I wanted to remember him just a few days after Gigi Riva’s birth, a curious and beautiful coincidence. My thoughts go out to Scopigno and my regards to his family.”

MINA IN THE FIELD
We’re definitely missing a win. We hope to get it back soon, maybe even on Saturday, because that’s what determines our path forward. The lads deserve it, the fans deserve it, we’re working every day to improve and get back to winning ways. The break allowed us to recover some players, especially Deiola, whose absence was felt. We lost Zé Pedro for a few weeks, and he’s joining Ciocci and Belotti. We focused on certain aspects with those who stayed behind and weren’t on the national team. Mina? I’m not going into pre-tactics, he’ll grit his teeth, he’s used to playing after the trip overseas and with some training in his legs. Against Como, on the eve of the match, I said I’d use a certain type of center forward, and then Esposito played as a center forward. It wasn’t a way to mislead the media or the opponent, but rather a last-minute evaluation based on the match plan. I respect everyone’s work and didn’t want to mislead anyone.

THE OPPONENT
Genoa has top-notch talent. I’m surprised by their league position, but unfortunately, in football, when results aren’t forthcoming, the coach is always the first to pay the price. Another coach like De Rossi arrives, and they’ll certainly have worked on certain principles. It’s not easy to assess what has changed from Vieira to the new coach. It’s never easy to come into the game and make big changes from the first few days. However, I have no doubt that Daniele’s character has already made an impact. I’m convinced, and I hope so from Sunday onwards, that he’ll demonstrate his ideas and the way he influences the team, both in Genoa and Rome.

GAETANO GROWING
“Gaetano has football in his DNA; when he’s in top form, he performs at the level he deserves. Gianluca can’t play with a long, high ball. I thank him for the kind words, but he knows he can give even more. He paid the price for missing the preseason training camp due to injury. He’s growing and can improve. We hope he does so soon, thanks in part to the work he’s put in over the past few weeks and during the break, because we want to be able to use him not just for 50-60 minutes, but for the entire match.”

SPECIAL BOND WITH THE GRIFONE
“The match against Genoa can’t be a game like any other for me. I left as a kid with a suitcase full of dreams to go to Genoa and wear the rossoblù. There I was reborn after my illness. I will always be grateful to that club, but today I’m thinking about the present and therefore about Cagliari.”

STAY CALM
“I hope we don’t see a tense first half, but rather a high-tempo, intense match, especially from my players. This is another final in our league. Victory shouldn’t be an obsession for us, even though we desperately want it, and it comes from managing the moments of the game and not rushing. I expect a mature team in terms of their ability to read the flow of the game; it’s crucial to bring home direct clashes like this, but overall, the three points in a tournament like Serie A, which this season is statistically among the most difficult of the last decade.”

DEFENSE OPTION
We’re also getting Pintus back in addition to Deiola, so there are various options behind Mina and Luperto. Nicola doesn’t have Alessandro’s experience, but he grew up with me. I know him, he has values and character, and a young player needs to play to develop and become a footballer, so we have to take everyone into consideration. Rodriguez? He’s a very young player, he comes from the other side of the world, he lacks experience in European and Italian football. With these profiles, you have to be good at understanding the right moment to launch them from the start or during the game. Juan is improving tactically, but it takes the right amount of patience, without rushing or ego on my part to launch a very young player like him. I’m working to help these guys develop as best as possible and be useful to the team, so we’re waiting, and he knows it.”

ESPOSITO STATS
“Sebastiano isn’t a striker, but a player skilled at playing between the lines, who demands freedom of thought and movement. In Como, I chose to play him up front because I didn’t want to give him up, in an orderly, non-barricading game, with five highly attacking players to be able to pounce when there was the chance. Esposito needs to be more aggressive and decisive in the danger zone; we all definitely need to improve in that area because the statistics penalize us a bit. When he gets up front, he scores, hits the post, and creates danger. He needs to increase his aggression to get there more often and determine with a goal or an assist.”

WAITING KILICSOY
“Semih is working very well, and I take responsibility for the purely technical decisions we’ve made so far. He has extraordinary qualities in tight spaces, but we’re evaluating every technical and tactical aspect with the staff. He needs to take advantage of every opportunity to earn playing time. It’s not easy for him to handle the pressure and anticipation surrounding his name, but it’s clear he needs to quickly understand the situation if he wants to become an international-level player, as everyone is predicting. I’m confident he’ll get some opportunities between now and the end of the first half of the season, and I don’t know how many will be starting or later.”

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At the end of the press conference, a question came from one of the fans (Carlo Mancosu), who signed up to the Islanders membership program and was therefore entitled to participate in today’s meeting with the Rossoblu coach and the media.

How much will it help to have Andrea Belotti back in Sardinia, even though he’s still unavailable due to a knee injury?
“Andrea is a locker room man,” Pisacane replies. “I couldn’t wait for him to return to Sardinia and experience the team atmosphere. Experiencing the day-to-day with the boys can help him better cope with his recovery. The injury was a blow for him and for us. We’re happy to have him around, and he knows how much we expect him, just as we know how much he cares about the team getting results and doing its best.”