Press Room | Pisacane with the media

These are the words of Fabio Pisacane, Cagliari coach, after the 0-1 home defeat against Milan at the Unipol Domus.

ANALYSIS
“It’s not easy to play an entire match like the first half. Perhaps the only thing I can reproach my players for is not scoring at least one goal after a first half like that. Against top teams, you can’t make any mistakes. Ultimately, the details are crucial. We knew we could have slumped after the first half. The goal at the start of the second half took our legs off us a bit. Overall, we conceded very little, even stretching our lead and taking risks, as was normal as we approached the end of the match.”

SOLID GROUP
“Today we showed that we’re a team with an identity, with a strong squad that doesn’t give up even in the face of injury difficulties, like Deiola’s latest injury in the final training session. We’ll build on the good things we did today and the less good ones, which need to be analyzed because if you haven’t won, you need to improve. The schedule is packed and there’s no room for pause; they’re all finals, so we’ll fight together as always; we’re not used to giving up.”

NO REFEREERING CONTROVERSY
“Last week, I reiterated that I don’t like commenting on refereeing decisions. Seeing today’s incident, I say it’s not a penalty. We need to help the referees. I trust them, and we have to help them. We can’t always seek controversy. This doesn’t seem like a penalty to me, especially because it doesn’t hit the left arm, but the right, so it doesn’t increase the volume.”

POSITIVE PERFORMANCE
“In the first half, I saw two steps forward compared to previous games, and that means a lot. Especially considering the absences that keep recurring from game to game, and I can assure you, it’s not easy. I don’t think we took a step backwards today, absolutely not. Slippery pitch? I checked all the players’ boots, and they all had studs suitable for this surface. Unfortunately, the humidity increased as the minutes went by, and I know this pitch very well, so it’s disappointing to have seen so many slips. Players’ studs are a detail that can make the difference; I’ve built a career on that, so I’m paying attention to that too.”

NO EXCUSES
“I’m looking at who’s playing in place of the injured, at everyone’s desire to be ready, like Mazzitelli today, who played an excellent match and had one of the best first halves of the season. Esposito? We’ll evaluate him. He’s had a cramp, he says he felt some pain that first went away and then came back. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious. I’m not talking about the transfer market. We’re certainly a bit short, especially in the middle, and there’s something to do, but it’s right that manager Angelozzi speaks about this.”

PLAYERS
“We’re happy with how we held our own against all the big teams. We’re taking this confidence home to work on improving because compliments aren’t enough. We played a remarkable first half, despite the absences that keep recurring from game to game, but I take home that all the players involved are always present. I think Deiola will be out for a few weeks, Esposito felt a cramp then when he returned to the bench he felt a sort of twinge so we’ll evaluate his condition. Mazzitelli as a midfielder is currently able to give his best qualities to the team. Mina? After the match against Pisa he stopped for a few days, he had the flu before Turin, then in recent days he trained and is regaining good condition, he’s an important player for us, today it was a technical choice but we hope to have him at his best soon. Cavuoti? If you use him in a match like today, even before in Turin and even before that, it means he’s an important asset. Everyone needs to be involved and feel important, I’ve known Niccolò since he was a child and I know what qualities he has, so for all intents and purposes he’s a key player. Now that we’re a bit short, he can have his say like all his teammates. Gym? He’s never satisfied, he wants to impress game after game. He’s only just arrived in Serie A, so his physical prowess and his carefree attitude are striking. It’s normal that, having played so much in recent weeks, he’s dropped off a bit, despite doing well. Now he has to understand that they’re starting to study him, to watch him carefully; he has to keep pushing, improving, and applying himself.”