PRESS ROOM | Pisacane presents the match against Hellas Verona

Cagliari coach Fabio Pisacane held a pre-match press conference, meeting with the media in the press room at the Crai Sport Center in Assemini. His remarks are below.

THE MATCH AGAINST VERONA
This week, I’ve seen a level of focus, a desire to improve, and a clear understanding. A tough match is coming up, and the team is on edge: this will be a real head-to-head match. The team is confident in what they need to do. I’m focused on what we’re doing and on the path forward. I don’t want to fuel any controversy with accusations or alleged accusations regarding unsportsmanlike conduct, time-wasting, and effective play. When we talk about the path forward, it’s because there’s a concept behind it that needs to be carried forward. When I arrived, the team worked differently; today, we’re at a point in the season where our methodology is showing, and it’s a great satisfaction for the staff. The recent victories? We know what we did to get them, but now we’re facing a wounded team that will want to show signs of vitality. It will be a match full of second chances and duels. We need to think as if we’d only gotten one point in the last two matches.

POSSIBLE CHOICES
“Whoever played and performed well has an advantage. Chances are, tomorrow we’ll see the same starting eleven as against Juventus and Fiorentina. I always talk about the objective; today we’re working to improve our position in the standings even further. Serie A is tough and full of surprises from one day to the next. We must keep pushing. Tomorrow is truly a final: I expect the entire Cagliari side to push. Their push is crucial; we’ll have to be a united front.”

CONTROVERSIES AND COMPLIMENTS
No one likes to lose, and everyone expresses their feelings as they wish. I don’t like to stir up controversy, so I shy away from it when people look for non-technical reasons to explain a result. I prefer to focus on the pitch, on the things we can achieve with hard work, on the path we’re on. That’s why I reiterated that I don’t want to talk about it. Fabregas is doing well; many thought Como was built for that position in the table, but that’s not the case. He’s winning and making it look easy. I’m happy with his words about me, but I won’t be tempted by compliments: the numbers are counted at the end, and I want to bring home results, not just compliments.

ESPOSITO AND ALBARRACÌN
“In Florence, when we weren’t in possession, Esposito worked on Fagioli because we thought that strategy could pay off, and it did. We have predefined positions in possession. Sebastiano is talented; he needs movement and space, but it depends on how the opponents approach you. We’ve been following Albarracín; he has quality and can see the goal. He’s been called up, and we hope he can play for the match, even though his transfer hasn’t arrived yet.”

INDIVIDUALS
“Prati has quality and has had opportunities. In football, it’s the moments that count, not the labels. I hope he can demonstrate his worth in the coming months, and this isn’t the time to preemptively judge his experience in Cagliari. Dossena and Raterink? Alberto is fueling our engine with every passing day; he can give us a big hand, and I hope to see him in action soon. Like Albarracín, we’ve also been following Raterink: he has quality, but I was struck by the boy’s hunger. He always wants to improve, and he needs to work on certain aspects. As with others, we’ll need to go slowly and in the right direction, with patience and hard work. Kilicsoy, like Palestra, has untapped potential. He’s 20 years old and has only been playing in Italy for a few months: he shone in Turkey, but Italian football is complicated. Now he’s found chemistry with his teammates, but every Sunday is a question mark. It’s a pleasure to watch him in training. We’re keeping an eye on the transfer market: we’ve signed two players, and the club has also made other prospective deals, such as Gallea and Di Paolo. We’re not We will be caught unprepared, we will see if there will be the possibility of adding another piece.”

THE MIDFIELD
“I now have a good selection to explore in that department. We’ve also seen Deiola play in Gaetano’s position, and Mazzitelli can also fill that role. With Folorunsho and Deiola back, we’ll have other options, and I hope everyone is fit from here on out. I want to see the full squad to see how far we can go.”