PRESS ROOM | Pisacane ahead of Monza vs. Cagliari

Fabio Pisacane held a pre-match press conference at the Crai Sport Center, speaking to the media ahead of the team’s departure for Monza. On Monday at 6:30 PM, the side will face Ivan Juric’s Monza. Idrissi and Trepy will remain behind, as will Akarakiri, Grandu, and Sugamele—all of whom played for the Under-20 squad in Milan on Saturday. Everyone else is available.

THE OPPONENT
“They have a clear identity and we have to be very careful. We know what we had to do to bring home the points we have and no one takes them away from us, I certainly congratulate Juric, he was also a source of inspiration, a “Gasperini 2″, the first to carry forward certain ideas and he did it in an excellent way. He may be going through a difficult moment, as can happen in life and in a career, but he hasn’t changed in form. The results obtained are not the same as in the past. Monza is probably performing a a little less, but it has a clear identity and we have to be very careful. We focus on Monza’s strengths and not just on the weak points, because if we were to get the wrong approach or think about the league table we would risk doing ourselves a lot of harm, we cannot ignore certain characteristics.”

DEFENSIVE MOOD
“Fewer goals from set pieces against? We mark with a castle on dead balls. The goal against Juventus is different compared to those conceded last year, it’s a dynamic situation. I think Obert was in good shape, but he was exhausted and lost a bit of clarity, allowing Kolo Muani to head the ball. The goal comes from a series of errors: we should have shortened better on Alajbegovic and in the area we should have been more careful in distributing spaces. Despite the few goals conceded, are situations that show us where to work more. We have a strong goalkeeper like Caprile and, when the opponents shoot from twenty meters or in the melee, it is difficult to score goals. If we improve these aspects, with such a strong goalkeeper we can continue to concede little. Then there will be moments in which we do worse than today, as is normal, and we will have to be good at managing those phases of the season”.

SUGAWARA AND THE CHOICES ON THE FLANGE
“Sugawara is a strong player when he has the ball at his feet, he also has ballistic quality. At the moment Zé Pedro is doing well, but Sugawara is in my thoughts and will have his chances. When not in possession he must improve, reduce the time and space available to the opponent and prevent him from crossing or playing easily. I am happy to coach him, without a doubt.”

IPOTESI DUE PUNTE
“Gli attaccanti che abbiamo in rosa hanno spesso giocato in un attacco a due quindi conoscono quelle dinamiche tecnico-tattiche. È un’ipotesi valida per domani, al netto di eventuali ripensamenti delle ultime ore, ma dipenderà anche dalle situazioni che si potrebbero creare a ridosso in merito alla salute dei ragazzi, se qualcuno dovesse dirmi che non è al top. Domani potrebbe essere la partita in cui giocare con due punte, sì”.

FAZZINI AND TACTICAL DECISIONS
“Fazzini is part of the Cagliari squad, and he has played almost constantly. At the moment, I am making different choices—not because there is a ‘Fazzini issue,’ but rather because we have to take into account the specific requirements of each match. He will play again and will have the chance to showcase his qualities, which are high-level and well-known.”

DISQUALIFICATION AND TRUST IN MURELLI AND STAFF
“I’m sorry not to be next to the boys, it weighs on me. I have faith in my second. One of my fortunes was meeting Giacomo Murelli: he threw himself fully into this adventure with me a year ago despite having a certain CV in football, with a Scudetto won in the previous experience. I trust him and my staff blindly, we always prepare the matches together, and I thank him for giving me his trust in a period in which there was skepticism towards me”.

CAGLIARI’S RESULTS AND CURRENT FORM
“When only six matches have been played, everything—and nothing—matters. No one can take away the points we’ve earned, and we know what it took to secure them. We’ve faced two extremely challenging home games against Inter and Juventus, along with three difficult away matches. My energy and my mindset remain exactly as they were two months ago: I go home, gather information for the following day at the training ground, and focus on how we can train as effectively as possible. Nothing has changed; it’s easy to manage a situation like this.”

DEIOLA AND THE DEFENSIVE SELECTIONS
“Deiola is comfortable playing at the back. Last week, too, he demonstrated exactly what is required in these matches and showed total willingness to contribute. We have four high-level central defenders: whoever plays performs well, and those who come on also do a great job. I’m spoiled for choice; I agree with those who say that, right now, Alessandro is performing better in defense than in midfield.”

He concludes by reflecting on a match played in Monza twenty years ago, back when he was a footballer—an occasion in which he “played a negative role.” He hopes things will go differently this time, though he notes that “it’s a different kind of football now, and I’m a different Pisacane—though every experience has its value.” As for the incident that took place after the final whistle of the Cagliari-Juventus match, he offers no further comment: “Right now, my focus is on Monza.”