🎙️INTERVIEW | Pisacane to “La Gazzetta dello Sport”

These are the words of Fabio Pisacane, Cagliari coach, to “Gazzetta dello Sport,” on newsstands today, Friday, January 23. The interview was conducted by Matteo Brega.

THE PRESIDENT’S CONFIDENCE
“I’d like to emphasize that the president believed in a path forward, not a hasty decision. For this, I feel a great sense of responsibility and gratitude. I’d like to repay this confidence with my work and my behavior. We’re on track. Our daily work is moving in the right direction. We’ve had a few unfortunate incidents; I don’t like talking about injuries. Perhaps we could have been helped by good luck, but our strength lies in not getting depressed or overexcited.”

BEATING THE MASTERS
“These were two different games. Against Roma, it was a game of play and aggression, while against Juve, it was a different story. Beating coaches like Gasperini and Spalletti doesn’t make me feel like I’ve achieved my goals, but it confirms that my daily work is going in the right direction.”

THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF THE JOB
“It’s not just the technical and tactical aspects, as you might think. For example, it’s not just the player, but the person. There are complex dynamics, both on and off the pitch. Skill also means managing this complexity. If you’re not good and clear-headed, you can mess things up.”

WHEN THE COACH IS BORN
I started the UEFA B coaching license course when I was still playing, three or four years before I stopped. Coaching is a calling, you can’t improvise: it has to come from within. I’m not a fundamentalist. I’m obsessive about watching matches at all levels, because you can learn from anywhere. The Italian school remains the best in the world. I like to be in the middle. If I were only a results-oriented player, I’d betray the game; if I were only a gambler, I’d betray the team and coach myself. Winning matches like the one against Juve requires order, spirit, and sacrifice, even with little qualitative content. But a team like ours can achieve the impossible. I favor positional football that embraces relational football. The two can coexist. But we need to bring home points, not compliments.

CURIOSITY AND GENERATION Z
“I was curious. I took a course on Generation Z, those born after 1995. I wanted to understand their world, to know which buttons to push. They thrive on applause and few reprimands. Our generation said, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.’ Theirs says, ‘When the going gets tough, maybe you shouldn’t be here.'”

CONTINUING EDUCATION
“I was in Salzburg, at Red Bull. I took courses in English, Spanish, and French. And also a course on communication at Bocconi University in Milan. Being self-critical is one of my strengths. I’m not proud, nor do I hold any resentment. I start from the idea that I can learn, not that I have to teach.”

HOW TO TALK TO YOUNG PEOPLE
“You have to ration your words: either you build a bridge or you raise a wall. You have to be very clear. They’re overprotected in the real world but abandoned in the digital world. We work a lot with videos, because their attention span is very short, four or five minutes. If I spoke to them the way my coaches spoke to me, I wouldn’t convey anything.”

FIORENTINA-CAGLIARI
The mistake we shouldn’t make is losing focus. We need to play a flawless game on defense. I’ve built my career on reading the game. The ideal would have been to have those readings with the feet of Luperto and Mina. Staying balanced gives us the chance to save ourselves. I’ve been through many storms in life, and when you overcome them, even a defeat is seen differently. At thirteen, I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome and found myself bedridden. I’m strong because life forced me to be strong. That illness didn’t come to kill me, but to complete me as a man. It took away many of my fears. I also believe there’s something after this earthly life.

MY FATHER, MY KEY POINT
“My father, Andrea, is my role model. He’s seen me cry so many times; he slept next to me in intensive care. He’s my safe haven; he gives me a positive vibe.”

THE FAMILY DRAMA
“My brother is fine now, he was discharged, and his life was never in danger. It was an event that affected me, but it increased the strength I have inside.”

NAPLES AND CAGLIARI
“Naples is my roots, even though I’ve been traveling for 27 years. Cagliari welcomed me, my children speak Sardinian. This land gives you respect and truth and demands consistency. And I don’t want to betray it.”

MARCO PALESTRA AND THE FUTURE
“He’s a boy with untapped potential. He’s done so much instinctively. If he improves his skills, he can become something incredible.”