PRESS CONFERENCE | Head Coach Pisacane ahead of Cagliari-Arezzo

Fabio Pisacane spoke to the media on the eve of Cagliari’s first official match of the 2026/27 season. The Rossoblù head coach assessed the team’s current form and looked ahead to the Coppa Italia clash with Arezzo, one week before the start of the EniLive Serie A season.

NOW IT GETS SERIOUS
“Tomorrow is when things really start to get serious. There is weight and responsibility attached to the result. Our first match in front of our fans was important to win, also because of the significance of the Trofeo Gigi Riva. Now we want to pick up the journey we interrupted last year in the Coppa Italia, in Naples. We were knocked out in the Round of 16 without deserving to lose, and now a new story begins.”

PRE-SEASON
“The team has had a very good pre-season, but now what matters are the answers and the results. From a technical and tactical point of view, in football it’s not the team that receives the most information that wins, but the one that knows how to make the best use of it. I’ve had important responses, especially from a mental standpoint, but from tomorrow everything will carry a different weight. We want to be a team that has the courage to play to its real strengths and knows how to change its approach during a match.”

THE AREZZO CHALLENGE
“Every match can be a potential stumbling block. We have great respect for everyone, and that very respect must keep us alert. Arezzo are hungry and have a coach who won their Serie C group last season. The biggest danger will depend above all on how well we take care of the details.”

THE MATCH AGAINST NICE
“When you play a match, I try to monitor a bit of everything. The last game left me with the same feelings I had on the touchline. We did well defensively and offensively too, even though we were missing the goal. It wasn’t just about scoring, but also the final pass and attacking the spaces. Hopefully we can do well tomorrow too.”

THE MIDFIELD
“We’re still building in midfield. We’ve changed a lot and the starting midfield is completely new. We need to develop mechanisms and understanding. After twenty days, I’m reasonably satisfied with the way the players have approached the work, although there is still room for improvement.”

THE SYSTEM OF PLAY
“We’ve never played with a midfield two. In certain phases there can be a double pivot, but football today is completely different and it also depends on how much each of us studies and goes into detail. I’m pleased to read that we play 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1, but that’s not actually the case. If a double pivot can be seen during certain phases, I can be satisfied, because it means we’re managing to beat the first line of pressure. Out of possession, with Winks, we try to create an extra man in midfield against a three-man midfield.”

THE YOUNG PLAYERS
“Mendy, Trepy and Kingstone Mutandwa need to be supported in their development. They know that I don’t look at their date of birth, and they already had the chance to understand that last year, because opportunities can always come and they are the result of the work you put in on the pitch. They need to know – and they already do – that whenever they are given an opportunity, they must be ready. Our job is to support them and put them in the best possible conditions, but that applies to all the young players.”

THE INDIVIDUALS
“Felici has a hunger that will allow him to make up for the ground he has lost. He needs to rediscover the power in his acceleration; he’s an arrow that I hold in very high regard, also during matches. He’s owed some luck and he has my trust and that of the entire staff. Maldini gives us quality and the ability to move between the lines, creates numerical superiority and can play in several attacking positions. His willingness to work has impressed me. He could be involved tomorrow. We have to help him express his full potential. Kevin gives us presence and physicality and knows how to move well inside the penalty area. Recently at Nice he trained with the fitness coach and we’re working to get him in the best possible condition for the first league game. Mina arrived on 7 August and is following an individual programme to get as close as possible to his ideal condition for the first league game. We know what Kevin can give us in terms of experience, but he needs to put some fuel in his legs.”

FORMER CAGLIARI PLAYERS: IONITA AND CERRI
“It’s nice to meet again people with whom I shared important experiences. Alberto and I were roommates and won a Serie B title together, while I had a great relationship with Artur. It will be a pleasure to embrace them again. Obviously, each of us will be working to get the result for our own team.”

ESPOSITO’S SITUATION
“As I’ve already said, my job is to protect the group. There are already competent people dealing with this situation, so I absolutely don’t want to get into that matter. I’d rather talk about the match and my players.”

THE SEASON AHEAD
“Football is never static and we have to be ready for anything, both tactically and in the way we interpret situations during a match. We’ve worked hard over these weeks to build a team capable of interpreting games differently depending on the context and the opponent. From tomorrow, however, all the answers will carry a different weight: the official matches are beginning and we have to be ready.”