PRESS ROOM | Mister Nicola before Atalanta-Cagliari
“How do you overturn a prediction? First, by believing in it. Predictions are implicitly challenges: we know who we’re facing, their value, but at the same time, we’re always looking for new challenges. We’ll see if we’ll be able to create problems even for such a prestigious opponent. In football, commitment, organization, and what is produced in a single match can sometimes bring surprises. We will approach this game confident in our abilities, in what we want to do, while obviously respecting a great team like Atalanta.”
Mister Davide Nicola met with the media to preview Saturday’s match, and here are his words from the press room at the CRAI Sport Center.
THE OPPONENT ANALYSIS
“Gaetano will not be available for the match, he suffered a knee contusion and we will see next week. I don’t think Atalanta will rest players ahead of their upcoming Champions League match. For many years now, they’ve been used to playing three games a week. Typically, they make no more than 2 or 3 changes, so I expect them to field their best possible formation. On the other hand, they have equally high-quality solutions that can create problems for you even during the match. We know very well, especially considering the first leg, that we are facing a team that, in my opinion, has reached full maturity on all fronts: they can press you effectively, wait to press you deeper, and then counter-attack, or keep you in your own half with a high-quality, prolonged passing game. They use diamond-shaped build-up plays on both the right and left sides, rotating and breaking them down with great simplicity and precision. It’s a process that has been going on for a long time. In short, Gasperini will have every interest in directing the game in the direction he wants. On the other hand, we are interested in creating a game that matches our performance in the first leg, but this time aiming to achieve something more. They are very skilled, as they’ve shown for years, but that doesn’t mean that through organization, conviction, and a great willingness to sacrifice, we can play a game that emphasizes our strengths. We’ve worked on this during the week, and as always, the match will be the test.”
ALL READY TO GIVE OUR BEST
“The key skill against Atalanta will be our ability to propose a game. At the same time, we must be good at constantly regaining our positions and working as a team. Luvumbo? This is his first week training with us, he’s not yet ready for 90 minutes. We’ll see if there’s a chance to give him some playing time to start building up his minutes. Coman had some minutes against Parma and did well with the time he had. He, like Zito, isn’t at the physical level of the others. Both can provide important alternatives during the game or even start, but with a limited playing time. We need to prevent the risk of injuries and manage the energy expenditure required for a match like this, which demands that everyone is at their best for the entire time they are on the field. Some will play the whole game, others for a half or 30 minutes, but always with maximum dedication.”
COMAN’S INTEGRATION
“It’s normal that Coman has attracted attention, as he came from a different league and was immediately decisive with a goal. We must always proceed with caution. We know he has quality, but that quality should be acknowledged when a player has a strong season and can consistently deliver those moments of brilliance. It’s our job to help him integrate more and more: he’s a receptive guy, a hard worker, and Razvan knows him well as they are fellow countrymen. Certainly, the integration, especially in terms of language, will be more immediate. We shouldn’t label him as the ‘savior of the nation,’ as it could be detrimental to him. He needs to focus on training, as he’s been doing, on learning the movements we ask of him, on taking advantage of any opportunity given to him, and on regaining full fitness. Only then can we think about different solutions, a different approach, and assess what he can contribute throughout the game.”
DETAILS THAT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
“In the last two games, we’ve focused more on the details in our defensive phase, aspects that, in other situations, had caused us to be ineffective. We are still working on this, aiming to do the same things better and better to achieve continuous, constant improvements over time—that’s what makes the difference. Generally, Cagliari has played some good matches, but now we’ve entered the phase of focusing on details, both when we have the ball and when we don’t. Communication within the team also needs to improve, and this is already happening. This is a deterrent for any situation on the field, as it shows the opponent that you can read the game, and by communicating, you can also disrupt their organization or create other reading issues for them. The ambition is to make growth continuous, but when working on details, this progress is obviously slower and not always visible. However, we are aware of what we do well and what we need to improve.”
IN FAVOR OF THE VAR
“I’ve always been in favor of the VAR and technology, it’s a fundamental help and makes the sport more credible. Refereeing is not easy, and having technological support helps reduce mistakes. There are some rules that everyone agrees on, but then there are interpretations of certain incidents—like penalties, which is probably the most difficult part—where there still isn’t a consistent standard. I think it’s hard to achieve, but one solution could be to have a debriefing at the end of each season to understand where to intervene to improve, bringing constructive and effective experiences. I believe this is the real goal of all the parties involved. Sometimes—and this applies to us as well as to other teams—some decisions have seemed excessive: a disproportionate advantage is gained compared to the action or situation happening. Coaches and players can provide their perspective on certain game dynamics, such as the biomechanics of an intervention in a particular situation. Some penalties awarded, for example, don’t take this into account. Some dynamics are natural, and in my opinion, there should be no intervention on those.”
