PRESS ROOM | Mister Nicola before Bologna-Cagliari
Mister Davide Nicola met with the media in the press room of the CRAI Sport Center to present the match on Sunday afternoon against Bologna. These are his words:
THE MATCH AT DALL’ARA
“The Bologna team has been playing at an important rhythm for several matches now; just look at how they challenged Milan, certainly not an ordinary team: this shows their strength. They have a squad with important, quality players, and very dynamic ones. And they have very valid alternatives. We know we’ll face a team that plays at an important pace, and we will respond with ours. It will require the right attention, especially in certain game situations: it’s a team that constantly looks to attack the defensive line, with runs and an immediate search for their attackers. We’ll need to be skilled both when we have the ball and when they have it. In possession, our passing game must be secure, with a few touches, capable of exploiting the spaces Bologna will give us. They’re very dangerous: when they defend and win the ball back, they have the ability to immediately serve their attackers. In the first leg, we had a problem with such a situation. This requires constant and focused reading of the game, with the ability to stretch when we’ve consolidated possession, while at the same time, we can’t keep the ball at our feet for too long. They’re always looking to attack in depth, preparing their moves for this. They constantly pressure the opponent’s defensive line. We’ll need to be good not only in duels, but in sliding: when we have the ball, we need to be mentally ready to defend. Conversely, in defense, we need to be mentally prepared to counterattack. I expect a fast and competitive match, one of those matches I enjoy. We’ll need to be good at interpreting certain situations.”
MORE CYNICISM
“In the first half against Juventus, the strategy was to deny the opponent space, which meant giving their first line of play more freedom. The only regret in the first half is how we conceded the goal: we knew that situation, we had analyzed it during the week. In the second half, the strategy was different: the team’s positioning was altered, we added a player to the first line of pressure and tried to stretch the play and take advantage of the spaces. We could have done this in the first half too, actually, but they were particularly skilled, they played a high-quality game, and we couldn’t press at the right moments. Could we have started the game like we did in the second half? We couldn’t have: we would have given away space and probably wouldn’t have stayed in the game like we did. In the final part of the match, we had two opportunities that we should have exploited better, it’s a shame: in one, we didn’t take the space we should have, retreating and consequently taking away the space from a teammate who had the chance to shoot at goal; in the next play, we could have put Coman in a better position to finish more dangerously. Against certain teams – when there is a difference in quality, and this should be accepted without feeling inferior – you need to be good at making the most of what you create. We still need to improve further in this regard.”
ALWAYS AIM FOR IMPROVEMENT
“We have a few niggles, and we are monitoring them. It’s important for us not to lose anyone: maybe some players are less present at times, but they don’t miss training or the possibility of being available. Sometimes it might make sense to take a risk, other times not. In the last two games, we faced the third and fourth teams in the standings: top-level teams. Now we will face one that is just a few points behind those positions: they made it to the Champions League this year and are fighting to get back there. At the start of this challenging trio of matches, we said our goal was to earn as many points as possible: managing to get more would certainly be important. It would mean growing in the face of opponents who have goals different from ours. We are focused on this game, and we want to produce a performance that can be on par with this opponent. By improving some aspects, such as the speed of execution in certain situations and decision-making, we can be even more competitive.”
ZITO FACTOR
“A team like Cagliari, when preparing for a match, needs to study multiple strategies, at least 3-4 different ones to propose during the game if it wants to remain competitive. From this point of view, we are succeeding. Among the various strategies, one can be to deny the opponent space, lower the team’s positioning, and act on the counterattack, attacking the field with speed and precision, thanks to the characteristics of certain players: in this regard, Luvumbo can be a weapon. He returned against Juventus, and it was important for him to start getting minutes again and regain confidence in his condition. He is fully recovered, as he has shown. He is a player who can play on the wing or between the lines, but always with the characteristic of attacking space. We will see tomorrow in which position he will be used, whether from the start or during the match. We tested different options this week based on their characteristics.”
THE OPPONENT ANALYSIS
“Bologna is a team that concedes little, and that little they may concede through speed dynamics: since it is a very aggressive team, they risk leaving space behind. Every team has its characteristics: Bologna is an example of play, and personally, I agree with their approach. I enjoy watching them, and this is also our style of play: in our case, we don’t always manage to do this against all teams, on the other hand, Bologna has been playing at a high level for several years and has some remarkable players. Italiano has given the team more verticality, on top of a game structure that Bologna had already acquired. His influence is very clear, and they are a very dangerous team. That being said, we are in a position to improve certain aspects, and this is the opportunity to show our progress.”
CHOICES AND STRATEGIES
“Italiano is a coach who changes often, and he can count on various alternatives. They can play with Castro, Fabbian, Pobega, or with Freuler or Moro. They can also play with two forwards, as they did in the first leg against us: Dallinga-Odgaard or Castro-Odgaard. They can choose between Orsolini and Ndoye, or between Cambiaghi and Ndoye on the left, or even Dominguez. They can change both on the right and the left, as they might opt for Lykogiannis instead of Miranda. They could choose to play Calabria or De Silvestri. They played a few days ago, but I don’t believe for a moment that we will face a team that isn’t in good condition. On the contrary, there’s a lot of enthusiasm: they are playing at home and coming off a big win, after playing at an incredible pace. It’s an aspect I want to experience: it will be a test for us. We’ll see what the pace will be, and what we are able to impose. Depending on how they line up, we’ll have solutions to make the most of our strategies.”
INDIVIDUALS
“Italiano is a coach who frequently makes changes and has a variety of options at his disposal. They can play with Castro, Fabbian, Pobega, or with Freuler or Moro. They could also opt for two forwards, as they did in the first leg against us: Dallinga-Odgaard or Castro-Odgaard. They can choose between Orsolini and Ndoye, or between Cambiaghi and Ndoye on the left, or even Dominguez. They have the flexibility to change on both sides, as they may choose Lykogiannis instead of Miranda. Calabria or De Silvestri could also be an option. They played just a few days ago, but I don’t believe for a second that we’ll face a team that isn’t in good shape. On the contrary, there’s a lot of enthusiasm: they’re playing at home and coming off a big win after playing at an incredible pace. This is an aspect I want to experience: it will be a test for us. We’ll see what the rhythm of the game will be, and what we’re able to impose. Depending on how they line up, we’ll have solutions to make the most of our strategies.”
ALL FOR THE GOAL
“I expected this standings, but at this moment, it needs to be given a relative value. There are 12 games left, and many interesting situations will happen between now and the end. The statistical data tells us that there are teams that are over-performing relative to their output. It’s not a fault, some teams are clearly able to get more out of their play without producing the necessary amount of game: maybe they make up for it with quality and precision. Some teams get more at one point, others at another. This applies to everyone. We, based on our journey, should have had a few more points, the data says so. But if we haven’t done so, it means we need to improve certain aspects: precision, the ability to convert our actions into more goals. We need to become more practical, more clinical: in the long run, that makes a difference. At the same time, we must never lose balance in both phases: I believe we’ve improved a lot in this, but we can still do better. We have quantity, but we need to improve in quality.”
