PRESS ROOM | Mister Nicola before Cagliari-Juventus
After the open-door final training session at the Unipol Domus, in front of over 2,000 fans who cheered the team from the Curva Nord, Mister Nicola met with the media to present Sunday night’s match against Juventus.
IN MATCH DAY MOOD WITH THE FANS
“The open-door final training session wasn’t just about motivating us or our fans; it was a strategic choice to get us immediately into match mode. This is also part of the training: experiencing the passion of our supporters today, making it our own, and keeping our focus high. This week’s preparation has been intense, and we know we are facing a top-tier team: Juventus is used to winning, but when we have stood out, we have done so through organization, trust, enthusiasm, and, above all, determination. The only way to continue pursuing our goal is to maintain a high level of humility while never stopping to use courage to improve.”
THE OPPONENT ANALYSIS
“I watched Juventus’ game in the Netherlands, and I don’t completely agree with what was said. In my opinion, they played a great game, at least for an hour, against a team that maintained a high pace. And if Vlahovic’s shot had gone in, the situation would probably have changed. For us, this is a match that once again puts us in a position to improve: Juventus gives us the opportunity to do that. They play very modern football, and from a tactical perspective, they are not easy to face: they build play in various ways, they are skilled at threading a midfielder between the two opposing central defenders, building with three players, locking one full-back and pushing up another; they fluidly transform a midfield with two defensive midfielders into a system with one reference point and two central midfielders; they constantly push 4-5 players to attack the defensive line, widen the full-backs, and Weah has also given them more offensive effectiveness. It is a team built to play at a certain level, and we have the humility to recognize that. However, we also know that when we have stood out, we have done so with the awareness of wanting to carry forward our own identity. We approach every opponent with the right spirit: this means not only proposing our game but also recognizing their value. We must never stop believing, always stay in the game, and seize the opportunities we are capable of creating.”
MENTALITY AND APPLICATION
“Taking all three points? That’s the mindset with which we approach every game. And when we face top-level opponents, the desire is even greater because we want to challenge ourselves against them. However, we don’t focus solely on the result; there’s a path to follow to achieve that goal. We are trying to follow that path with the hope of bringing more satisfaction to our fans. At the same time, I believe that in a game like this, it’s very useful to focus on the preparation we’ve done to get to the point of competing, believing that in sports, anything is possible. I like to think that anything can happen in a single match, but it will require a meticulous application against a team like that, as they are really very skilled.”
THE CHALLENGE AT UNIPOL DOMUS
“Similarities with the game in Bergamo? These are two teams that are completely different, both in how they hold the field and in the strategies they use to attack and defend. Atalanta has a European style, while Juventus is acquiring it: the style of play that Mister Motta implements is very modern, where space is important, the ability to create intensity in key areas, to launch a fierce counter-pressing, and to slide well, covering the spaces based on where the ball is. They are very good at exploiting spaces when attacking quickly, but they also know how to play the ball with quality, especially when they need to break down teams that try to deny them space. We will need to be able to move beyond the Bergamo game, implementing a well-thought-out strategic plan. At the same time, we must always keep our level of aggressiveness very high, without giving up on wanting to regain possession of the ball. It won’t be easy, but this is the challenge we’ve set for ourselves.”
THE FIRST LEG
“In the first leg, it was a good game, the Cagliari team of that time gave life to the one we have now. Juventus has a few different players now, like Kolo Mauni and Kelly. They have Weah as a right-back. It’s a much more aggressive team, much faster in getting into the opponent’s half, and they’ve implemented Mister Motta’s build-up process very effectively. I expect a different game, even in terms of tempo. Are they tired? I don’t think so. Nowadays, training methods for everyone are designed to play more matches during the week and recover quickly. They will come at us fiercely, aiming to achieve their objectives. I expect they will recognize that Cagliari also has an important goal to achieve, and we’ll do everything to reach it. Do we need to run more than them? Today, just running is not enough; Cagliari has never lacked in this regard. We need to run well, with a specific objective in mind, without wasting energy. We need to run with quality, to get into the right space at the right moment.”
PLAYERS
“Kingstone took a knock to his knee, so today he did personalized training. Gaetano has returned to the group, I saw him doing well, but we’ll see how much we can use him, whether from the start or during the game. Coman is continuing his work: the staff of fitness coaches is really very skilled with him. They are carefully managing his workload to give him the chance to be deployed: we could have increased the intensity from the start, but that might have resulted in overloading him. He’s progressing at the right pace, and we are preparing him for the game so he can perform at his best. Luvumbo is now working at full capacity: however, let’s not forget that he had a bad sprain, and he may have some fear of experiencing something like that again. It’s normal that he doesn’t immediately have full confidence in tackles. But we will remove this fear by giving him playing time – sooner or later. Adopo? He’s playing regularly as a starter for the first time. He has huge growth potential. He needs to improve on specific details: today, however, I can’t expect him to execute everything perfectly, but I know he has important qualities. With young players, we must be very patient, without pushing them to absolute levels and then discarding them when things don’t go well.”
ON PALOMINO
“We are pleased that one of our players is desired by others. For us, Palomino is important, and we have no interest in losing him. I consider him fundamental for what he brings to the team: he belongs to that category of players who immediately understand the identity we want to uphold. When called upon, you can always trust them blindly; they contribute to the development of the project and help the younger players. However, if there are any particular personal needs, in that case, I can never say anything.”
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At the end of the press conference, Mister Nicola answered questions from fans who had subscribed to the Rossoblù membership program “Islanders.”
D. Was there a particular moment that made you feel proud to be the coach of Cagliari? (Consuelo Manca)
R. “In these months, there have been several moments. Starting from my arrival here, the immediate affection from the people struck me, as well as the players who were coming to Cagliari for the first time. You immediately understand that you will have to earn this affection, and it’s emotional. I could also mention the meetings with the fans, like the one today. I would also like to highlight something else, which I hope doesn’t end: the many letters I receive from children, our fans, from all over Sardinia. For me, it’s something fundamental; the future of this sport lies in how they see us, in the positive messages we are able to convey.”
D. What work has been done to change the team’s attitude, especially in away matches, where we’ve seen a more proactive Cagliari that manages to play openly even in difficult away games? Was it more of a mental, tactical, or other type of work? (Carlo Spiga)
R. “We are working together, but this is not finished yet. The team has consistently expressed certain ideas, but we can do better. There is still potential, and we can experiment with different solutions. As long as we maintain this mentality in doing things the way the players are doing them. You can’t separate the mental aspect from the physical and tactical aspects. I work on the field with the team, and I say what I think: I try to create an expectation for the group, to make them understand the importance of pursuing it together. If we share them, we also improve our individual qualities.”
