PRESS ROOM | Nicola after Cagliari-Genoa
Here are the words of Davide Nicola after the 1-1 draw between Cagliari and Genoa at the Unipol Domus. The analysis of the Rossoblù coach with the accredited media.
MATCH WITH TWO FACES
“We came back from the break, in my opinion, with the conviction to push the team higher compared to the last five minutes of the first half, where, also due to fatigue, we had dropped back more than we should have. We were caught off guard by a long ball at the start of the second half; we will work to understand if it’s a structural issue related to the return from the break or just an isolated incident. I think Cagliari played a very good first half hour. We came from three games where the strategy was more about waiting and then counterattacking. Today, we wanted to propose a higher pressing game, maybe conceding a bit on depth. Regarding the goal conceded, while in Bologna we were unbalanced once we conceded the equalizer, this time we tried to maintain our balance. We changed some things on the fly in terms of playing system and personnel.”
THINGS TO IMPROVE
“We need to work on improving our passing game and always maintain balance in both phases. When you concede a goal, it’s normal to have made a mistake somewhere. We will get back to playing more than half an hour at a certain level, which we managed to do today. We have our qualities and flaws; we need to keep working, and we are doing that, as seen today. We need to understand that sometimes we have to play vertically to take advantage of second balls, while other times we need more thinking and quality in the build-up play to break down the opponent.”
THINGS TO IMPROVE
“We shared the spoils; it’s a fair draw based on what was seen and produced on the field. Genoa is a tough team, with good physicality, organization, and quality. Both teams have some flaws, but that’s normal because everyone has them, especially teams like ours. We could have done better on the goal conceded, but we played a great first half hour, which was enjoyable to watch from the outside. I know we want to get to the goal quickly, but that’s not always possible. It takes time to grow and improve; we know who we are and where we want to go. We started well with Coman, then there was a physical setback. We adjusted, we’re missing Luvumbo, and we have a few players who are not in top condition, but together, we move forward with confidence.”
CHALLENGING MATCH
“Genoa is a team with physicality, stamina, and quality; it’s not easy to play a perfect match, otherwise, without mistakes, we’d be at another level. On the disallowed goal, we had built a nice move, but we need to understand that the game must be managed to avoid losing cohesion and constantly giving the opponent opportunities. We lost Coman, and I thought about Felici, but then we opted for Augello to keep the option of bringing on an offensive player if needed. Genoa defends in one way and attacks with a 4-3-2-1 formation, which forces you to work on certain situations and recover the ball from other parts of the field.”
ONE STEP AT A TIME
“A point must be accepted positively; we need to have the calmness to understand that every step is important for achieving safety. It’s clear that we all want to attack, win, and push for 90 minutes, but balance is required both in approaching the game and in interpreting the moments of the season. The introduction of Augello had an effect because Genoa then made a change, bringing on Zanoli, who has very interesting stamina, and it was evident. We’ve done well against the big teams, almost always, because we played with a different and more cautious attitude. We need to adopt different strategies, understanding what’s needed at each moment. In Bologna, at 1-1, it was important not to lose our cohesion and balance, which we failed to do. Today, the players showed more balance, and we can do even better: confidence, calmness, and keep moving forward with work.”
AFTER THE BREAK
“I will analyze with the team and staff whether this is a structural and constant issue or merely episodic. I believe that goals conceded always come from imperfections, and in Serie A, mistakes are punished. Genoa has quality and ability; they made a few mistakes, otherwise, we wouldn’t have scored two goals tonight. The whistles? They are a motivation, they are the result of passion from those who obviously want to win and stay up as soon as possible; I don’t see them as negative. Tomorrow morning we return to the field, then we will resume after a day and a half. We don’t want to leave anything to chance; there’s a need to recover and work. When there are short weeks, it’s important to be together and focus on the details, and that’s what we’ve done and will continue to do. Prati? He played an intelligent and quality game. I’ve always said he deserves space, and he will definitely get more in the future. He has also grown physically, and he’s developing well in terms of presence, but I never had any doubts about him.”
