PRESS ROOM | Pisacane before Cagliari-Torino

On the eve of the match at Unipol Domus, the rossoblù coach met with the media to present the match against Torino. These are his words:

ATTENTION AND RESPONSIBILITY
“Pavoletti, Idrissi, Felici, and Mazzitelli will be missing. We recovered Deiola during the week, as well as Borrelli and Mina, who also trained with the team today. It’s a match that needs no further motivation: the lads know the value it represents. After the match against Udinese, we were all deeply disappointed: we missed a match point that would have allowed us to reach our goal last Saturday. Now we have a new opportunity. Fear? Only if it’s constructive; it must transform everything into attention and responsibility, without needlessly draining energy.”

EVERYTHING FOR THE GOAL
Torino won’t give anything away because each of us has our own ambitions, that’s normal. We prepared for the match by analyzing the last game, especially the mistakes we made in the final third of the pitch. I saw a great sense of responsibility in the lads’ eyes. I’ve always tried to be humble in my reading of the situation. Let’s start again and put ourselves in a positive frame of mind: against Udinese, we dropped a few points that we’d picked up in games where we didn’t deserve them. In football, everything makes up for it. Today, we’re in a mental state we’ve experienced before, even if with two games to go, the risk factor is higher. But we’ve been in these situations before and we’ve overcome them. The team is aware of this, we all want to achieve this goal, and we’ll give everything to make it happen tomorrow.

OWN DESTINY IN OUR HANDS
There’s no point in making tables, worrying about what others might do. We are the masters of our own destiny. At the start of the season, I wouldn’t have signed to find myself six points clear of the third-bottom team with two games to go. Factors that don’t just depend on me come into play here, but affect everyone: the club, the team, and the environment. Instead, I would have signed to coach Cagliari for 37 games: everything I can control can allow me to sign for something. My priority has always been to earn this position in every game, game after game. How have I experienced this week? With the satisfaction of someone who has given everything. The fewer games there are, the closer you see the finish line, the more you want to complete the mission. This feeling has prevailed this week: there are still 180 minutes, everything good we do can get us to the goal, everything bad we do can take us further. I tried to prepare for the match with meticulous attention to detail, putting the players in a position to gain as many advantages as possible and reduce the margin for error.

CHOICES AND SOLUTIONS
“Zé Pedro will be out due to suspension; he was already on a booking. In the second half of the season, he was among the most used players; he was among the freshest players, given that we hadn’t seen much of him in the first half of the season, having been sidelined by a meniscus injury. When he was called upon, he was ready. In that role, the natural replacement is Zappa; he’s already done so defensively in the past, too; he allows you to have a solid set-up both when defending and when attacking. Gabri could be the best replacement for him. Up front, we’ve got Borrelli back, and Belotti has another week of work to do. I’ll choose tomorrow based on the match plan, so I can have alternatives during the match. Everyone is in contention; anyone can start.”

THANKS FOR ALL, PAVO!
It feels strange to be here today, talking about Leonardo’s last game in the Rossoblu in front of our fans. I had two experiences with him, first as a teammate and then as a coach. I knew a warrior, a leader, someone who always gave so much in the locker room. When I became his coach, we talked, even daily, about certain situations. He has a strong character, and this has allowed him to become a point of reference over the years. For his journey, for what he has given to this jersey, he deserves enormous respect. I hope the team can achieve this goal tomorrow: besides being important for Cagliari, it would be a fitting farewell to a player who never lacked sacrifice, belonging, identity—all those characteristics that make you loved by a club.

ON THE FUTURE
“I’d like to take this opportunity to clarify a few things. Perhaps I’m still feeling the pinch of being a Serie A debutant: when I said that Kilicsoy was an attacking midfielder for me, not a true striker, perhaps I should have said better that I consider him a “9 and a half,” that special player who, yes, can play as a striker, but whose characteristics especially make him love to join in the play, like Sebastiano Esposito. Another issue: my future. I reiterate that Cagliari’s priority is not Pisacane’s future, but rather achieving our goal. I don’t think about the future; I build it in the present, and I don’t feel untouchable. My dream was and is to take Cagliari where it needs to be, and I hope I can achieve it: I’m surrounded by people who are putting me in a position to achieve that goal. As for the rest, life is unpredictable. What I wanted to emphasize with my statements is that, with or without Pisacane, Cagliari will have a roster of players who can provide long-term satisfaction.”