Cagliari-Udinese was supposed to be the match to close the salvation issue, with the mathematical confirmation of Serie A that would have been possible in the case of a victory and the simultaneous lack of success of Empoli tomorrow. Instead, a 1-2 defeat arrived that postpones the discussion : «We lacked in the final pass», one of the explanations given by Davide Nicola in the post-match. «We were doing well, then we lacked attention and made the wrong readings. It's a shame, because we wanted to take away at least a point at all costs and on the pitch that's what we showed. It means that certain things still need to be improved, we'll start again on Monday to do it».
For Cagliari, a clear step back compared to Verona. "I prefer playing at home than away, having our fans close by," says Nicola. " There is the fact of being aware of having given everything, the players were very tired at the end . You can say that this team lacks clarity and frenzy, not that it doesn't try to give everything and be able to score points with everyone. Then the opponent was very challenging, too bad."
Cagliari confirmed almost the entire Verona lineup, but did not repeat Monday night's performance. "The team that left reflects the conditions of this moment," Nicola recalls. "Pavoletti had a little problem and Piccoli came back, the others are those with more minutes. Some are not at their best and we have to exploit them for what they have ." The coach is not happy with the 1-2 goal: "We were not very reactive on that corner. Then we tried to inject new life into it with Felici and Coman."
For Nicola there is neither relaxation nor a lack of desire to give everything. «The team fights, perhaps it needs to become more skilled in key moments». And he also has something to say about set pieces: «We are one of the most dangerous teams in this sense, then everyone would like to score a goal per game on these situations but it is not possible». For salvation: « I don't know if we are missing one or two points, I want to give my best and only take stock at the end . We certainly didn't think it was already over».
Cagliari lost against an opponent that hadn't won since March 1st. "Udinese is a very strong team," Nicola emphasizes. "In the first leg there was no match, today we had a good performance but not a clean one. Watch Empoli-Lazio? I will, like I watch all the Serie A games."