"We have a clear goal in mind, despite all the difficulties." Fabio Pisacane shows his teeth in the face of the emergency and sends a loud and clear message to the team from Asseminello ahead of tomorrow night's match at the Unipol Domus against Lazio: "We must remain united, compact, to get through this moment," he begins. "Absences must not lower the level of responsibility, on the contrary, they must raise it."

This is how the Cagliari coach opened his pre-match press conference, confident he could certainly handle the Biancoelesti. "We're facing a tough opponent. Compared to Sarri's other teams, they play more transition-based." He added: "We know that if we do what we've prepared, we can cause them problems."

The Rossoblu coach is keen to point out: "In the second half of the season, every point counts and the matches are more difficult." And Cagliari-Lazio, among other things, will be completely different from the first leg, Pisacane says, both in terms of the type of match and the players, due to the numerous injuries. Folorunsho will also ultimately be left out of the squad, as will Gaetano, Deiola, Borrelli, Felici, and Belotti. Mazzitelli, however, will be there, almost certainly from the start. "Not only was he pushing hard, he had a problem with his quadriceps. But he says he's completely overcome this problem and will therefore be available." Mina also said: "He's fine. He trains constantly, he's a leader, and we need him. I hope he can contribute from here on out."

That, however, is what Esposito didn't deliver against Lecce. It was perhaps one of his worst performances since arriving on the island. "It was one of Cagliari's worst performances," Pisacane expands, not liking to point the finger at anyone in particular. Regarding the striker from Castellammare di Stabia, he is keen to point out: "He has this carefree spirit that sometimes leads him to overdo it, it's true. But it's the same spirit that allowed him to play for big teams at such a young age and do what he did. I'm happy with his carefree spirit and hope he doesn't let outside judgement influence him."