Cellino signs the next Inzaghi; Confirms he is still crazy
By: Jeremy |
1 Comment
I think we have all accepted the fact Robert Acquafresca will not be returning to our team on loan or via a purchase. Why he seems to think Atalanta is a step up is beyond me, but as with all things we must move on. Yesterdays heros must be forgotten and new faces must be brought in.
With Acquafrescas departure, it is clear our strikeforce is now in need of serious work. Surprisingly, Chairman Cellino has anted up and purchased the leading goalscorer from Portugal in Nene. Nene is a 26 yr old Brazillian who seems to have no other talent other then being at the right place to receive a ball and finish. He is compared to Milan stud Pippo Inzaghi, one of my favorites. If this guy, at age 26, is anything near Inzaghi, then we just stole a player for 4.5 million euros. The fact teams like Hamburg, and even Arsenal had their eyes on this guy, shows that we seem to be players for some players with real talent or atleast the potential.
Nene played for Nacional Funchal in Portugals first division last year after bouncing around Brazil for awhile with little to no success. He went from not showing any goal scoring prowess to scoring 20 last year in Portugal and leading his team to the Europa league. Not bad, even in Portugal.
One has to wonder if we got the next Inzaghi or the second coming of Larrivey. When Cellino is involved you have to wonder. Not only is he bringing in a young goalscorer from an inferior league, he is bringing in a South American who has flown under the radar and shown nothing until last year. Some players emerge at different times in their career and 25-26 is not old.
Speaking of Larrivey, he seems to be coming back to Cagliari and Cellino thinks he will be a difference maker for us next year. If Larrivey gets anywhere near the field next year, we are in trouble as it is clear that we did not improve our strike force. Cellino thinks selling Larrivey at this point would be “blasphemous”. Well, our owner is still crazy. I guess if Nene is the next Inzaghi, we can wait for Larrivey to be the next Batistuta for another year.
The good news is that team management seems to realize that the main focus for transfers should be up front. Jeda will likely stay now and having his countrymen to partner with will make him happy. If Nene plays like Inzaghi, Jedas work rate and Nenes finishing could lead to some real goal scoring in Cagliari and a strikeforce that will make us go Acqua who? If however he is another Larrivey, Jeda will want a transfer in the winter and we will be praying for a lot of 0-0 draws as we will not be able to score.
Cellino also is looking at Siena striker Calaio. I know this guy scores, but I dont want a Siena striker to come to Cagliari. I hate Siena. They are boring and cant find goals so anyone who is playing up front for them is not worth anything unless it means Larrivey wont come back. I hope some real money is spent elsewhere and we need another purchase similar to Nene. A good start though.
In other news, I believe Davide Astori will come back to us again on loan from Milan. Hopefully he will play more of a roll for us, but if he does not show much this year, look for Milan to sell him outright to us like they did Matri which is essentially the kiss of death on a young players career.
Its good to see the team jump in and grab a player with some real upside, especially upfront. While it could end up being a bust, management has shown that it can bring in the occasional player at a cheap price or at the right time who replaces a fan favorite and ultimately becomes our new favorite. We simply cannot afford sure things and as a small club its all about risk/reward types of players so Nene is our kind of find. From Suazo to Acquafresca to now Nene, things change, but our loyalty to the team remains the same.
A good day in Cagliari. Hopefully I will learn more about Nene, but for now, check out this clip. He has talent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MEgnEMwGOE
Category: 
So how does the future look for 09-10?
By: Jeremy | 3 Comments
Now that clubs are focused on the transfer season, smaller clubs like Cagliari take a back seat to teams like Real Madrid and Milan who buy and sell world class players with about as much thought as I had when feeding quarters into a Donkey Kong machine years ago. That being said, while we seem to be fighting over the leftovers, decisions we make in the offseason can have just as big an effect on the ultimate results next year in what seems to be a year to year battle to survive.
08-09s 9th place finish, which included many ups and downs, saw us uncover some talent and play some great games giving fans some hope to think we can move from a yearly relegation fighter to a mid table and possibly european contender. However, if we take a deep look at our team, while we have some talent, there is the typical uncertainty and unknown that until it plays itself out, we must still look at our team as one that will be fighting for survival in 09-10.
Lets look at the areas and try to see what we have and what we need to do.
Management/Coaching
Cagliari is still run by the unpredictable yet always exciting Massimo Cellino. With 07-08s wild ride, he made the promise that he would leave after the season as he was getting tired of everything. With a chance to muck with another coach, he wasnt going anywhere and it looked like he fumbled the Ballardini return, which made no sense considering what he did.
After seeing Ballardini leave for Palermo, he brought in former Cagliari player Massimiliano Allegri, a coach with no Serie A experience, to try and lead the team away from relegation in 08-09. After the team lost its first five games, it seemed like total disaster. Instead Cellino stayed quiet and let Allegri work through his growing pains. The end result was a well documented finish and with each point gained, the less Cellino said. As with all personalities like Cellino, winning keeps them quiet and relative to past years he was less visible, which is what we want from our chairmen.
Allegri went from almost fired to finishing the year as Serie As top young coaching prospect. Teams like Milan and Lazio have courted him and although he signed an extension with Cagliari and seems like the loyal type with ties to the club, he will leave for a big team at some point as long as Cagliari maintains a mid table performance. While he expects to lead Cagliari next year, I still say its 50/50 he moves on this summer. If he stays, the team is better and his reputation may bring some players to Cagliari via transfer who would not otherwise look at us. Cellino still must open the wallet, something he failed to do last year for Foggia.
Ultimately coaching stability is important, but you wonder how much difference a coach makes. While Nedo Sonetti isnt ideal, whether you have Ballardini or Allegri or someone on that level, the results will be the same. Its often about perception and motivation and that can cause a team to do well with a run of games. What Cagliari needs to do is try to keep stability in the position. Unfortunately that will not happen unless we establish ourselves as a 10-15th place team year in and year out for the near future. Not bad enough to be relegated but not good enough to where our coach will get a call to a big club.
For now its just a matter of enjoying Allegri and hoping we get that extra year from him like we do any player who is really good that we somehow end up with. He will leave at some point but its better to face that problem then always firing a coach because we are losing.
Current Grade: A
Goalie
The goalkeeping situation basically mirrors our current coaching status. We bring in a goalie in Storari who is the player we can thank for leading us to survival in 07-08 and he is not brought back to the dismay of many fans and he is replaced with a young goalkeeper with no Serie A experience.
It goes without saying that the replacement from Albinoleffe, Federico Marchetti, at age 25, was our MVP this year and like Allegri is now wanted by the big clubs. From what I can gather, we will only have him for one more year as he has been sold to Milan for about 7 million, and Milan will let us keep him for one more year to gain experience. Its a shame to lose him if this is true, but if my teams players are in demand by the big club, then we must be doing well so that is the life of the fan of a smaller club.
As with all good players we get, the odds of them staying is small. We are considered successful if we can unearth a talent, typically from a smaller or unknown league, and have him blossom under our watch. Just like we could not get him if we were trying to do it now, the fact we got him last year means not only a year or two of great performance at a cheap price, but a profit when he is sold, which has to happen and something as fans we have to accept.
We should keep Marchetti for one more year. Lupatelli is a decent back up but I think we need to be ready to bring in Marchettis real replacement at some point next year. With Storari buried on the bench at another club, we need to keep an eye on him and maybe bring him back to Sardinia. For now, we must appreciate the scouts who brought us Marchetti, thank him for this great year, and when he replaces Buffon in the national team, we can say we saw him play for us way back when.
While we have young Simone Aresti and Mauro Vigonte currently learning from Marchetti, we have to wonder where is David Bingham, the stud american who signed with us after turning down a bunch of big name schools. I dont know where he is playing, but at now age 20, in a couple of years, he should be on the radar. There is work to do in this area but with the set up of a small club, we have done great with goalies and in 09-10 we should still be strong with Marchetti and we can worry about the future a little later.
Grade A
Defenders
This is where things get a little dicey and we are reminded that we just are not in a position to be a top level Serie A side. Finishing 9th in the league with all the top teams around is a huge achievement, but when one looks at the field players, there is too much uncertainty to expect an improvement absent some big name signings, none of which are likely to be on defense.
Diego Lopez, the 35 yr old Uruguayan, will likely be back for a 12th season in Cagliari. I guess he is the leader of the defense but if so its by default not because of talent. He does well and loves Cagliari, but he is not the future. He is a nice guy to have around, but his usefullness is best for supporting young talent not young talent supporting him. So who is our young talent?
Pisano age 23 with 29 appearances, Bianco age 22 with 26 appearances, and Canini aged 24, with 22 appearances, are likely to be in the back with Lopez again next year for most games. Carlos Matheu, brought in from Argentina last year made 15 appearances, and at age 24, he is getting lessons from Lopez and should hopefully replace him at some point. Agostini made 34 appearances last year and at age 30, gives us some experience.
Overall this is a solid if not spectacular group. They gave up 50 goals last year as a group and more likely if not for Marchetti. Canini, once looked at by the big clubs, has fought injuries and inconsistency and next year will be big for him if he is really going to emerge. Pisano and Bianco are decent young players who can emerge so they are good to keep. With youngsters like Astori, Maggliochetti and even Di Laura waiting in the wings, we have some potential but what is lacking is that above average player with experience who is not considered old. With holes up front, any new defenders will likely be for depth with the hope they may surprise. This is a group worth watching, but not one that excites me. Improvement is needed.
Grade C+
Midfield
Cagliari has made the most of its limited resources to build a solid midfield with a mix of youth and experience who perform better then their pay and noteriety. I really like this group and would spend money elsewhere assuming we can bring everyone back.
The midfield is lead by Cossu, who at age 29, has been around awhile and really emerged last year in his role of bridge to the strikers. He is an offensive force and is currently being looked at by some bigger clubs. He may not be back but we need to keep him as he played in 33 games for us last year and was a tireless worker and producer.
Another player who really emerged last year was Biondini. He has always been a fan favorite and I have always appreciated his work rate which made up for his fringe Serie A talent. After last year, he not only continued to work but showed improved talent and he can finish and score when given the opportunity. At age 26, he is the ideal background player for Cagliari in the midfield. Our teams success really is determined by how players like him do. Where he might be considered a liability, his improvement and play will tend to tell you where the team is going.
Danielle Conti is our solid midfield leader and has been in Cagliari for 10 years and should be back. He has had opportunity to leave, but he is basically Gattuso light and while he just isnt quite good enough to play for an elite Serie A team, he is invaluable to a team like Cagliari.
Fini has signed on for another year and at age 35, he has experience and seemingly still has pace and made a big difference for us last year. He is a solid player that we will be glad to have back.
The depth in midifield is so strong that in addition to the players mentioned, we have some youngsters who if given a chance could be really good. Lazzari, the transfer from Atalanta was a pleasant surprise and earned some starts and was a key sub for us. He played in 36 games and at age 25 is maturing to fight for a starting job.
Parola played in 26 games for us but at age 30 he may not be one for the future as he cant crack the lineup any more and the youngsters are likely to be given a chance over him.
Youngsters to watch out for include Sivakov, who we got from the top Byellorussian team Borisov Bate, is ready to challenge for time and at age 21 he has Champions League experience. He is one of those players we get under the radar that could emerge and be sold for big money later. He will be a key for us in 09-10, especially if we lose Cossu. We also have 20 yr old Raphael Acosta from Venezuela who is improving and wants some time.
This is probably the strength of our team right now in the field. We have youth and experience that played great for us last year. If we can keep what we have, it will be considered a great offseason. We need to focus our funds toward improving other areas of the team.
Grade B+
Forwards
As with the defense, things are a little tricky here but it is because of the future being so unknown, not for past performance. Our two year enjoyment of Acquafresca seems likely to end and if he leaves, combined with Jeda certainly getting looked at, we could end up with a striker partnership of Matri and Ragatzu which would mean our downfall next year.
Acquafrescas talent and story is well known so I wont over analyze it, but he seems to be pegged for Genoa next year. While that is not certain and we would like to have him back, I cant see it unless we somehow get an opportunity to purchase him outright at what might be a discount now. If he is going to be loaned out by whoever owns him, it has to be a team who can play in Europe so that way he feels like he is progressing. My point is that as far as our future goes, he is not likely a part of it.
With Acquafresca gone, that leaves Jeda as the remaining member of last seasons solid strike partnership. He is a great second striker but not a guy who we feel can truly be that dominant striker. Roma wants him for depth and other teams have sniffed, but I think he comes back. Ultimately serious effort needs to be made to bring in Acquafrescas replacement. We need a number one striker and without him, we are back in the relegation fight.
Matri still managed to get into 31 games last year and scored some key goals, but he is like a good utility infielder in baseball. He is not going to determine our future but he can occasionally help. I would like to see him as the 4th striker behind our next sensation Ragatzu. Just aged 18, he managed to appear in 5 games for us last year, typically at meaningless times, but his talent is there. If we can land that big name striker to pair with Jeda, he can learn and grow and might surprise next year. With Larrivey hopefully not leaving South America, we are better by subtraction. We have a couple of young strikers in Gallon and Caschili, but they are so far away that they wont be a factor next year.
Grade: Incomplete
Transfers
With the big clubs still sorting out which big players will end up where, there are not really any solid transfer targets to mention at this point. While ultimately the goal is to get a young player on loan from a big team to gain experience. we need to be prepared to spend some money on a talented striker. I would hope we would secure such a young player on loan or even permanently from Milan in the Marchetti deal. I know there is a young striker who is owned by Fiorentina that played for QPR last year who we might luck into, but for now until a player is actually signed, I think its too early to assume we are the favorites for anyone meaningful.
With strengths in goal and in midfield, too much uncertainty in the back and upfront, we need to do something to not only stay safe, but to also appease the fans who will have expectations of Europe in their heads because of this year.
Its always going to be a year to year thing for us, but we are in a position to solidify the team and make the most of our assets so lets hope Cellino and his crew can continue to bring in the right players. For all the frustrations we have felt, despite duds like Larrivey arriving on occasion, they really have done well to bring in players that have helped. The problem is we bring them in and wont take that extra step to keep them once they perform. Unfortunately until we find a way to keep some of these players, we are playing roulette when it comes to surivival. The failure to secure Foggia in the offseason last year when given a chance is a prime example that even as a small club, you must do just a bit more when given a chance to get a player. Serie A will be better next year so the team needs to work even harder to get players who can help.
Lets see what happens over the summer and I will try to post notes as the players come in or leave.
2008-09 Review
By: Jeremy | 7 Comments
After the past few seasons of barely surviving to play the next year in Serie A, Cagliari suprised us all and finished ninth this year with 53 points. 15 wins, 15 losses, and 8 draws. With results like that, it would seem like we had a boring season where we were not threatened with relegation yet were also not quite good enough to challenge for Europe. For those who followed the team throughout the whole season, this season was anything but boring and we faced many highs and lows that cancelled each other out and we finished where the overall play suggested we should have.
What went right:
Any team that was expected to be relegated or atleast be in the fight for relegation, to finish 9th and eliminate their relegation worries very early in the season meant many things went right.
With iffy changes in the offseason, including the loss of a popular goalie and coach who worked miracles to help keep the team in Serie A last year, to think their replacements would end up doing a better job and probably being the two biggest pieces in the team would be a shocker for sure.
The new coach Allegri, after a slow start, held his composure and brought the team back from a bad start to a great run and a surprising finish. What cannot be ignored was Cellinos patience not to fire him after the bad start and his patience was rewarded as he now has one of the top up and coming coaches in Serie A who has been courted for Milan and Lazio amongst others.
Marchetti, Storaris young replacement, provided immediate stability and leadership at the back and is now on the radar of many big clubs. He is the next big time goalie in Italy. Great scouting to bring him in from Serie B as a basic unknown.
Other surprises included the continued improvement of Jeda and especially Biondini in the midfield. Acquafresca getting to stay in Cagliari for the full year was also huge as he provided some big goals and his potential brought much needed attention to Cagliari.
Conte and Fini continued to provide great play in a quiet way which allowed the youngsters to improve. Cossu in the midfield greatly improved his play and Parola and Canini are also great young players in the back. The youth of Cagliari is enough to get any fan excited even if we lose Acquafresca.
A team that exceeds expectations has many of their guys on the wishlists of the bigger teams so while we dont like to lose players/coaches, the fact they are mentioned so much meant it was a good year.
What went wrong:
Any team that does not win until week seven shows their season was not as good as it could have been. No Serie A team, changes or not, should start that way and Allegri was probably closer to the ax then he will ever admit and deservedly so. While all teams face ups and downs, we basically needed a miracle run of games to keep the season alive. A run of ten games in the mid year saw the team gain way more points then they could have expected and with about 8 weeks left, the team had a real shot at Europe. Wins against Fiorentina, Juventus, Palermo, and a draw at Inter turned things around quickly. The inconsistency can be expected, but the bad start and the bad finish really had to frustrate fans as this team had the talent and potential to make Europe. The team should have finished stronger and gave away 5-8 points in the end.
The future:
As with all small teams, it is a year to year thing. Surivival is the key for now but the great season can often cause some good players to give us a look in the transfer market and we might move up to stabilize a mid table reputation rather then this just being a one year thing.
Acquafresca leaving is just the first step of many difficulties we will likely face. Allegri is not guaranteed to return as the latest big club after him is Lazio. The right offer will cause him to go and if we get one more season of him, we will be lucky. Marchetti is now looked at as the heir to Buffon in the national team so his returning is also 50/50. Cossu and Canini will get some looks as will Jeda.
These are all players that must be kept if we are to build on this seasons results. As with past seasons, we lost too many notable players and the replacements were not highly touted yet they all seemed to fit and or play better then expected. That cant continue to happen so we must do a better job of keeping key players. New players will also now look at Cagliari so this may be a more active offseason then expected. If Allegri stays, the chances of team improvement are even better.
With the stadium improvements, sponsorship issues, and fans now getting a taste of a good team, there is much pressure on Cellino to keep what he has and build upon it. The base is there to atleast keep us in the top half, but because of the nature of Serie A, a couple bad moves in the offseason will put us back in the relegation dogfight. For now, we can reflect on this year, how enjoyable it was, ponder the what ifs, and most importantly wonder what a new year brings. There will be some changes but for the first time since Zola helped get us back to Serie A, there is real optimism in Sardinia after a great year.
Serie A Quick Review/Summary/Best and Worst
By: Jeremy | 3 Comments
The season is finally over. Some teams disappointed and some teams overachieved, but most teams did what they were expected to do. While the top teams can always finish in some inverse order, you arent going to see Inter or Milan finish mid table, even if they have everything possible go against them. Relegation teams can easily be identified early on, and occasionally one will surprise and push for a midtable finish(Cagliari), but for the most part we know who they are. Here is how I predicted them in the beginning and how they actually finished.
Predicted Finish Actual Finish
1. Milan Inter
2. Inter Juventus
3. Juve Milan
4. Roma Fiorentina
5. Fiorentina Genoa
6. Lazio Roma
7. Napoli Udinese
8. Udinese Palermo
9. Sampdoria Cagliari
10. Palermo Lazio
11. Genoa Atalanta
12. Atalanta Napoli
13. Torino Sampdoria
14. Catania Siena
15. Bologna Catania
16. Chievo Chievo
17. CAGLIARI Bologna
18. Reggina Torino
19. Siena Reggina
20. Lecce. Lecce
Overall, probably not a very good job. I only got three of the four CL teams and two of the relegation teams. What matters is how badly I missed the mid table teams. I was all over the place. I underestimated Genoa by a bunch and overestimated Torino, who ended up getting relegated. I even picked Siena down too far. Otherwise the surprise of Cagliari and the disappointment of Sampdoria was probably something we all missed.
Best team: Inter. Even in their often lethargic approach, they do what they have to do to win. With unlimited money, injuries and turmoil in Milan and Juve, first place was theirs for the taking. Say what you want about them, its tough to finish first in Serie A so they should be given respect. With the CL performance however, it made for a disappointing year.
Biggest surprise: Cagliari. Finished by most to be relegated or barely safe, they finished in the top half of the table and could have been an even more serious threat for a European spot had they not given away so many points after the mid season run.
Biggest disappointment: Torino. The team seemed in trouble the whole year and while they were in the relegation discussion from day one, this team with its history should not be relegated. They should have done better.
Best player: Ibrahimovic. Like him or not, he was a rock for Inter. Seems like he always did something that won a game or salvaged what would have been an otherwise bad result. The fact he won the top scorer trophy with a nice little back heel to win a game just summed up the year for him.
Biggest disappointment: Quaresma. Just another reason to hate the big clubs. Inter can spend 35 million on a player who completely flops and they still have enough depth to win the league. He came over from Porto for 35 million plus young Pele. He didnt do crap and got sent to Chelsea where he failed also. There were quite a few other disappointments around Serie A, but Quaresma has to stand out. Although I like Mourinho, his pushing for this player and the bad result really puts a damper on his resume. At 25 Quaresma is still young and talented and no doubt has a bunch of Italian teams ready to give him a chance, but with Figo gone, expect him to be given another chance unless another semi big club offers Inter some real money for him. Id love to have him in Cagliari, but I wouldnt pay much for him.
Coach of the Year: Allegri. Any coach who can work for Cellino, lose the first five games of his tenure, keep his job, and then lead his team to the brink of Europe when they were expected to go down after such a bad start, has to be coach of the year. His even temperment, experience as a player, and patience will be a blessing for Cagliari as long as he stays. He will likely move to a bigger club sooner rather then later, but he has helped Cagliari move away from being relegation fodder to a team who should be able to play at least mid table type football next year. He must keep up the momentum to take advantage of his growing reputation as one of the best young coaches in Italy.
Who would you select in these categories?
If you are a Cagliari fan and the team survives, like it or not, it is a good year. The loss in the final game to Udinese shows that absent a real influx of talent, it is going to be tough to finish in the top six. Who are we going to finish ahead of that we didnt this year? Some real good teams in front of us and many teams with potential just below us. What is coming in from Serie B is better then what is going back down so I think the league is tougher next year. We also have some young players that we will lose in the offseason and we need to bring in some talent this summer if we are going to maintain our place next year.
Ill start looking at each player as we go through the summer and will look for information that may give us an idea as to who stays, who goes, and who might be arriving.
Overall I hope it was an enjoyable year for all the fans and I appreciate everyones comments and thoughts from week to week.
Udinese-Cagliari;Thank You Robert Acquafresca
By: Jeremy | Add Comments
Well we made it. Final game of the 2008-09 Serie A season. Although we were hoping this game might be for a place in europe, it is not to be but it is better then needing a win to survive yet another year in Serie A. Ultimately it is a meaningless game between two teams who had their ups and downs this year, but who are solidly in 7th to 9th place when the year is over.
Udinese comes in playing very well but after a tough draw on the road to Samp last week, their great run at europes final place ended. They will be missing quite a few players including captain DiNatale, Tissone, and Coda. They will have Quagliarella, one of the top players in Serie A, available and he will no doubt want to give the home fans some nice memories for the summer. The team faces many uncertainties about players moving on to bigger clubs and they have that much in common with Cagliari.
Cagliari with a win can overtake Udinese and finish 8th on 56 points. After the horrid start it would be quite an accomplishment. However fans will rue the missed opportunities late in the season when we gave away too many points. The team really could have finished higher.
As with Udinese, Cagliari has many a talented player who may not be back next year. The obvious departure will be Robert Acquafresca. He has given us two great years of play and while inconsistent and tempermental, its always great to see a young player develop and stand out a bit before they move on to another team. Usually we get other teams rejects or players on the downside of their careers. While there is always the chance he could come back, this chance is small so this will likely be his last game for Cagliari. He isnt the only player who we could lose as Marchetti could be gone and with his pick for the national team, he will get noticed even more.
Once the season is over, I will try to do a review of not only the season, but each player etc. We now need to start looking at the squad for next year and it will be fun to see who we can keep, but also if Allegris presence and the top half of the table finish will cause potential transfers to look at us assuming Cellino will open up the wallet.
For now, enjoy the last look at this seasons players and expect the home team to come out with just a little more passion like we did last week against Inter.
Prediction
Udinese 2-1 Cagliari
A Cagliari Soccer History Lesson
By: Jeremy | 1 Comment
For those of you like myself, especially my fellow americans, who can be dated by the days of European soccer stars of the 70s, who past their prime, came to the USA and played in the now defunct NASL, which created a soccer frenzy for kids like myself, growing up in Southern California, who would have thought that the team I ended up supporting in Italy has ties to the league I grew up watching and still miss to this day.
This league got me playing soccer at a young age and while not europe, there was nothing better then going to a game to see George Best and the Aztecs and later a young Hugo Sanchez and the Sockers on a regular basis. We even had the late Manu Sanon, World Cup 1974 star from Haiti, and Kaz Deyna, World Cup star from Poland, play for the Sockers. These were world stars right in our backyard. Watching the Champions League Final yesterday reminded me how lucky I was to have such good seats at Soccer Bowl 82 in San Diego. We take what we can get so for those of you hitting the european stadiums for matches regularly, or who grew up watching some big european club in your hometown, indulge this american just a bit….
Yes I am old and what does this have to do with Cagliari you might ask?
For those of you who may remember, the NASL(North American Soccer League) was formed in 1968 after a merger between the National Professional Soccer League(NPSL) and the United Soccer Association(USA). The United Soccer Association started in 1967 as basically a summer league for foreign teams. One of the teams was Cagliari who played as the Chicago Mustangs that summer. The Mustangs would participate in the first year of the NASL in 1968 and while it that was the final year in the NASL for the team, it did become basically a minor league team for the Chicago Sting, one of the NASLs best franchises that existed until the leagues demise following the 1984 season.
Players on the Mustang team in 1967 included Roberto Boninsenga, Raffaello Ciocca, Claudio DeCarvalho, Jerry Hitchens, Giuseppi Longoni, Pietro Pianta, Adriano Reginato, Francesco Rizzo, Raffaello Vescovi, and Bruno Visentin.
How many of you fans know any of those Cagliari players? You should know atleast one.
Probably the most famous player from the group was Italian international Boninsenga. He was born the same year as my father(1943). He played with Cagliari from 1966-69 and just missed out on being a part of Cagliaris only Scudetto in 1970. He did transfer to Inter where he won the Scudetto in 70-71 and lead the Italian league in scoring in 1971 and 1972. He also scored Italys only goal in the 1970 World Cup Final. I still watch that game on occasion just for kicks. To think, we had such a great player close to his prime in the States for just a summer so early in our countries soccer history. Not surprisingly, he was the leagues leading scorer that summer of 1967.
My father was a college level player in the sixties and played in the typical adult leagues in the early seventies and needless to say, he was a big fan of the local NASL teams and put a ball at my feet whenever he could. We had the Los Angeles Wolves and San Diego Toros around the time I was born, but my dad did not know who Boninsenga was or that the European teams played in that memorable summer of 1967. He did know his mother in law was Sardinian though!!
So what is my point with this rambling?
As we wind down yet another season, more history has been created and somewhere there are kids who are getting turned on to the sport or a team for often a strange reason. While my story of becoming a Cagliari fan is a kind of a come lately story, unlike my exposure at a young age to the NASL, I feel lucky and proud to support Cagliari even more because in the summer of 1967, just two years before I was born, the team I knew nothing about until I was 20 years old, played for a brief time in a league that would influence my development not only as a young player, but as a fan of the game.
It does not get any better then that.
Acquafresca Makes a Statement
By: Jeremy | Add Comments
While it is always great to beat the champs, Sundays game against Inter was meaningless. Inter didnt bring its full squad and Cagliari had nothing to play for and simply wanted to put on a good show for its fans. The end result was predictable, but Cagliari fans can be happy as many of its players showed some real class and talent and reminded us why, with a little tweaking, we can be a european contender next year.
In a storybook finish to the game, soon to be Genoa player Robert Acquafresca got a nice reward with the winning goal gifted to him on a great cross by fan favorite Davide Biondini. While I was more impressed with the cross then the finish, it had to make him feel good that he netted the winner against the team that owns him yet clearly feels he is not ready to be a first team striker despite his steady improvement and goal scoring prowess for Cagliari the past two years.
For all of his frustrations, most of which expressed by his loud mouth agent until recently, Robert has to understand that a team like Inter needs sure things and cannot place its immediate future on such a young player, who while filled with potential, is still young and disappears for many parts of a match if he is not getting service that suits him. I am sure being surrounded by superior talent at Inter would motivate him and likely produce even more scoring, but Inter cannot take that chance yet and is reminded that even an experienced striker may not often be the answer when he has proven himself with a smaller team in Italy ie Suazo.
This is a team with a top manager yet still cant get very far in the Champions League. They have to continue to find a serious stud to pair with Ibra so they can take that next step. They have tried Suazo, and while he will get another chance, their status allows them to get a player like Milito. Big teams want experience over youth for the most part, especially when they are not winning in Europe. Even young Ballotelli, given every chance to shine for Inter, still does things that shows his youth. In time, like Acquafresca, he will be a dominant player, but not right now.
I am assuming in their deal with Genoa that they retained co ownership of Acquafresca and will make sure he returns should he continue to improve. If they gave full rights to Genoa in exchange for Milito, then they might have been giving away too much but Inter simply needs to win now so they will take the risk as they will always find and buy young players.
So where does this leave our rental prodigy? Common sense says he will play for Genoa next year and gain some european experience. If he cant play for Cagliari that is the ideal place for him. He still will struggle to get first team football, but if he is as good as he makes himself out to be, he should be able to prove himself at Genoa before he returns to Inter.
While other teams are surely interested in him, if he is not going to return to Cagliari and Genoa wants to loan him out, where does he go? Parma? Please. Napoli is serious in wanting him and added to Hamsik and Lavezzi, his acquisition would make them a real up and coming team. Remember their strong start, but their lack of depth makes them a mid table Serie A team absent some added talent. I still dont think both Lavezzi and Hamsik make it back to Naples next year with all the big teams calling but if they do and add Acquafresca, they will be dangerous, but again he would be plying his trade for a team that would not for sure be better then Cagliari and would still not be gaining european experience.
Returning to Cagliari seems to be an option that is not discussed much. If anyone watched the play of youngsters Cossu and Parola on Sunday, combined with the likes of Marchetti and other players both young and experienced who should return next year, if he also returns, Acquafresca can make a push for improvement both individually and in the standings. Allegri should be back and that only adds to the quality Cagliari can offer players. Wishful thinking I know, but instead of being mad at Inter, look at the opportunity to continue to grow with a team he already knows and clearly is comfortable. Allegri is the right coach to continue his growth.
While I am sure it was great to score yesterday, first team places on top Champions League type clubs are hard to come by and unless your name is Pato or Ronaldo, its rare that a young player takes one of those spots so Robert need to take a deep breath and continue to play. Acquafresca is close and if Inter was more successful in Europe, they would bring him back. He will get his shot one day. In the meantime, lets hope Cellino and Allegri can find a way to sneak him back to us for another year. Yesterdays goal was just a reminder that with the help of his unheralded teammates, he can do great things. Its just unfortunate the club laid two eggs against Roma and Reggina because his goal was more of a symbolic statement then a beneficial one.
As the season winds down, I will spend the first few weeks of the offseason looking at the players we have and anlalyzing their 08-09 performance while also trying to guess who stays, who leaves, who might get added, and what fans can hope to expect for next year as many teams seek major improvement which could make repeating this years peformance very difficult.
Next weeks match with Udinese will certainly be entertaining and lets hope the team can finish strong as it can influence players who might be looking for a team next year.
Cagliari-Inter
By: Jeremy | 2 Comments
After last weeks loss to Reggina, combined with what seemed obvious in that Acquafresca is now headed to Genoa, I was not in the mood to write much as the season has essentially come to an end.
While I would like to think last weekends loss to the last place team in Serie A was based more upon the Saturday results which essentially eliminated Cagliari from Europe and Regginas stepped up play as they try to survive, it was imply a let down. This was the latest result where we gave away points and with too many of these coming recently, even a slight dip in form takes the team out of Europe.
That being said, with two games left it is nice to not have to face relegation and analyze what the other bottom teams are doing so we can hopefully secure our place in Serie A for next year. For all the ups and downs, we are safe and a strong mid table team with hopefully a bright future. While we can wonder what could have been, this season has shown that for a team like Cagliari to qualify for Europe, everything has to go right for a full season. It is certainly possible and always a goal to strive for, but if we achieve safety, it is a good year.
Achieving safety early is good and can make games like this weekend basically an island sun fest party as the top club comes to Sardinia for a game and we can just sit back and enjoy some soccer. While both teams have nothing to play for, I think each team will field its best squad because there are certain subplots that still exist and each team wants to make a showing.
Inter are the champs. Congrats to them. Mourinho always wants to win every game hes played and since he is not in the Champions League final, there is no reason for him not to send out his best players. While there may be a different substitution pattern, fans should all see the big guns including a last look at Figo, one of the greats.
Cagliari would like to finish strong and Acquafresca wants to show Inter that they are making a mistake selling him to Genoa for Milito. Yes Inter needs a big striker and Milito is one of the best, but Acquafresca has to feel like he is being pushed out the door to Genoa and may lose his chance at being a starter for Inter in the near future. Is he ready, who knows, but Genoa is the best place for him. Inter is not going to let him go to a serious rival and Genoa is good enough that he can play for a top team, see European football, and as Inter did with us in the Suazo deal, just because he will be co owned with Genoa, does not mean Inter wont buy him back. I am sure Inter covered themselves should he get even better. While Genoa may not have a place for him and send him back out on loan, I just dont see it. They will need him if they are losing Militio. While his agent still mentions Parma and Napoli wanting him, Cagliari does too. He seems to like Napoli because of the name, but Bologna has a great history too. Unless Napoli can keep Hamsik and Lavezzi, Napoli is not a better place for him then us. He will be at Genoa and I think if Genoa lets him move, he would stay here over anywhere else. Either way, he wants to play strong in what might be his final game in Sardinia in a Cagliari uniform against the team that is sending him out again.
This game will remind me of the 2006 game where both teams were safe and it was just a kickaround on the final day of the season. It will be a wide open game and fun to watch, but essentially meaningless to both clubs. With Ancellotti possiblly moving to Chelsea, which makes no sense to me, Allegri will still be rumored to leave, but he should stay and he must start doing what is necessary to bring in the players that will help us be more consistent throughout the year.
This weekend is a chance for the home fans to celebrate a great season but an early reminder that the offseason will be very important to the future of this club now that they achieved a position in Serie A for next year.
Prediction
Cagliari 2-2 Inter
Reggina-Cagliari
By: Jeremy | 3 Comments
As we wind down towards the end of the year, we are actually going to play some games where we arent worried about survival. Quite a switch and certainly a relief when compared to past years. Before we look at Reggina, I encourage all Cagliari fans or even fans of similar teams to look at the comments from my previous post and read some good insight from Poindexter and Olly amongst others. Every fan has a story and those like Olly who get to see things a little more upclose can remind us all why we like our team and how we became fans. Greats posts and comments all.
As for Reggina this weekend, it is quite a tale of two clubs, both of which have some motivation to bring it this weekend. Reggina is dead last and all but relegated, but they have worked miracles like Cagliari in years past so they arent dead yet. They have played like crap, but they are still just four points from safety, which is not impossible to overcome, even this late in the year. They will expect a win this week and team leaders are begging fans to come out to support the team. I think one could get free tickets without a problem.
Cagliari also faces a four point gap to overcome, but instead of a relegation issue, it is shockingly for a place in Europe. Reality says we pissed our chance away with the asswhipping from Palermo and the choke against Roma. We have lost ground to our rivals and have dropped to ninth. That being said, with Roma being inconsistent and Palermo giving it away on the road to teams like Siena, you almost have to think we need to watch Udinese more then any of them and they are only a point above us. My point is that we still have something to play for and we have shown that we can beat the lower echelon teams on the road.
Reggina will be missing quite a few players but the always dangerous Brienza will want to make things happen for them. While their home crowd will help and the typical improved performance in a last gasp attempt at safety will cause them to play better then normal, they dont have Cagliaris talent even if Cagliari will also be missing some key players.
Cagliaris push for Europe seems to be overshadowed by Robert Acquafresca and his agents attempt to land him a team for next year before this season is over. Genoa is the obvious choice as Inter wants Milito and Acquafresca can be used to get a deal done. Inter seems to be ready to get rid of him, but despite reports to the contrary they wont give him away and he will be used to get a more experienced striker. He isnt ready for first team at Inter, but he will be someday. We still need to hope he can find his way back here for a third year. Dont rule it out even if it is unlikely. Genoa will give him Europe, but Napoli is not a better place for him then Cagliari. That being said, he has some motivation to finish the season strong.
While it might be expected that Reggina gets a win when they need one, I think despite missing Conte, Lazzari, and Cossu, we still have enough to beat them as they are also missing a few first team players and they do not have our depth. A win for us combined with a couple of other results that could happen could find us back in the race for sixth with a game against Inter next week who will rest the first teamers after they clinch the Scudetto this weekend. While we have given away too much recently, this weekend could bring new opportunity for us and make the next couple of weeks a bit of fun. Sorry Reggina but I think Serie B beckons.
Prediction
Reggina 1-2 Cagliari
Turn out the Lights, the Parties Over
By: Jeremy | 11 Comments
Am I the only one alive in the 70s who used to watch Monday Night Football and couldnt wait to hear Don Meredith sing that song when one team was clearly out of it? Thats kind of how I felt after Roma second goal yesterday which all but ended our European dreams. I dont know what is worse, getting an ass kicking or giving away a game, especially when it comes to two of your direct rivals.
The past two games have shown that this team still needs something, and what is I dont know, if it wants to be a european contender. The loss to Palermo was kind of expected, even if not to such extremes, but when given another chance, at home to a deflated Roma club, to go up two goals only to give them back in the final 30 minutes, that loss has to hurt more. Instead of being one point from a european spot, we remain four points out with one less game and another rival, Udinese, looking like they want to surprise everyone and take the final spot.
The game yesterday was pretty sloppy, especially defensively. While Matris header was quality, and he still seems to give us some hope that he can be a legit Serie A striker, the other goals were all that inspiring. The bottom line is that we were at home, up 2-0, and gave it back in the second half. Inexcusable. What makes it even more frustrating is that Palermo, not surprisingly, crapped out on the road to a tough to play against Siena. They have to be just as frustrated.
While four points is not a lot, even in three weeks, there are just too many factors that should finally have ended our European dreams. We hit Reggina on the road next week, a tough game against a team who can still survive with the right breaks, and then with an unmotivated Inter at home, and Udinese on the road, we simply cannot expect to make up these points. Yesterday was our shot and we failed so reality needs to set back in. This will turn out to have been a great season, but one left with so many what ifs. Its an improvement we are discussing what ifs while still as a member of Serie A rather then after being relegated.
The team should still play out the rest of the season with effort and anything can happen as Palermo and Roma have both shown they can give away games. With some luck, the final game with Udinese will mean something, but the reality is we need to start looking at the offseason.
Sponsorship and stadium improvements are certainly an issue but we cannot escape the fact that we still need to improve the team. The disappointing finish to the season could slow the Allegri leaving rumors and his quality will draw players. We have made it clear we want Acquafresca back and while he is not ready for first team football at Inter, I think the lure of Milito and european football will cause him to spend another season on loan, but next year at Genoa. He has been a good representative of our improvement over the past two years, but expecting him back for a third year to continue his development is asking a bit much. Lets hope Inter shows us some good will and allows us to have him for another year, but I dont expect it.
After a great run of games, we have let off the gas a bit and seem to be coasting home. Lets see if the players can show their supporters that they are willing to give it all the rest of the year. As for yesterday, just add it to the recent Genoa game and the first match with Roma this year as probably the most frustrating results which have cost our team a real chance at finding a place in europe which would have opened so many doors for us, even if we would have played our home games elsewhere.
Home 
