Inter-Cagliari
By: Jeremy |
9 Comments
Before we talk about that team I love to hate, Inter, lets give props to Allegri for being voted coach of the year in Serie A for what he did for Cagliari last year. He just edged out Mourinho in a vote by their peers.
There is no doubt Inter was the dominant team in Serie A last year and Mourinho did a good job. In fact I am a fan of his despite him being with the wrong club now. However, for him to be coach of the year is going to be near impossible until he takes Inter to the Champions League final. While Milan, Juve, and Roma et al have the ability to win the Scudetto from year to year, and Inter should be praised for getting it done on the field while these other clubs seem to have controversy push them down in the standings as of late, absent noticeable improvement in the Champions League, naming Mourinho coach of the year should not happen when a smaller club is lead by a coach the way Cagliari was last year. There really is no debate. Congrats Allegri.
Before we discuss this weekends big game, lets revisit the game we threw away to Fiorentina at home last weekend. While a draw was a fair result, when you go down to ten men after taking control of a match at home against a team that was not in the right mindset, you cannot say too much about the result no matter how it turned out. The game was ours and Fiorentina was clearly lacking motivation but missing a man sucks. While they will be disappointed they did not turn the game back around with the extra man, they played like garbage and should be happy with a tie. The bad news for Cagliari is Cossus foul not only cost Cagliari two points, but will keep our best player out of this weekends big game when he is needed the most. Check out the highlites…
Despite Cossu’s mistake, why he is not mentioned more for the national team this summer is beyond me. Not only should he have a place, I would put him in the starting eleven. He controls the field and would give Italy a real spark in midfield that they clearly lack without Totti.
Now lets talk some Inter. As much as I would rather watch Milan, who clearly plays more entertaining football then their city rivals, if you think Inter has not already won the Scudetto, then you are in fantasyland. What Inter does that the other pretenders do not do is win the games they are supposed to win week to week. While every top team gets surprised on occasion, Inter does not allow that to happen. They win their games and any chance Milan thought they had to catch them was gone after the recent derby. Inters talent is geared toward week to week results which is great, but they still lack the overall talent to take the Champions League in my opinion. They are not spectacular and that is why they traded for Eto’o. He will be the deciding factor as to what they ultimately do in the really big games that are coming for them. If he does not show up no matter how well he does over the course of the year, the season is a failure for them.
Speaking of the derby, while our own outspoken chairman Cellino often says some dumb stuff at the wrong time, he will speak out and say things as bluntly as anyone and can often make sense when he says it. His comments about Inter this week were right on the money. Their arrogance is clear. Props to Cellino for slamming them.
Words alone do not win games so all the talk about who had the better coach last year or who acts arrogant etc does not matter. Its what is done on the field and in terms of Serie A, we hit the road in need of points facing Serie A’s best. While Inter played a midweek game in the Coppa, their depth will still allow them to put out a great team despite the suspensions, injuries etc that will cause some good players to miss the game for them. Chivu, Eto’o, Lucio, and a player who seems to epitomize Inter’s arrogance, Sneijder, will all miss the game. That is some talent. With Milito and the newly acquired Pandev up front, they will be fine. If you remember back from week four, it was Milito who scored two goals to beat us 2-1. With their great form, especially at home, it will take some real good play to get a draw muchless beat them this weekend.
Cagliari sits ready to make Europe and is in the mix for a spot. With Marchetti and Lopez injured, Cossu suspended, and the other midfielders banged up, we will only go as far as our young defensemen and new goalie Agazzi will take us. He has the pressure right on him after being acquired from Serie B just before the deadline. As much as I am not a big fan of Lopez’s inconsistency, his experience will be missed this weekend. These problems are not good at any time, but this weekend, it will quite frankly make any expectation of a result non existant.
Allegri will really earn his coach of the year award if he can put a team out there that competes with Inter on Sunday. The media slightly trying to create a rivalry with Mourinho and Allegri is not going to work as those guys like and respect each other and face battles week to week on different levels. There is no rivalry but Allegri will want to show more to keep himself on the big clubs radar. He needs to get his fastest lineup out there and run Inter into the ground to have any chance at all. That means we need Jeda, Dessena, and Biondini on the field at all times. With Matri scoring some big goals and hopefully Nene seeing the field because of Cossus suspension, there might be some real pressure put on Inters somewhat old but still dominant team.
While I would love nothing more then to beat Inter, without Marchetti and Cossu, its near impossible. Allegri knows this and his tactics will involve some real risk. He cant sit back and play like he might otherwise. Mlito will punish them if they do not act more aggressive. The wide open attack could spur an upset, but I just think it ends up being an enjoyable game with Inter finishing their chances even if Cagliari controls the run of play for longer periods of the match then expected.
Prediction:
Inter 3-1 Cagliari
Prediction record to date:
8-13
Category: Uncategorized
Cagliari-Fiorentina
By: Jeremy | Add Comments
We head back to the Sant Elia after a disappointing away draw to Siena. This was a game where we showed little to no offense after a nice performance the previous week at home against Livorno. With Larrivey suddenly becoming the golden child, there are thoughts that Nene might be transferred before the winter deadline which would be a huge mistake at this point.
Cagliari sits on 31 points and is very much in the race for Europe. They have given away too many points to the bottom teams but have come up with some good performances against teams who just a year or two ago saw Cagliari as an easy three points. The talent is there to make a move this year.
With Larrivey banged up, we might see Nene this weekend. His potential transfer to Milan surely has to be an overblown rumor. It makes no sense for both clubs to make such a transaction. If Milan feels like it needs another striker, why not give Huntelaar more time. He is the Dutch version of Nene. He gets very little playing time but seems to make a contribution when he plays. His scoring prowess in an inferior league brought him to Serie A. Unless they want to send us Huntelaar, why would they over pay for Nene as you know Cellino wont sell him at a loss right now. If Cellino wants to sell him for a profit, I understand, but surely his top price is not now as he is literally wasting away on the bench. He needs to play and will drive up his value if the goal is indeed to sell him which again would be a mistake absent a huge offer. With Cagliaris offense still inconsistent and the team fighting for Europe, this is an asset you dont sell now. Lets hope its all just a rumor.
Fiorentina has their own issues and sits just one point behind us, in what they will see as a disappointing domestic campaign. They can still return to Europe, but with the uncertainty regarding Mutu and his drug suspension looming, they are a bit distracted. Lets hope Mutu does not play this weekend, but also that there is some mixup with his test. Maybe he can use the tennis player excuse and say he tested positive because he kissed a girl who had just used cocaine. He is a great player to watch so lets hope he stays on the field. If his drug use is confirmed, he is likely done as a serious player as he will be banned for quite some time.
Cagliari gets this match at home after losing 1-0 to Fiorentina in week three on the road. The ideal result would be a return match that nets us the three points even if it is also 1-0.
On paper Fiorentina is slightly better then us. Frey will make Cagliaris inconsistent offense all that more inconsistent, but Nene will get his chance to partner Matri this weekend and he will be the difference maker. With Lopez seemingly injured, Ariaudo could finally see the action he was expecting when Juve loaned him to us.
While Cagliari is enjoying a pretty good season, again Cellino has stolen the spotlight. While wanting to position his assets and take his profits, all while looking to buy an EPL club, you have to wonder what he is doing. While he says he will keep Matri and has big plans for the future, it may be that he is ready to part with Nene which makes no sense. The fans have to wonder what direction the club is truly trying to head in for the long term. Because of his ability to get players, he seems to have built a club that with the right semi expensive addition can make us yearly european contenders. However, the club is always preaching survival which is a mindset we seem to have passed or atleast shoud want to. The talent we have is not overly expensive and ready to take the next step. I will continue to give Cellino the benefit of the doubt as he has built a team with a lot of depth and talent.
The only way to keep things interesting is to win. Winning will make Cellino keep his assets. I think we can take this game at home as Matri and Nene will step up and hold off a talented but fading Fiorentina side.
Prediction:
Cagliari 2-1 Fiorentina
Prediction record to date:
8-12
Category: UncategorizedSiena, Nene, and Roger No Goal
By: Jeremy | 1 Comment
I dont want to reflect too much on the Siena game as the team showed heart to come back from a goal down to earn a draw on the road, but giving away five points in two matches the worst team in Serie A is unforgivable. Check out the highlites…
Larriveys red card was a bit harsh and on Sienas goal Marchetti should have done better but we did nothing offensively. Considering being up a man and having way more opportunities, Siena will have to be frustrated with the result while Cagliari giving away points to clearly the worst team in Serie A, road match or not, severly dampens its European dreams. Siena slips further into relegation certainty.
Better news this week as under the radar, Cellino for little or no money, added a player from Serie B side Piacenza while getting one of his promising youthful players some playing time albeit at another club.
In a move that wont matter much this year, Cagliari added Radja “Roger No Goal” Nainggolan from Serie B side Piacenza. While it is techincally a loan, Cagliari has the option to buy and no doubt will come summer. Dont expect him to see much time this year in a very talented midfield but you never know. He and Brkljaca will continue to push the regulars. Piacenza, struggling to avoid relegation from Serie B, felt that Mikhail Sivakov would help them more this spring then the up and coming Belgian international midfielder Nainggolan.
This move, while not helping this year, while prove wise come next year when there is a good chance we lose Biondini, Lazzari, and Cossu or atleast some combination of them to bigger clubs.
When Sivakov comes back after getting some playing time and Nainggolan has become acclamated to the club, we may find one if not both of them vying for time in the fall. With the depth we have at midfield, absent making Europe, we will not keep all of those guys because there is simply too much talent sitting on the bench for such a small club so Cellino is hedging his bets and trying to prepare for the big profits he will reap this summer whether its through selling a good chunk of his midfield or by making european football.
While Cellino continues to make smaller moves and must be given credit for his astute scouting, he has to be scratching his head at why Nene is seeing little to none of the field. Just a few weeks ago, after scoring a brilliant goal against Juve, Nene was seen as a very profitable investment and was making noise about being included in the Selecao. Since then he has pretty much fallen off the face of the earth in favor of Larrivey. Now Larrivey has scored some goals and is trying to do his best Robert Acquafresca impression, but Nene was paid a sizeable sum, in Cagliari dollars anyway, to come in and take us to that next level. With Matris emergence and the second striker still not solidified despite Larriveys stats and quirky goals, Nene needs to be heard from. We simply have to see what he can do over a long stretch otherwise he will ultimately be sold at a loss to a team that will give him the opportunity which is so against the mantra of Cellino and the club.
While this team is clearly tight knit and fights for one another with very little infighting or jealousy, they still have the playing time issues that come with having a talented squad. Finding a loan move for Sivakov was a good move, but when you bring in players like Nene, they have to see the field. Managing to add Ariaudo for the defense and him not being close to the field(unless Lopez is really hurt) also seems to indicate that Allegri does not want to rock the boat on a team that has done pretty well. You cannot argue with the results so far.
While we seem to be well positioned, a couple more games where goals dont come against teams like Siena will find us in 12-14th place very soon even if we can say we are sniffing the Champions League spots. Its time for Allegri to tweak the team a bit as we hit a tough patch of games and try to get some consistent goal scoring and defending with talent that is just waiting to emerge. A nice problem in Cagliari we have, but it must be watched as it has a very tenous grip on the soon to be heating up fight for Europe.
Category: UncategorizedSiena-Cagliari
By: Jeremy | Add Comments
After last weekends great win at home to Livorno, Cagliari hits the road to face Siena, the worst team in Serie A, yet a team who took three points from us on our home field in week two. After looking at the Livorno highlites, you have to wonder how we could not get a win this weekend.
As well as Cagliari played against Livorno, its games against bottom teams that are often the toughest, especially on the road. Cagliari showed its toughness by beating Bologna on the road just a few weeks ago and its these games that are going to keep momentum strong or just absolutely destroy a season. If the loss in week two to these guys would have been in week 12 or week 16, the result would have been more hurtful, but in week two with teams still getting going, you can rebound a lot easier. That is not the case this weekend as it is a must win if we truly are European quality.
While its a bit early, Siena is starting to fall back from their relegation rivals as they sit in last four behind the pack of teams they are chasing. With last weekends whipping by Milan and their coach obviously on the hot seat, this team can have its final implosion at any time and we need to help speed up that process. Other then Maccarone, this is a team with little to no Serie A level talent. I hate watching them and wonder how they have stayed in Serie A as long as they have.
Cagliari has to be feeling good. Even Larrivey is scoring and the ball seems to be bouncing right for the team. With the transfer window now closed for us according to management, we have the team we will have for the rest of the year. I was hoping that Brkljaca and Sivakov would have been loaned out for experience, but I guess the demand at top level clubs is not there so they will continue to ride the bench which hurts their long term development.
We still have to solidify the back a bit and find time to keep all the forwards happy, but overall the talent is there to finish top six. The teams strength is its unity and Allegri seems to have done a good job keeping everyone somewhat happy and understanding their roles when there are many players who could easily complain about playing time. This unity will last if the team wins, but there is an underlying problem that will raise up if the team starts falling into a 12th-15th place mindset. Therefore we have to keep winning.
This game should play out just like the Bologna game except we should have better control of the play. We were lucky to beat Bologna but Siena is a team that instead of trying to score will do what is needed to keep the play boring. I guess they learned that from our teams of years past. Ultimately a goal will be found somewhere but it wont be the systematic dismanting of a team like it was against Livorno.
Prediction:
Siena 0-1 Cagliari
Prediction record to date:
8-11
Category: UncategorizedCagliari-Livorno
By: Jeremy | 2 Comments
Can you believe the second half is ready to begin? Yes it is true. It is time for the return match and Serie A’s second half of the season. Quietly, Cagliari stole a vital three points on the road to relegation threatened Bologna with star man Matri bagging the only goal on a nice play by Jeda. It was a great result as the goal was scored against the run of play and a Bologna team that controlled the second half and should have had a goal or two. Check out the highlites…
With that victory Cagliari probably made sure there will be no relegation worries this year as even a bad run of results should still see the team finish just above the relgation zone.
While that is good news, expectations at the beginning of the year were to fight for Europe so Cagliari, with a game in hand, find themselves right where many expected, mid table sniffing Europe. While they picked up some unexpected points, its the games against bottom teams early in the season that will make fans frustrated as way too many points were given away and we must now make them up with confidence.
Luckilly we get a chance to rebound and pad the point totals early in the second half against these teams that are a notch below us. We start with Livorno.
Livorno had just returned to the top level and in the first match of the year we earned a draw on the road. Not bad, but if Europe is a realistic chance, we had to win the three points like we did against Bologna. Now we get them at home with a chance to redeem ourselves and it is a must victory.
Livorno has to be pretty pleased with their current position in the standings and they have had some great results so far this year. 21 points from 19 matches and 6 points safe will have to make any fan happy. The goal is to stay up and it looks like they will do it. Lupatelli continues to lead the way for this team and Cagliari must be careful with him.
Cagliari at home should win this match despite a recent history of draws. With Matri continuing to score timely goals and Marchetti looking like his old self as of late, Cagliari playing a night game on a Saturday will want to pack the stadium and take three points and continue to make sure the games later on mean something.
With Cellion away buying a British club, lets hope he does not take away from his search for new players to keep Cagliari improving. Lets also hope young Ariaudo makes his debut in defense soon as we really need to see what he can do.
Allegri is still searching for that second striker to compliment the emerging Matri. The addition of Nene should have solved that problem, but with his inconsistent yet brilliant play still not meeting Allegris standards, Larrivey and Jeda will still be rotated as well.
The strength of the club will continue to be the midfield. Biondini, Lazzari, Cossu, and Conte all compliment each other so well that Barone and even Dessena of late have seen little action.
Once the defense is stabilized, more victories will come and the team is still a real threat for Europe. Look for the second half to get off to a good start and with the Udinese makeup game coming soon, we might really vault up the standings.
Prediction:
Cagliari 3-1 Livorno
Prediction record to date:
7-11
Category: UncategorizedBologna-Cagliari
By: Jeremy | 1 Comment
The Roma game must be forgotten and quickly as we hit the road to take on relegation threatened Bologna who just lost a mid week relegation battle to Catania and now must head home with quite a bit of pressure to take on Cagliari.
Lets talk about Roma first. I dont think fans of either side will complain about the draw but when you control the run of play and need two stoppage time goals to get a home draw you have to be upset. Roma on the other hand gives up two garbage goals in the final minutes which simply cannot happen. Allowing them a gift penalty made this game tough for us so take the point and move on. Both sides will leave the match frustrated however. Here are the highlites:
These games of taking a point where all is lost or giving points when the game seems won is not a good way to solidify much in this league and while Cagliari is in eleventh with 24 points and sniffing Europe with a game in hand, they are dangerously close to dropping back to the 14th-15th place where fans expect a no talent Cagliari team to finish. Again this team has too much talent not to finish in the top half or better, but with Lazio fixed to turn it around a bit and a usually good Udinese team ready to move up, a loss this weekend to Bologna, even on the road, will put a serious damper on our season. While games against Roma and Napoli are tough even at home, games with Bologna must be won.
That being said, Bologna, despite being in 17th with 16 points, are still decent at home and that evens things up against Cagliari, one of the more exciting teams to watch. Cagliaris poor record against the relegation teams does not help lift our expectations.
Both teams will be missing some players and Agostini is hanging on to his job by a thread so we might see young Ariaudo who is ready to take his job. Cagliari needs to improve at the back period. Someone please step up.
While its been a quiet year for him, DiVaio can still hit the net with the best of them and with Canini and Lopez out of this game, he could bag a goal or two. The question is who will match him for us. Matri was non existant against Roma and Jeda and Nene need to do more even if their time is inconsistent. Nene thinks a goal means he should then be immediately named to the Brazilian national team. Instead we need more of a regular goal scoring run for his club from him.
Winning on the road in Serie A is not easy but Cagliari needs a win. The problem is Bologna needs one worse and must make the most of its home matches because points on the road for them here on out will be few and far between.
We are the much better team and it should be enough to scrounge a win, even if it will be hard fought. Our depth is better and between the midweek game and suspensions that cause both teams to put out less then full squads, our advantage will be more evident. Look for a win and for us to get back on the track of European dreams.
Prediction:
Bologna 1-2 Cagliari
Prediction record to date:
6-11
Category: UncategorizedWinter Fantasies and Roma
By: Jeremy | 6 Comments
Winter is never a fun time as there are less games, games that are played are played in weather that is simply too cold, and a quick reality is often thrown back at fans when regular games resume after a bit of a break. In Cagliari’s case, this break was even more difficult to deal with as the cold weather cost us a game in Udinese which means the team has not played a real match in almost a month and will be getting a Roma team that has not lost since October 25th.
While we will get to make up the Udinese game at some point, it will no doubt test the depth at the end of the season when the team is more tired. Who schedules games in December in the Alps? Certain teams need to be on the road in mid December but the schedule makers do not think sometimes. While Cagliari fans can party with the best of them when there is not a lot happening football wise, it is great to be back geared up for what should be an interesting finish to the first half of the season as get Roma at home followed by a relegation team in Bologna on the road.
Cagliari, despite all its ups and downs so far this year, which included flashes of talent and unexpected play from some players, still sits in 13th place with 23 points, well below the talent level of this team in my opinion. Yes the European spots are in sight, but unless the team gets back to playing strong quickly, we will find ourselves finishing in 15th or 16th place at the end of the year, even if relegation does not end up as much of a concern when all is said and done.
With the winter transfer window now open, Cagliari has some moves to make to get some talented and not so talented players sold or out on loan. They also must address a weak back line that seems to fold when the game matters most costing the team vital points. While Cagliari, having given up 21 goals in 16 matches, would seem to be average from a defensive standpoint, is in fact a bad defensive team. What the stats do not show is the timeliness of the goals allowed. This must be improved upon if they are going to finish in the top half of the table and threaten for Europe. Marchetti needs to improve in goal just a bit and some new blood or an emerging player from the current squad must be found.
Cellino and Allegri know the defense is the teams weakness and they have started addressing it with the addition of Juve youngster Lorenzo Ariaudo, who finally comes over on loan. This loan was planned to be at the beginning of the season but the deal fell through. It is my understanding the deal fell through because Cagliari could not get the option to buy inserted in the contract. With the winter deal now signed, the option is now there and they can buy him out right this summer although the price will be quite high(and of course, the Turin bred player can reject the move, which he wont do if he has established himself in Cagliaris first team). It is a win win for both Juve and Cagliari. Cagliari gets a very talented player on the U-21 Italian national team who will get immediate first team experience and will be expected to help Cagliari while Juves latest youngster gets some much needed playing time and they are expecting him back next year ready to be in the first team. Depending on how he does, Cagliari might ante up the money and take the player for good so Juve has really risked quite a bit when it can be argued he could be playing for their first team now. The good thing about being a small team is we can take risks with players the big teams simply cannot. While he is only 20, with defender being the toughest position for a youngster to play, any time you can acquire a player with this much promise, you have to do it. Lets hope it is not a semester too late and we can permanently steal him no matter what he does this spring. Great work Cellino.
With Cagliaris depth in midfield, expect Brkljaca and or Sivakov to get loaned out as well in the next couple of weeks. With depth very important and it always being risky for a small team to loan out talented players, these guys need to play somewhere and absent injury, they cannot break into Cagliaris talented midfield. I would love to see them go to Siena or Catania and get some real Serie A experience for teams that will not determine how we finish this year. They simply cannot ride the bench and we must see what we have.
Lastly, for those that care, we might get lucky and see Larrivey shipped off on loan or even permanently sold. He sucks and and needs to go and a team farther down the ladder then Cagliari and a team in another league may take a chance on him because the news that he is the next Batistuta may not have reached Norway or Belgium yet. Look for him to head to England to play in the Championship or some lesser first division team in a lower level country. We dont need him when we cant get more talented guys in the lineup as it is.
Speaking of talent, lets now shift to Wednesdays match against Roma which will be played in the Sant Elia, where the fans are still exhaling from the game against Napoli.
Who would have thought going into this game, Alessandro Matri would be trying to score in his 9th straight game, breaking the record of the legendary Riva. It seems like yesterday he was a Milan stiff trying to get out of Rimini who ended up in Cagliari with his full contract being abandoned by Milan and being dumped on us for the price of a bag of balls. I am still not a fan, but give the man his due. He has scored some timely goals for Cagliari in the past year and has helped make the team more then just an offensive afterthought. He will earn Cagliari a nice profit at some point as they need to sell high on him this offseason. The worry of the team has gone from the attack to the defense and he is a big reason why.
Roma is still Roma. A great club who quietly finishes in the European spots, usually in the top four, only to go out because it simply cannot scare top teams offensively. Despite the great Francesco Totti, this team is really no better then we are offensively.
They know that so they have brought in Luca Toni from Bayern Munich on loan for the rest of the season. Toni is a big quality striker who will add a new dimension to Romas attack. He is the Italian Dani Guiza and the latest of many players who dont understand where they best fit and who are too easily influenced by money rather then team or personal success. His little German adventure may cost him a place in South Africa and no money is worth that. He will be eager to show his new club he can still be one of the top strikers in Italy.
Roma has a better defense then we do and you have to love players like Mexes and Riise. While Juan is solid, they need to add a backline player as well if they are going to qualify for the Champions league this year. While they currently sit in fourth with 28 points and have really played well the past two months, they are only five points ahead of us and need to win in Cagliari to keep their momentum going.
My favorite Cagliari/Roma moment is the spring 2007 game in Sardinia where the game was exciting and Cagliari needed to win to avoid relegation. We need that kind of atmosphere again but the colder weather will have the players taking it a bit slow, especially after such a long layoff. We should get a big crowd simply because it is the first match back after a long break.
Expect to see Toni and Ariaudo play in this game even if they may not start. Both teams need to start getting their players together who they expect to help them win some games so it will be trial by fire, especially for Ariaudo, who could end up getting as much attention as Santon or never quite being more then Canini has turned out to be for us. It will be great to find out which way he falls.
While expecting to beat Roma at home is just not something you can automatically predict, with Roma having to focus on Europe and the Coppa, they can be a source for points for us this weekend. My predictions have put me in the poor house so just enjoy the game and be glad Serie A is back.
Prediction:
Cagliari 1-1 Roma
Prediction record to date: 5-11
Category: UncategorizedUdinese-Cagliari
By: Jeremy | 3 Comments
The Sardinian Phonics Monkey is back to help get this team out of a funk and to help me get a game right as I cannot seem to get a handle on this team as week in and week out they go against my perception of their current form.
This week against Udinese brings another tough one after last weeks roller coaster at home to Napoli. Which team will we get on the road against Udinese?
Udinese reminds me a lot of Samp. Very under the radar team prone to good and bad stretches and defined in most circles by one player. In Udineses case it is the great striker Antonio DiNatale. This team can be a contender for Europe or as recent form has shown, can end up like Lazio and unexpectedly be caught up in a relegation fight. Good news for Cagliari fans is that DiNatale is suspended and wont play. Their form has also been bad of late as they have slipped down the table. Recent losses to Siena and Bologna, albeit on the road, shows this team needs to be to turn things around and fast or they will get sucked into the relegation places.
Cagliari needs to get the Napoli game behind them and fast as any road game in Serie A is tricky, no matter the opposition, and Cagliari needs a win to get back on track and maintain contact with their European dream.
Matri has been as consistent a goal scorer as we have seen but Allegri still is playing with the other strikers in that Jeda and Nene still see inconsistent time. Both need to be on the field at all times and becuase of the knocks and injuries in the defensive back four, we might see some of our midfield strength used this weekend in defense allowing both Jeda and Nene to see more time. We could see Conte or Dessena play in the back this weekend to make up for the loss of Lopez, Canini, Marzoratti et al. The defensive four will really be unknown until game time but the weakest part of our team will not have its top players which is not good news.
Without Di Natale, combined with their knack for allowing way too many goals, Udinese is going to have trouble with a confident Cagliari offense. The only question is will Cagliaris back line hold up enough to prevent Udinese from matching Cagliaris scoring. Another Napoli type match is on the horizon and without DiNatale on the pitch, I think we can steal this game.
Prediction
Udinese 2-3 Cagliari
Prediction record to date:
5-11
Category: UncategorizedAdvantage Napoli
By: Jeremy | 1 Comment
What can you say about Saturdays game? If you are a fan of football, it had to be one of the better games in Europe this year. It had all the drama of back and forth action, some well played goals, emotional coaches, and the overall results that come with such evenly matched teams where the game could have gone either way making the draw the right result.
If you do understand what a great game it was, watch the highlites
Aaaaarggggh!!
Games like these are what makes fans love their teams more then they did the day before while also frustrating them in a way that nothing else can and only a fellow football fan understands. These are the games you want to be at the stadium and not watching on TV.
Here are my immediate thoughts on the game as it applies to both teams and you will see that both teams have similar joys and similar frustrations…
Napoli
When you go up two goals on the road and into the 70th minute and cant win the game, you have to be mad. The difference between the decent teams and the European teams are shown in moments like these. Napoli has to feel they gave away two points, but on the other hand got lucky to get one.
Lavezzi is quite a player. His first goal was sheer brilliance and his play combined with Hamsiks make this team dangerous week in and week out.
The second goal from Pazienza was pure shit. Flub a cross and have the ball bounce back to your feet for a quick finish while the defenders are scrambling.
The third goal was more of a defensive lapse from Cagliari, but the goal comes from never giving up when Jedas goal would have broken most teams backs. Props to the team overall for showing that heart.
The coach is much better then Donadoni in that he seems to care more and the players like him. That in itself is worth a few extra points this year.
Overall a good performance but this team lacks real depth and needs the magic from its star players to have a chance against most teams.
Cagliari
First off, Cellino shave the mustache.
Going down two goals at home was bad, but like Napoli, this team has spirit and will fight until the end, but lacks discipline that makes it a top tier Italian club despite depth and talent as good as they have had in recent memory.
Larrivey scored a goal, but I wonder if it was a mishit that just happened to go in. We cant win with him in the lineup.
Matri seems to have become the heart and soul of this club. Although his second goal was a bit lucky, he continues to score and score meaningful goals. If he is emerging, its great for the team, but he is not the brillian finisher that the scoresheet seems to indicate. We need Nene to be more involved in this team if we truly are a top six club.
Jedas third goal was great and should have won the game and brought a huge momentum shift for Cagliari that would have lasted many weeks. Instead he is just a part of a good game and many wonder why he does not see more of the field. We need him.
Ultimately its the defense that determines our fate. The inconsistent performance gave Napoli too many chances in front of Marchetti and ultimately more could have gone in. Until Allegri fixes this problem with some shut down defenders, Cagliari is mid table at best and we are reminded of this more each week. We cant expect to win games 3-2 every week even if Cagliari is one of the more excting teams in Serie A. Quite a change in style but the results are not in line with the talent.
It was good to see Allegri’s excitment as he typically stays under wraps but I wonder if he called Lavezzi a “Terrone”. When a player loses it the way Lavezzi did, you must ask if something out of the ordinary happened, but Napoli was a crushed team after Jeda’s goal and it may have been the frustration of the game slipping away so slowly and painfully that caused him to just rocket the ball at Allegri.
So what do we take of all this drama? While both teams can say they should have won, the bottom line is Napoli got the point on the road which is what will keep them marching toward the top while we sputter not sure which direction to go. When 8-10 teams are so evenly bunched in Serie A, if Cagliari really cares about more then achieving safety, then they needed this game and they did not deliver even if the comeback showed some real courage and excitment. They now sit at the bottom of the pack of teams trying to break into Europe, one behind Napoli. They hit Udinese on the road next week where they should expect to win in all honesty as Udinese has really suffered this year.
We just saw a great game, but with the talent on this team, it will be frustrating to see them end up 12th or 13th when we can finish in that spot with a lot less talent. This is our year and if Cellino does not bring in some defenders in January, Cagliari will go down as the most exciting yet underperforming team in 2009-10.
Stay tuned…
Cagliari-Napoli
By: Jeremy | 2 Comments
The pressure is on us this weekend if we are going to show we are the cream of the crop of the second tier of Serie A teams. Last weekends loss to Palermo was frustrating as we took the lead only to give two back leaving Sicily with nothing. Palermo did what it needed to do which is win the home game against a similarly situated club. They are just as much in the mix for Europe as anyone so dont feel like we lost to an inferior team.
Now it is our turn as Napoli comes to our house and we must win this game.
Napoli has really improved after a slow start and has some recent quality wins. They now find themselves on 23 points, one above us. Both clubs can sniff 4th place and a Champions League berth and are also in the mix for a top six finish so each time will push for its own sense of momentum. Look at the standings and there are a lot of clubs wanting to claim the european positions and we must beat Napoli at home like Palermo beat us. A win in Palermo would have been nice, but a victory against Napoli will make us forget that loss real quick.
When I think of Napoli, I think of Diego Maradona and bad local government. Recently, my thoughts of Napoli are focused one of my favorite games in 15 years plus pulling for Cagliari. Just to remind you, here are the highlites. The Sant Elia was rocking that day in the last few minutes anyway.
Napoli has some nice players including Hamsik, Lavezzi, and Quagliarella, but lacks the overall depth to finish in the top six. Unless they add some players, I would expect them to fade to mid table by the end of the year. Dont overlook them however because their talented players can win games and overcome their overall lack of depth on any given weekend. They think they can make Europe and if they can stop giving up points to the likes of Lazio and Catania, they might be in the mix. A road win to Cagliari will make everyone take notice that they might be team to sneak into a european spot above the rest of us.
Cagliari will be without Conte, the hero of the above mentioned Napoli game, but their overall midfield depth will make this suspension seem minimal. Ultimately it will be which Cagliari defense shows up when determining if they are going have a good result. Fans have to be frustrated to see Lopez control top players one week only to trip over his own shoes trying to clear the ball the next week. His inconsistency combined with the ups and downs of his young line mates, makes Cagliari susceptible to looking bad on any given week even if the offense does put in some nice goals. With Marzoratti and possibly Canini missing this weeks game, you just cringe wondering what kind of defense we will have, esepcially in a game like this where the opponent has so many offensive threats.
Cagliaris offense has shown brilliance on some occasions mostly by Nene, and also consitency in regular scoring by Matri. Something is still missing though whether its Matris sluggishness or Nenes inconsistent playing time. The potential is there however for Cagliari to be more of an overall offensive threat so lets hope they improve as the season goes on. For now, like with most teams, you just dont know who to count on for goals when they are needed. With Jeda and Nene now sharing time as the second striker with Matri, it is clear Allegri is wanting to mix things up as he feels week to week about each player.
Cagliari being at home with the overall talent advantage should lead to a win. However you cannot discount Napolis decent play of late and the fact they have some real stars who can win games with a few moments of brilliance. This should make for another interesting game and a fun one to watch.
While I have been horrible at predicting games this year, I still think Cagliari will win this game. If we do not, we must temper our expectations a bit, but for now I am still on the bandwagon and think Cagliari can make Europe
Prediction:
Cagliari 2-1 Napoli
Prediction Results to date:
5-10
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