Back in the Mix

By: Jeremy | October 20th, 2008

If a club like Cagliari can take any consolation in being a bottom level club with many problems and seemingly bad luck, it is they arent the only club with the same issues. Torino is one of those clubs. While Cagliari might feel unlucky with the Milan result or games earlier in the year where one call or bad bounce cost them potential points, the result this week more then made up for it. Torino is the one feeling a little unlucky and they will now see that they are going to feel the same pressure Cagliari will feel likely for the rest of the year.

After a game where Torino had multiple chances, including a goal called back by an offside that really had nothing to do with the goal being scored, Cagliaris young star Acquafresca took a nice through ball from Fini in the 86th minute and calmly finished giving Cagliari a shock 1-0 victory. Considering Acquafrescas ties to Torino, it had to be a bittersweet moment. Lets hope that was the reason for his solemn celebration as his emotions of late seem to make it clear he is not happy in Cagliari as his first team football has been spotty and inconsistent, not what a young superstar expects when he is playing for a bottom level Serie A club. The clubs results and lack of talent cant help either.

Other then Jedas nice volley that his the crossbar in minute 57, Torino had all the chances prior to Acquafrescas goal. They should have been up a couple of goals at halftime and while Cagliari came out a little better in the second half, Torino still had the better chances and Marchetti made all the plays in goal for Cagliari including one brilliant save in a scramble in front of the goal. As what happens in most games, its the brilliant moment of a striker or the dominant play of a goalie that wins games. Today we had both. I think Marchetti, while not on Storaris level, is showing he can be the goalie to keep Cagliari in matches and allow them to survive until the moment of the goal comes. Matches like these are unfortunately how Cagliari will gain most of its points this year. We simply do not have the talent to dominate offensively or if the talent is there, it is not being employed correctly.

Maybe Acquafrescas goal will get him more playing time. Simply put he needs to start from the beginning. For a guy like him, it is about attitude and confidence. Not starting on a bad team is not good and while Allegri clearly wants him to come in as a spark, it is not the ideal way to develop this kid from a mental standpoint. He showed last year he can play on this level and he cannot have his development slowed by inconsistent time. As much as I hate Larrivey, he and Acquafresca are the best offensive strike force, assuming if Jeda is in the game also. All three need to be on the field at the same time.

So where does this win leave us? While getting three points, especially on the road is huge, it still shows we are a weak side, but that we are not going to be automatically relegated. Torino has its issues and Reggina is clearly in trouble, but who are the other clubs that we need to keep an eye on. Although we are equal with Sampdoria on points, I dont think they are relegation fodder. Our opponent next week, Chievo, is a huge candidate for relegation and we need to win this game. Bologna came up with a huge win this weekend so the book is still out on them even if they are only two points up on us. Siena and Lecce have played better then expected, but they are still within reach. Its simply too early to write any team off yet and this win gets a label off of us as the worst team in Serie A or even in major European football.

Count your blessings Cagliari fans. We stole three points this week, but maybe it is the break that helps turn things around for wins on a more consistent basis. Lets see how this game carries over next week at home against Chievo. Points against Milan and then Torino on the road say a lot, but a loss to Chievo puts us back to square one. Thats the excitement of Serie A and at this point all I can suggest to Allegri is get Acquafrescas mind right and put him in the starting eleven the rest of the year. Even if he looks lost and disinterested at times, he is the only player with the talent to find the net regularly and we need him if we are going to avoid relegation. This weekend showed it.