When we last left our boys for the international break they were riding high on momentum after winning four games in a row. These wins took the club from a relegation leader and possibly looking for a new coach to an 8th place position and just two points from the Champions League spots.

Probably not a good time for a break as it levels off the momentum and allows our upcoming opponent, Milan, some extra rest which can only help a team with their age. The break was not without positivity however as we got to see a player who has quietly emerged make his full international debut for the Azzurri in his hometown. Davide Biondini played well and dont rule him out for a final spot the on the roster.

While Cagliaris weakness is still its defense, as evidenced by the increased attempts to finalize the loan of Juve defensive starlet Ariaundo come January, its midfield depth, a strength of the club, will be severely tested this weekend.

Milan, like Cagliari, are one of the in form teams in Serie A right now. They have also gone from almost firing Leonardo, their chosen replacement for Ancellotti, to being unbeaten in 8 games and now in third place with 22 points and convinced they can now win the Scudetto. The fortunes of Serie A clubs can change in a matter of weeks and both of these teams are on the good end of the momentum.

Cagliari comes into the game in Milan this weekend without its best player, Andrea Cossu, who will sit out a suspension. As a result some of its midfield depth will be tested. Look for Jeda to drop back into Cossu’s attacking midfielder role with Nene and Matri paired up front. It could be worse but this is where some depth helps and Matri will want to show his former team that he will make them pay more for Cagliari taking him off their hands. With Dessena, Conte, and an amped up Biondini ready to control the midfield, Cagliari will do as well as possible without their best player.

Milan is still old but their talent is undeniable and are still fun to watch. They will be a little less fun on Sunday though as Ronaldinho will see little to no action in this game as he has had the flu recently and will likely sit out to prepare for next weeks Champions League match. While their players might be looking forward to that game, they will be prepared to beat Cagliari and if the Scudetto is really a serious idea, they have to beat midtable teams at home coming off a rest week. It will not help that they wont have Gattuso, Bonera, and even Nesta will miss the game from suspension. Their depth will be tested, but it all comes down to how Pato feels and whether he shows up to score or pout. With his place in the Selecao not finalized, he needs to produce so it should be a game where he plays well.

Both teams are strong and Cagliari has to be wondering what if regarding their games against Catania, Siena, and Livorno where they managed one point against the three worst teams in Serie A. Even on the road, Cagliari is not a huge underdog in this game and could very easily win it.

It will all come down to which striker emerges and whether its Pato, Nene, or Matri, they will each be hurt by having their quarterback missing. Someone in midfield will have to step up and provide some surprise leadership for their team. This is Cagliaris time for its midfield depth to earn its praise. I think they will do it and earn atleast a draw.

Prediction
Milan 1-1 Cagliari

Prediction record to date:
5-7

And the Winner is……..

1.Ronaldinho

Close but not quite……
2.Paolo Maldini
3.Lionel Messi
4.Ronaldo
5.Zlatan Ibrahimovic
6.Francesco Totti
7.Ryan Giggs
8.Cristiano Ronaldo
9.Samuel Etoo
10.David Beckham
11.Zinedine Zidane
12.Stephen Gerrard
13.Alessandro Nesta
14.Kaka
15.Wayne Rooney
16.Luis Figo
17.Fabio Cannavaro
18.John Terry
19.Gigi Buffon
20.Diego Forlan

Gotta take the whole decade into account when deciding on this list, not just a year or two of brilliance.
Goalies are real iffy but Buffon is that good.

I always thought Lippi knew what he was doing for the most part, but now I am more sure after this weekends announcement that Cagliari midfielder Davide Biondini was named to the Azzurri for the November 14th game against the Dutch and November 18th against Sweden.

Now I am no judge of talent having never made it past bench warmer on the college level, and I am probably a bit of a Cagliari homer, but it is always great to see under the radar hard work and talent noticed by those who understand the game. Biondini has been one of my favorites since he came over from Reggina a few years ago. The guy hustles, plays for the team, and knows how to put himself in the right place to maximize his talent and exposure. With a little work on his shooting, I think he could establish himself as a reserve on the national team for a brief period as long as he does not get a big head and want a transfer to a bigger team so he can end up on the bench rather then in the regular first team.

The midfield is strong for Italy but there are some bench spots that he might be able to sneak into especially with age and injury a factor for the team. The fact he is in the mix shows he is getting some notice as his talent clearly is on the rise and I could not be happier for him.

Here is the Italy squad:

Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), De Sanctis (Napoli), Marchetti (Cagliari)
Defenders: Bocchetti (Genoa), Cannavaro (Juventus), Cassani (Palermo), Chiellini (Juventus), Criscito (Genoa), Grosso (Juventus), Legrottaglie (Juventus), Maggio (Napoli), Zambrotta (Milan)
Midfielders: Biondini (Cagliari), Camoranesi (Juventus), Candreva (Livorno), De Rossi (Roma), Galloppa (Parma), Marchionni (Fiorentina), Palombo (Sampdoria), Pirlo (Milan)
Forwards: Di Natale (Udinese), Gilardino (Fiorentina), Palladino (Genoa), Pazzini (Sampdoria), Rossi (Villarreal)

Speaking of Biondini, he showed his strengths and weaknesses this weekend against Sampdoria. He put himself in a great position with his speed and hustle only to hit the bar when he tried to finish. If he could just be a better finisher, he would really a player. I am still glad he is on our team.

Ultimately though the team won even if it was not a well deserved win. Cassano should have been given a penalty kick and going down to ten men takes any real analysis away from the game. When a team loses with a man less, you cant really say one team played better then the other no matter what happens as they are playing. Cagliari hung tough, got the break, took advantage of it, and deserved the three points. Beyond that, it does not matter who might be the better overall team.

The next game against Milan will be a great one. They can be beaten and Cagliari is on such a roll and with good things happening like Biondinis call up, the team will go into Milan stoked to take a victory.

But for now all Cagliari fans should just give Biondini a big round of applause. He deserves it and it couldnt have happened to a more deserving player who epitomizes what this team is all about.

Samp is lead by the enigmatic and unpredictable Antonio Cassano, one of the top talents in Serie A. As with many great talents, his temperment keeps him from reaching that next level. He is way too sensitive and quick to emotions and that can have negative effects on his team. This has lead to him being left out of the national squad when despite his on the field talent clearly being that of a starter for his country.

Samp comes off a draw at home to surprising Bari and the home fans were disappointed with the performance and let the players know it with some jeering. Of course Cassano overreacts and now talks like he will leave the club. While minor, these outbursts can have short term effects on a teams performance sometimes for the good but too often for the bad.

While in third place on 21 points, fans have to be a little upset with draws to Bari, Parma, and Lazio, and a thrashing by Juve. They are 7 points back of Inter, but still higher then where they were last year so they are in a good place. If they can keep their emotions in check, they should qualify for Europe.

Cagliari is flying high after a slow start. Allegri essentially saved his job by beating Genoa, Lazio, and Atalanta, but things do not get any easier as they finish out the first half schedule with as tough a run as any team in Serie A and it starts out with Samp.

Allegri seems to have found the confidence in Nene and is now starting him with immediate results. Rather then Jeda, he pairs him up with Matri which is not what I would do, but the results cannot be questioned. The goal scoring should only increase with Nene in the lineup regularly as his presence does so much for the other players.

The midfield will continue to be a strength with Biondini chasing Cassano all over the place and Conte giving him a knock when needed. They will have to keep him in check while still working to get the ball upfront. Look for lots of subs in the midfield to show our depth and to wear them out.

The backline has held up recently and while Pisano and Marzoratti are still out, the group of Lopez, Canini, Agostini, and Astori can hopefully give Marchetti the support he needs to keep Samps goal scoring to a minimum.

With the rest and the importance of the game, combined with Cagliari wanting to push the pace at home, we could see a lot of goals. Predicting any match involving Samp is tough because you dont know which team is going to show up. Cagliari has a chance to seperate itself from the mid table clubs with a win while a loss and a tough schedule can quickly put the heat back on Allegri. With Samps attitude distraction and Cagliaris momentum staying at home, I think Cagliari will win this game.

Prediction:
Cagliari 2-1 Sampdoria

Prediction record to date: 4-7

If you dont think as recent as a week ago Coach Allegri was spending extra time looking over his shoulder for Cellino thinking he could be replaced any second, then you dont know Cagliari and you dont know Italian football.

Just a week ago, Cagliari was fresh off a loss to Catania, one of three worst teams in Serie A, leaving them sitting just above the relegation zone, and heading into a three game stretch against Genoa, Lazio, and Atalanta, not an easy run in a weeks time. With the state of his teams play, especially at home, any more then a combined three points from those three games would have been surprising and such results likely to have seen the coach fired as the downward spiral may not have been able to have been turned around.

What a difference a week makes as Cagliari won all three games and now sits on 16 points, well above safety, and tasting the European positions. Can we have those games back against Siena and Catania?

Italian football is probably the sport with the least job security for a coach as any game with a major following. Other then Mourinho(and dont think he is not under more pressure then anyone considering Inters woeful Champions League performances), is there a coach in Serie A who does not have to worry about getting axed if they lose a few in a row or have a bad game(Juve)or sit in 14th place after a quarter of the season when the fans want you to be in 5th(Lazio). Even in the NFL or NBA, its rare a coach is getting axed after a quarter of the season no matter how bad they are. It happens, but not like it does in Italian Fooball.

Allegri was close to being the next victim of the game and league we all love and he made some adjustments knowing he had little time to turn things around.

Say what you want about foreign players needing time to adjust to the Italian league, but a striker with real finishing ability cannot be buried on a bench, especially when you paid big money for him and allowed his equivalent to walk without much of a fight. Despite the improvement in overall depth, Acquafrescas leaving left a big hole and his chosen replacement was getting splinters and pundits wondering why.

Allegri dusted off his most expensive asset and Nene showed today why Cagliari will extend the budget and spend big bucks for a player like him while Matri, despite his occasional flashes, is the type of player Milan pays us to take the other half of his contract and own him outright.

Yeah I know I bash Matri quite a bit and it must be noted that he has had some big goals for us(I still remember the game against Napoli when we scored two in the final 5 minutes to steal a game), but a striker who has a nose for goal and can finish with authority is worth much more then a guy whose goals are typically scored with little authority and who is likely more suited for midfield. Nene has this talent. Acquafresca has it. Matri and Larrivey do not.

Nene today through down the gauntlet and showed aspects of his game that Cagliari needs if they are to not only be safe but to be real players in this league. That first goal was a header with authority, not a Matri type flick that if it goes in is by pure luck, and that second goal was about beating a lazy defender to a spot and finishing. With Cossus crossing ability this is a dangerous combination and Nenes presence will do so much for the whole team and will make Matri or Jeda look a lot better.

Allegri got him in the lineup this week and he was helpful in a grinded out win at Lazio and the smash the opponent and rub his face in it win today against Atalanta. Teams without that kind of striker cant have games like they did today.

Allegri can say all he wants that it took time for Nene to adapt to the league, but you cant adapt if you dont play. Maybe he has actually adapted faster then we thought. While he wont have games like this every week, we are a better team with him as a starting striker. Period. Maybe Allegri finally gets it and took the club to hit rock bottom to make him see if that was true.

While Allegri tries to fend off expectations by talking about us now being 24 points from safety rather then a just a few points from the Champions League, expectations have to be higher then just survival if Nene is the player I think he is. For all the bad about coaching an Italian team, the good is that most of the clubs are so close, that winning 3-4 games in a row will turn your team from a relegation struggler to a fighter for a European spot. We are now in the latter and with Allegri seemingly now ready to use his expensive weapon regularly, this club could move up higher then where we sit today.

Are you ready Sampdoria? We are coming for you next week.

Alright, I give up. I cant seem to figure out which Cagliari team will show up on any given gameday. Therefore I am officially turning over this blog to the Sardinian phonics monkey my Grandma just sent over from Sassari. Its a wonder she has anything left to give me as I assume she has been taking my advice on the games and losing her ass.

Ok, I am kidding and its easy to joke when your team is on a winning streak and it has beaten two teams who were considered some of Serie As best to start the year.

What can you say about the Lazio game other then be glad we won. The goal scored by Matri to start the second half was more about the bad play of a Lazio team that is scared of its own shadow. The end result is that Cagliari after two wins in a row sits in 13th place, a step from Europe but still within distance of the relegation places.
The bottom line is Serie A has a big group of teams that despite all the drama you read about for each of them, are very close when it comes to players, talent, mental strength, coaching, and overall results. Not that I am racing fan, but its similar to spending millions in testing, crew, and drivers to find that extra tenth of a second that will turn your team from mediocre to newsworthy. We are still looking for that extra tenth of a second.

However you want to look at it, we now return home to the Sant Elia to play an improved Atalanta team that seems to be emerging from its early season doldrums to making a move to solidify its typical middle of the table spot.

Despite the slight improvement, Atalanta is powder keg where a couple of bad results will make the problems return that caused Antonio Conte to become the new man in charge. This team to me is always like Siena in that they finish higher then they should and I wonder how they are not relegated. Maybe this is the year we will see both of these overrated teams go down. While all seemed well for Atalanta after a win against Roma, the shine that comes with a new coach has worn off and they showed it by laying an egg against Livorno and their star player Doni was extremely pissed that he was substituted early in the second half. As with Lazio, this may be the time to get these guys on the pitch.

One key note about this game as it could mark the return of Acquafresca to Cagliari after having spent two years dramatically improving his standing with Cagliari while becoming a fan favorite. While he was expecting a starting place at Inter when he left Cagliari he ended up going to Genoa in a deal and soon not deemed worthy enough to start so they loaned him to Atalanta where he is still looking to establish himself. By leaving one small team for another, he has hindered his development and his Chinaglia like attitude can cause him to turn into a star or a journeymen who will be 25 and looking old before you know it. He will want to show that he is still a star in the making this weekend and while he did not play against Livorno, he should play against his former club.

Cagliari continues to make it anyones guess as to how they will play. They give up important points to teams like Siena and Catania, yet win some road games against up and coming Bari and the always solid Lazio amongst others. What was once a strong home team has now turned into the road warriors of Serie A. Coming home against a team like Atalanta, following two great wins, it would seem that this game should be won also without much hesitation. Not so says the Sardinian phonics monkey.

This is another good chance for Cagliari to take that next step up to mid table respectability. A third win in a row against a team like Atalanta will put them solidly midtable and give the team the confidence needed to pull off a win against Samp.

Allegri is still pushing the same buttons trying to get offense from an inadequate strikeforce while hoping the strong midfield pressures the other side into clumsy errors allowing for easy goals all while relying on a very inconsistent back line in front on Marchetti. This is the recipe for inconsistency we will see until the strikeforce is improved via the full time play of Nene or the addition of a midfielder to the second striker position. One of those scenarios is going to happen before you know it.

With the two good results in the past week, I cannot in good conscience pick against the boys this weekend. The team is winning and as Lazzarri has stated, the mood around the club is very positive. Combine this with the Atalanta star player coach clash and look for a third victory in a row and renewed expectations that seemed to exist when the year began.

Prediction:
Cagliari 2-1 Atalanta

Prediction record to date: 3-7

While Lazio has higher expectations then Cagliari, they may not be any more talented then we are and they will have to turn some of these draws into wins if they are going satisfy the rabid ultras. The maybe unrealistic expectations do not stop their fans from protesting outside the practice facility when things arent going well and pundits must be wondering how long before Ballardini gets let go after his questionable switch from a Palermo side that seemed to have a load of potential to what he thought was the more stable job. The poor guy has really been on the coaching roller coaster and you have to feel for him as what seemed like a safe decision has now turned into a mainland version of Cagliari and Palermo. Atleast it seems like he has the support of management which is not something coaches enjoy for long in the islands. I am sure Cellino and Zamparini are laughing a bit at Lazios struggles.

But is Lazio really in crisis? They have faced a tough schedule so far and have managed to earn draws witht the likes of Samp, Palermo, and Fiorentina, teams they expect to fight with to get to European spots. Their problem has been losing points to teams they really need to beat. That being said, they are only 5 points out of a great position and a couple of wins will turn it around quickly. Its simply too early to tell what will happen and their fans need to back off or they will continue to play tight ala Atletico Madrid and give away points to teams they should beat.

Cagliari is very similar to Lazio in that they have the same number of points and have played some teams tough, yet have given away points to bottom teams like Catania and Siena where results that most would have expected to have gone the other way would put our team in a european spot in the standings. Either way we are where we are and it is a little disappointing. Even the five readers of this blog had to shake their head when I start hinting at Allegris exit if he does not start using his players correctly.

Allegri made changes for the game against Genoa which included Nene starting for the first time. Needless to say the offense showed more confidence and he even put away a PK. The jury is still out on what he will do but we need to find out as Matri and Larrivey are not the answer to replace Acquafresca. If Nene starts again in Rome, it may be that Allegri gets it. If he is benched because its a midweek after a weekend game, it is just another indication that Allegri is still trying to fiddle with his lineup.

With a slew of talent in the midfield and a reminder of how the team went to Rome last year and thumped them, after the win over Genoa, they have to feel they can get a result.

Lazio has been a little inconsistent offensively and while the talent is no doubt there to score some goals, the distractions may make it even worse.

Considering I cant seem to predict anything with any kind of consistency, my thoughts dont mean much but I do like Cagliaris approach on the road. However when facing a team that is under a bit of pressure, they seem to come up a bit short. Quite frankly I dont know which team will show up for either side so I will play it safe.

Prediction:
Lazio 1-1 Cagliari

Prediction record to date:
3-6

Another shock weekend with a surprising result, this time in our favor as Cagliari used the homefield and a bit of help to edge Genoa in the latest of what will be many must win games.

The most important note of the week was the starting of Nene who scored on a PK to tie the game, but who still needs more time on the field to get Cagliaris offense rolling. His presence made the offense better even if the chances were still created and typically finished by the midfield players. Dont make too much of this rare start as a midweek game tells us Allegri wants to use the depth of the team to his advantage even if he is playing his strikeforce depth from the bottom of the deck.

Bad luck for both teams made this game a high scoring enjoyable one, but Cagliaris strength in midfield won this game as it will often have to do until some offensive stability is created.

Genoas first goal was total luck off a deflection where Marchetti had no chance. Cagliaris equalizer by my man Biondini came after a sequence of kicks following a clear offsides. Luck evened up. Genoas second go ahead goal could not have been teed up any better by Lopez who continues to find a way to gift easy goals to the opponents at the wrong time. The hand ball that lead to Nenes penalty kick was really unexplainable as the Genoa player did not know where he was and had no need to do what he did. Luck evened up again. The winning goal from Lazzari was probably the best finished goal of the day after Matris lucky flip giving Cagliari a great win. Lazzari would be a better strike partner then Matri for Jeda if Allegri is unwilling to play Nene.

You can call it luck or whatever you want, but the overall midfield pressure created those chances and the strength of the team which allows substitutes such as Lazzari to come in fresh without a drop off in team performance will win games like these. Cossu continues to be his brilliant self and if we keep him past the winter break, it will be a surprise. He will be with a big club next year but enjoy him as he really should be in the national team for the World Cup.

Allegri may have just played Nene from the beginning because we have a midweek game and he needed to rest Matri and Jeda. Despite the obvious, Allegri surely must see that he needs to give Nene a consistent run of games as his success is needed or we are more likely to lose games like this then win them. Dont expect Nene to start midweek against Lazio but if does not start next weekend, he truly is buried on the bench for the forseeable future.

Despite the win, the team is still too far down in the standings relative to the talent. There are holes with Lopez in the defense and Matri up front, but they can be fixed and a real swarming team does exist if Allegri will let them go at it. This weekend was just a taste of it, but it has to be frustrating to be able to come back twice and fight strong against the likes of Genoa yet we fail miserably against teams like Siena and Catania. If we had beat those two bottom dwellers we would be top four in the standings and that is not asking much. Very tough to figure our team out.

The race for relegation is shaping up and there are 3-4 teams that clearly have problems and Cagliari seems to be just above them even at their worst. That being said, we are relegation candidates until the team can put together 3-4 wins in a row.

With a midweek game on the road to Lazio, a team struggling and feeling like Cagliari that they should be higher in the standings, another tough game is in store for us so lets see how we respond to a confidence boosting win.

Overall we are probably 2-3 points lower then we should be at this point in the year. We have won a couple of games where draws may have been more the expected result and lost a couple of games we had no business losing, but with the overall talent in Serie A, midtable seems to be our ceiling simply because we are too inconsistent like most teams without great players in all positions. We are struggling because we are missing a striker and who we brought in for whatever reason has not been able to replace what we lost. This must be resolved and my thoughts as to what must be done have already been outlined in previous posts.

Its going to be a roller coaster ride for this team this year which should end up with us just safe enough to be happy. While safety should make any fan happy, some of us are wondering what must happen to take that step for a 6th to 8th place finish. We have to feel the talent is there and with a little tweaking, it is not an unrealistic expectation.

Lets go to Rome and take three points and put Ballardini on the hotseat. Why he left Palermo for Lazio is beyond me I dont care how crazy their owner is.

Its tough being a fan of a small club. At some point they tease you with a run of good results that make you think they might challenge for a meaningful position in the standings. While almost every club can have a good run or even a season with a remarkable final position, for the most part the team is going to be in the bottom half of the standings with the goal being another year in the top flight.

Despite the year to year position of your club, the beginning of each year can lead to great excitement. That player added under the radar is no doubt going to make the biggest difference in what will be a surprise year and the hot young coach is going to show why he is wanted by all the big clubs.

Sound familiar Cagliari fans?

Last weekends loss to Catania was the latest disappointment against a team that was clearly not as talented but somehow managed to get the points. If we continue to play teams that are not as talented, then why do we keep losing? Could it be someone needs to look in the mirror and realize that the luster has worn off and either you are not as good as you think or you are or not focusing on the task at hand, but instead looking for a bigger place to ply your trade. Yes I am talking about Allegri.

This team is still not right in its set up. While the defense clearly seemed a step slow and a thought late against Catania, there was little to no offensive pressure from Cagliari against a bad team missing many starters. Only a brilliant goal by Dessena gave Cagliari a chance to win but overall it was a bad game.

As we head home to face Genoa, some questions need to be answered and if they cannot be answered against the other smaller clubs, you have to wonder what is going to happen against Genoa, one of Italys better teams.

Genoa is on 13 points after a little rough patch including last weeks humiliation against Inter. Cagliari is on 7 points barely above the relegation zone but now in a position where conventional wisdom says they will be in the bottom three in the next 2-3 weeks if not sooner.

The problem is still the missing striker. It seems clear Allegri will not play Nene. I have no answers as to why but if you buy a Ferrari and dont use it, something is wrong and needs an explanation, especially when you are used to buying Fiats to play for your club.

One good thing about this season has been the find of Dessena. Time to move him to striker. His skill, passion and nose for the goal might turn him in to what we are missing. His move upfront would also allow for a midfield spot to open up to get one of our talented benchwarming midfielders some more action which might lead to another find that can help turn the season around.

Its also time to shake up the defense. The team is slow and lacks leadership but the talented youth can play if put in the right setup. With Canini, Marzoratti, and Astori anchoring the back line combined with benching Lopez and or Agostini and bringing in Barone to lend some real toughness in a back midfielder defense type spot, the team would be better.

If Nene is not going to play, here is what we need to do which is kind of a 3-5-2 type set up
Marchetti
Canini-Marzoratti-Astori
Barone
Conte-Lazzari-Brkljaca
Cossu
Dessena-Jeda
1st sub-Biondini
This set up really does not take away too much of the experience, but the team seems slow and lethargic and needs some toughness and newness. We need to see what kind of player Brkljaca is and that only comes with 90 minutes of play, not 10 minutes here and there. While my first choice is to keep Dessena in midfield and play Nene 90 minutes, we cannot continue to run the Jeda/Matri strikeforce out there with a slow defense and expect to win. Home is the best place to try these changes as the team has done horribly there and the fans need to see that something is being done to shake things up. We all know there is a problem.

Genoa came to Cagliari a couple of years ago and that is when Acquafresca broke out and we started our run toward the miracle survival. Why not start another turnaround against them?

Milito is gone but this is still a very talented team. Last weeks huge loss to Inter was a surprise but they will turn it around and the difference between them and teams like Cagliari is they will use the favorable part of their schedule to get needed points and keep them in the European places. Serie A is very balanced this year however and despite their talent, they could actually end up looking outside of the European positions when the season is over. They have some work to do.

Without some changes, Allegri will soon face some real heat. He thinks he can rest on last years finish and the fact big clubs wanted him. While he would not be out of a job long if fired, Cellino will not hesitate to bring someone in quickly. While we need stability in as many places as possible, Allegri needs to wake up fast. He is not managing correctly and is not getting the right players on the field at the right time. If he makes no changes this weekend, the team will lose. I think he believes its just bad luck as to why Cagliari is losing so many games. This opinion means your team is talented but not being used right. Allegri will get it wrong for just another week and it will take a real crisis mode to make him change. Change is going to come, its just a matter of when.

For now we continue to get frustrated.

Where is Gigi Riva when you need him?

Prediction
Cagliari 1-2 Genoa

Prediction record to date:
3-5

For those of you who could not wait for the international break to pass, I wanted to get something up early regarding this weekend so we can understand how important a win is in Catania.

Last weekends home loss to Chievo was just inexcusable. In a league that is stronger and more balanced then it has been in years, a loss at home to a similarly situated team destroys momentum and keeps you near the bottom of the standings thus making games like this weekends road match at Catania that much more important.

Cagliari sits on 7 points and basically on the fringe of being a midtable team. That being said, they are very close to slipping back into the relegation battle and a loss to Catania will put us right back there. With a team that clearly has more overall talent then last years, to see a little regression is frustrating for all fans.

What makes this weekends game that much more important is the fact that it is the last of a nice run of four games against bottom feeder type teams where 7-9 points were vital after such a slow start. While we have six from the first three, if even in an unconventional manner with two road wins, this weekends game must bring a result of some kind because the games get tougher immediately. After this weekend, we play four games three of which are Genoa, Lazio, and Sampdoria, top teams in Serie A. To survive this run, we need the momentum of a win and three points against a Catania team that is pretty much in shambles and looking like relegation favorites.

Catania, like Cagliari, has dodged relegation since its return to the top level. Coach Zenga did an amazing job but has moved on to greener pastures across the island to Palermo, the more glamorous Sicilian Club. Mascara is still around and is by far their best player but we get them at the best possible time. This team has lots of injuries and suspensions which include Delvechio, Capuano, Spoli, Barrentos, and Alvarez. They will be missing atleast 4 first teamers this and with depth at a small club at a minimum, Cagliari should be able to use its full strength squad to push the pace and bring home a win. A win for them however levels them with us at 7 points and they saw a much more favorable schedule in the short term then we do.

Cagliari is going to be judged this year by how well Robert Acquafresca is replaced. No matter how much talent is added at various positions and how much the overall depth is strengthened, you cannot lose your top scorer and not adequately replace him and expect to be anything more then relegation fodder. With Serie A’s defensive style and attack already somewhat of a weak spot for Cagliari, how the strikeforce develops is vital to this teams success. As most have seen, to date it has been a failure. Cagliari received great reviews for signing Portugals leading scorer Nene under the radar for a good price. This seemed to offset the loss of Acquafresca but instead Nene has played sparingly and Allegri is back trying to turn Matri and Larrivey into Serie A strikers. This approach is what cost Nedo Sonetti his job and required a miracle from Ballardini just to stay in Serie A. Larrivey and Matri, the latter of which has moments of magic, are not players that need to see the field if you expect long term success. Even a young tempermental Acquafresca was light years better then both. Simply put they are not the answer and if Nene also turns out to be a flop, this team will get relegated or be very close despite the wonderful play of Cossu and new boy Dessena in midfield. I am ready to give youngster Ragatzu a start so lets see what he can do if Nene wont be playing. I know he is young, but the kid can play. I would rather lose with him then the same Larrivey/Matri combo as the second striker with Jeda. Allegri is being awfully passive with this situation and he needs to act soon by either playing Nene a full 90 for multiple matches or giving Ragatzu more time. I dont see any other alternatives at this point unless he is ready to experiment with a midfielder as a striker.

This weekend could finally see the debut of Croatian youngster Brkljaca, another midfield gem. He could turn out to the one who is moved to that striker role so watch him. We can only play so many midfielders in one game so lets hope he is not just another guy added to the bench depth at midfield. At some point, one of these guys will have to be converted to a striker and other then Cossu, who really excels in his supporting midfield role and should be left alone, no one excites me as a striker. They are all classic midfielders.

No matter how you look at it, a loss and even a draw, despite it being on the road, will be devastating. Catania is then back in the mix for survival and Cagliari move forward to play some tough games. For all the momentum gathered by the earlier road wins, giving up a lead and losing at home to Chievo makes the Catania match that much more vital.

Like most Cagliari fans, I am up and down in my thoughts because of the teams inconsistent play. I just cant figure out where we are headed even if the teams talent excites me. That being said, with all of Catanias problems and their overall lack of talent, Cagliari should win this match despite Catanias ability to play teams tough of late even if they seem to be coming up a bit short in the win column. Lets hope they dont pick up their first win against us.

Prediction:
Catania 1-2 Cagliari

Prediction record to date: 3-4