The Cagliari bench is still empty and will be, barring surprises, until the beginning of next week. Filippo Inzaghi remains in pole position, but the technical casting of sports director Stefano Capozucca is not yet over. Continuous meetings and then the final confrontation with the patron Tommaso Giulini, a sort of "playoff", with the final head to head, to choose the coach who will have to lead Cagliari.

Goofy in the lead

In the face-to-face Milanese, Inzaghi gave his general ok. Having terminated the contract with Brescia, the former Milan and Juventus striker is ready to restart, with the aim of repeating the promotion to Serie A obtained in 2019-20 with Benevento. Inzaghi, who historically prefers the four-man defense, to then change the position of the three attacking men, likes for the enthusiasm he could bring to a depressed environment in recent seasons. Be careful, however, because Inzaghi would also require a squad suited to his ambitions.

The experts

Among the eligible candidates there is also Luca Gotti, 54, who would return to Cagliari after the experience as deputy of Roberto Donadoni. A life as a second, then the years as owner of the bench with Udinese, where he almost always focused on the 3-5-2, the reference form in the last two seasons of Cagliari. Gotti likes it, but the competition from Spezia has to be overcome, which would guarantee the Adria coach the possibility of staying in Serie A. In the lot of candidates there is also another expert coach like Aurelio Andreazzoli, 68, the reference form the 4-3-1-2, who worked at Genoa with Capozucca and was one step away from the Cagliari bench after Di Francesco's sacking, when Semplici was then chosen. Andreazzoli left Empoli to Paolo Zanetti, a veteran of the experience with Venice and also sought by the rossoblùs. Massa's coach, a true football teacher and with a great ability to work with young people, would have doubts about returning to work in Serie B after his only year (ended with the championship victory with Empoli) and above all to get away from home.

Outsider

Fabio Liverani (46) and Enzo Maresca (42) are also among the possible next bosses on the bench. The first has been on hold since January 2021, when he was sacked by Parma, and has actually lost the last year and a half. Cagliari had looked for him for the post-Zenga, on the recommendation of the former sports director Carli, with whom the coach then passed to the Emilians. The biggest surprise would be Maresca, who was Liverani's teammate in the rossoblù Primavera led by Barbanti. Maresca failed the first experience of his very young career as a coach, last year in Parma, but it would be a bet that intrigues Giulini above all. The meetings will go on until the weekend and, at the beginning of the next, the patron and the director will have to decide who to bet on.

The Call of the Bull

Frozen market, of course, waiting to be able to evaluate the squad with the coach. Although a mass exodus is very likely. Even the big names, such as Joao Pedro, on whom Torino is pressing ("there is interest, but the market has not yet started", commented the rossoblù ds on the site "Torinogranata.it").

Alberto Masu

© Riproduzione riservata