The embrace of the fans, the one he's been asking for since the first day of his return to Cagliari. And Claudio Ranieri, before training, went right there, under the curve.
“What did I tell him? That we would have shot at that goal and that, since we would have hit it only a few times, I asked for the balls to be returned to us to complete the training session». The coach is joking, excited for a race that will give meaning to the whole season. "It was a beautiful day. I thank those who came and I'm sorry for those who could not come. Hopefully there will be a next time."
For there to be, Cagliari will have to eliminate Venice on Saturday evening: «And we're only thinking about this. Start a lottery, where there are no favorites and where you need to have a clear head. They are fit, play well and, like us, have entered the playoffs on a run-up. It will be a difficult game for us, but it will be for them too».
No calculations, because Cagliari could qualify with two useful results out of three: «But I'm only thinking about the 90 minutes, possible recovery and any extra time. Vaioli had a wonderful championship, but we're ready. Of course, we are not the first leg, beaten by conceding four goals. Now it's a whole other thing." Ranieri slips away on the formation: «All of Venice play well, it's not just Pohjanpalo. Three or four? We'll see, I'll decide on Saturday. Now we need experience, a cool head and the desire to do well. And I told the boys to give 110% to have a clear conscience and have a great summer, regardless of the result».