Four million euros well spent. Adopo's buyout has already paid off, thanks to his goal against Galatasaray and the one the day before yesterday against Saint-Étienne that helped Cagliari win their first Gigi Riva Trophy. The Frenchman's more advanced position (as he later explained in a press conference) and, consequently, a more attacking spirit, are among the new features of the Rossoblu's new cycle, in which the goal, one of many, is to bring out the quality of each individual, regardless of the playing system or character traits. And the former Atalanta and Torino midfielder has shown he has plenty of quality.

The certainties

After many experiments, here's a fairly clear indication of Cagliari's competitive debut in the Coppa Italia, against the winner of Virtus Entella and Ternana (scheduled for next Saturday), in less than two weeks. Time is running out, and Pisacane has chosen to begin testing what could be a starting lineup, considering the available players, waiting for the new additions and the full recovery of Gaetano, as well as captain Pavoletti. It's no coincidence that Mina and Luperto started and remained on the pitch for almost the entire match, despite some ups and downs, which were natural considering they hadn't played for a while. This was probably the most reassuring sign from the test against the French team, a good test for the progress of the team. While they may have been relegated to the second division, they were built for a top-flight championship and are significantly further along in their preparations (Ligue 2 begins Saturday). Not exactly a detail, this last one, which allowed us to test the rossoblù's athleticism, especially in the second half.

Time to time

Clearly, some mechanisms still need to be refined in both phases of play. The ball handling itself needs to be more fluid, as does the thrust of the two wingers, as well as that of the full-backs. And the development of the play in the final twenty meters is also needed. Lightening the workload will facilitate the team's overall growth, both physically and tactically. Time will tell.

It's already time for the trident, the trademark of Pisacane's new Cagliari and perhaps the most significant change. It really suggests a shift in mentality in approaching matches. However, in modern football, the tendency is always to avoid a fixed reference formation and to change as needed, even within the same match if necessary. And in this, Pisacane has already demonstrated his particular aptitude in his two years with the Primavera. We're waiting for Piccoli to improve (who, however, provided the cross that led to Adopo's goal) and a more efficient Luvumbo. The Angolan, too, the day before yesterday, still seemed a bit weighed down by the load and is lacking at least one gear in his acceleration, although thanks to two of his runs, Deiola and Piccoli found themselves one-on-one with the goalkeeper. In short, the path seems to be the right one.

Fabiano Gaggini

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