Cagliari worked almost all week in Asseminello, with the interlude of the victory against Cremonese in the Coppa Italia, and now aims to unlock itself in the championship tomorrow at 20:45 in Parma. "The idea of having a retreat was a prolonged investment in ourselves, because we need to grow", says Davide Nicola in a press conference on what has been done at the Crai Sport Center in recent days. "The midweek round gave some indications and we must continue: we are a team that must save itself, it's a fact". Against Cremonese, Cagliari started with four, varying from the 3-5-2 (or 3-4-2-1) of the previous outings. "We can develop two ways of being on the pitch, the characteristics of the players are clear: from this point of view I believe that what was done in the first part of the retreat is acquired, that is to be courageous in attacking and defending. Then there are certain data, that is that some can play better in a midfield of two rather than three and that some are more external than second striker".

The opponent has already achieved important results, but Nicola is not upset: «Parma is a very strong team, like many others that we have faced and will face. It has been built very well for three years, we have concentrated on ourselves in the retreat to ensure that the opponents also worry about Cagliari. We want to make sure that for those we challenge every match is not easy, then the team creates but we have to sort out the details and try not to lose balance». But, unlike what Thiago Motta did the day before yesterday, he does not give the formation in advance: «It is not pre-tactical, I leave the level of competition high. Then the players are not stupid and they know who plays and who goes on the bench. Like him, I will also give the formation before Juventus-Cagliari in the Coppa Italia».

Matteo Prati has recovered: he is fine and trained for part of the week, he has a call-up that he has been missing since August 31 in Lecce when he suffered a bad foul from Dorgu. Wieteska, Pavoletti and Jankto will not be there, plus Lapadula who has been carrying an abdominal-muscle problem since the Coppa Italia that creates problems for him in torsion. «We expect to have them back for the start of next week, except for Wieteska», Nicola reports. «As for the attacking pairings, we have fielded several, we are convinced that the five league games plus two Coppa Italia games have provided certain data also on the positions of the available players. I believe that this team has the youth and experience to make people talk about it, then the defense can be three or four based on the opponent. Gaetano, out of respect for the player, has only been part of the retreat and is working hard to fill the gap: there is not much left».