After Cagliari’s defeat against Udinese, head coach Davide Nicola addressed the media in a post-match press conference. He reflected on the challenges faced during the game and his team’s performance.
“Playing matches within nine days requires managing the ball, slowing down the game, and building actions throughout,” Nicola explained. “Even though we didn’t create as many opportunities as Udinese, the red card prevented us from pushing higher up the pitch. However, we stayed in the game until the end. We made tactical changes, bringing in players to attack space. We need to conserve some energy for those who are playing more, but it’s a shame; the match was dignified.”
When asked if he would make the same decisions again, Nicola confidently replied, “Identical. They are very different from us; a pairing of Davis and Lucca would be problematic for everyone. From the 29th minute onward, it would have been interesting to see what we could have done, but at the same time, Cagliari did not lose heart. We gave everything and now need to recover.”
Regarding the upcoming match on Tuesday, he said, “For us, this was a very formative game that we shouldn’t forget. In the final third, we can do different things; we needed physicality. The change aimed to increase the team’s structure went in that direction. In the second half, we started well and never lost our shape. However, it becomes difficult to build something more against Udinese; it’s not easy to create goal-scoring opportunities against them.”
Nicola also addressed Antoine Makoumbou’s red card: “He made a poor judgment or thought he could reach it. I never point fingers at an error; it leads to learning. He is the first to feel sorry about it. As a team, we must adapt to all situations. In training, we will understand how to improve. There is balance in this Serie A.”
On Udinese’s performance, Nicola noted, “Structurally, they have improved further compared to last year. Davis is in different form now. Playing with two strikers like that is a problem for everyone, but we didn’t concede an unreasonable amount. Character-wise, we showed that we stayed in the game until the end, looking for an opportunity.”
