Cagliari Calcio

[Messinterista]

Discuss all things regarding the Sardinian club Cagliari here.

[forzaitalia]

Donadoni sacked....Ficcadenti expected to come in.

[Messinterista]

Shocked by this decision considering we are closing in on the beginning of the season. In saying this, this is the Serie A and should we be surprised?

[taz]

Cagliari have signed Portuguese midfielder Rui Sampaio from Beira-Mar.

The 24-year-old made 84 appearances for El Auri-negros, scoring 10 goals.

Previous to that the player played for fellow Portuguese sides Chaves and Penafiel.

Reports had suggested talks had broken down earlier this week but the deal has now been confirmed by the Sardinian outfit, who are set to begin their delayed Serie A campaign against Roma on September 11th.

[RomaShield27]

http://www.thefootballexpress.co.uk/201 ... -santelia/

They say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and all that glitters is not gold. You should also be wary of jumping to conclusions about the league season before the first 10 games have been played. “Dreaming isn’t forbidden” mused Cagliari owner, Massimo Cellino, as his side enjoyed a magnificent start to the season. Since then wheels have well and truly fallen off the wagon for the Sardinian side and they go into the Christmas break in 15th position having already sacked two managers this season alone – so what has gone wrong?

After five games played in Serie A the rossoblu were in 5th position having won 3, drawn 1 and lost another – including wins against Roma and a draw against Udinese. This remarkably good start, while unexpected, was certainly helped by some bigger sides (Inter, Milan and Roma) faltering early on. When interviewed by Gazzetta dello Sport in October, Cellino said “The objective is to do better than last year and avoid tailing off at the end of the season. It would be a great success if we were able to get a Europa League place.”

This appears to have been a kiss of death. Since that win they have only won 1 game in their last 12 in both Serie A and the Coppa Italia. Despite regarding him as “one of the best Italian managers”, an indifferent run of 3 draws and 2 defeats since the start of October saw Massimo Ficcadenti lose his position as coach, though he still claims to have no idea why he was fired.

The sacking was Cellino’s 20th in 20 years at Cagliari – Zamparini-esque form there from the chairman. The man that has stepped into the breach is Davide Ballardini, who returns to the club for a second time after turning down a number of other positions earlier in the season. There has been no honeymoon period, though, and results haven’t improved enough to justify the change yet.


Here we can see Cagliari's progress this season. We can see the positional changes as the game weeks have elapsed.
Cagliari have been built on a solid defensive base in a fairly rigid 4-3-1-2 formation. Under Roberto Donadoni they were a team whose whole was far greater than the sum of their parts. Central defender, Michele Canini, said that “our greatest strength is that most of us are able to play from memory“.

Sadly the centre back partnership between Canini and Davide Astori was broken up when Astori fractured his leg against Napoli. Despite this, Cagliari have been able to maintain a defence that is the 7th best in the league – having conceded just 17 goals – and they have the conceded 3rd lowest number of shots per game (11.1).

As well as Astori’s serious injury, the Cagliari medical team have had plenty of other players to worry about. Nene is now injured until March with a serious tear to a thigh muscle and, the talismanic, Daniele Conti will also be out of action for at least the next month with a knee injury. You can also add Mustapha El Kabir and Sebastian Eriksson to the list of the maimed.

Injuries and managerial instability have played their part, but it is up front where the real tragedy of Cagliari’s season is to be witnessed. The situation is epitomised by the fact that their top scorer is, defensive midfielder, Daniele Conti on 3 goals. The rest of the strike force have failed to find the net frequently enough to haul the side up the table.

They have only scored 12 goals in total this term in Serie A – only Cesena have a worse record. This looks even worse when you consider that they have the worst goals scored record at home with their fans having seen just 3 goals at the Sant’Elia this season. They have only one 1 point per game at home this season.

Andrea Cossu has struggled to create the chances he did last season – Cossu topped the assists table with 13 goals made in 2010/11. The side lack creativity and have the worst through balls per game count in the entire league (according to WhoScored.com).

While the goals they do score can occasionally be sensational – see Victor Ibarbo’s effort against Catania – they appear to be missing the striking instincts of Alessandro Matri, and perhaps even Robert Acquafresca. Ironically the argument over Cellino’s first sacking this season was over the purchase of a striker. Roberto Donadoni realised that he needed something else up front after losing strikers from the previous season and tried to persuade the owner to buy Davide Suazo, his arguments fell on deaf ears though and he was swiftly discarded.

Cellino has promised the fans and his new manager that they will spend in January. “I’ll buy three players,” the Stadio Sant’Elia chief told Sky Sport Italia. “They are all Italian and they all currently play in Serie A”. With one of the planned purchases being a striker, Donadoni might be sitting back sipping a nice big glass of Valcalepio Rosso and thinking ‘I told you so’

Follow Rocco Cammisola on twitter (@rcammisola)

[RomaShield27]

Can Ballardini stabilise Cagliari in 2012?
http://www.footballitaliano.co.uk/p6_66 ... -2012.html

By Luca Cetta / Wednesday 18 January 2012

Less than a month into the start of this season Cagliari were thrown into turmoil after a disagreement between Coach Roberto Donadoni and President Massimo Cellino. He was sacked and Massimo Ficcadenti appointed. Not much was expected with little time to prepare, however Ficcadenti masterminded an opening day win away at Roma and after five rounds the Isolani were fifth, a point from first place. The rot then set in and perhaps harshly, Ficcadenti was dismissed after ten matches. Cagliari’s main concern in his last five matches was a lack of goals – only one scored. New boss Davide Ballardini did little to arrest the slide initially, with just a single victory in his first six matches in charge.

That was 2011. The situation looks brighter at the start of 2012 for the Rossoblu. The season re-started with a bang - a 3-0 home victory against Genoa, a match which saw as many goals at the Stadio Sant’Elia scored in 90 minutes as there had been in the eight games prior. Last Sunday, Cagliari showed tremendous fighting spirit and defensive qualities to come away with a point from the Juventus Stadium, after trailing to Mirko Vucinic’s early strike.

Ballardini’s men lie tenth, amongst the mid-table logjam but clear of the relegation zone. Should they improve their home form, a comfortable mid-table position beckons. Their win versus Genoa was just Cagliari’s second at home. Away from the Sant’Elia the Sardinians have triumphed three times; although points gathered home and away are equally split.

Andrea Cossu netted his first goal of the season against Juve and while the stats seem against him (also just one assist to his name) the playmaker is critical to Cagliari. The midfield is built for him. Powerful runners and more defensive minded players surround. He, along with other veterans Daniele Conti, Alessandro Agostini and Michele Canini, are long-time servants of the club and provide the inspiration.

Alongside the veterans are an exciting group of youngsters. Davide Astori was this week mentioned as “the best Italian defender that there is right now” by his Coach. Co-owned by Cagliari and Milan, he has grown in Sardinia and should the Isolani hold on to him for at least another season it will be beneficial to both club and player, who is in the sights of Italy Coach Cesare Prandelli. Lorenzo Ariaudo is another defender with potential, while Albin Ekdal is fast becoming an accomplished central midfielder.

Radja Nainggolan is the jewel of the Cagliari midfield, raising interest from Juve, Milan and Inter. Comfortable on and off the ball, it appears only an offer around €15m will tempt Cellino into selling the 23-year-old. While with his mazy match-winner against Catania, Colombian striker Victor Ibarbo made Serie A sit up and take notice. He added to his tally against Genoa and with pace and trickery, is another Cagliari will look to keep as long as possible.

Hard-working midfielder Davide Biondini departed for Genoa a week ago, with Cagliari deciding to cash in now for €1m rather than receive nothing in June. The club acted quickly to sign Daniele Dessena from Sampdoria on loan and the player has slotted into the side for the first two matches of 2012. Their main January aim now is to find another midfielder, with Cesena’s Marco Parolo linked, plus ward off any suitors for their stars.

Inherently, this is the problem Cagliari faces. Without the financial clout to challenge for a European position they are forced to sell to survive. On paper their first eleven is a solid unit capable of challenging for a top half finish and far too good to be relegated. There is a healthy mix of young and old in the ranks to build upon, if the club allows it. Cellino also needs to put faith in his Coach and not sack at the first sign of trouble. This too is critical for stability and with it Ballardini will look to equal or perhaps even better their ninth placed finish in 2008/09 – the best Cagliari performance since 1992/93.

[taz]

Cagliari have officially signed striker Mauricio Pinilla from Palermo. “I am proud to become part of a club with such a great history behind it.”

The Chilean forward made the move on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season.

“I am proud to become part of a great team and a club with such a great history behind it,” said Pinilla.

“I never had the chance to come to Sardinia, not even when playing for other teams in Serie A, but I know it is a splendid place with so many beautiful beaches.

“I know that they are one of Italy’s most organised clubs. I also know my new teammates, especially as I played against them in Palermo earlier this season.

“I am certain of one thing, that Cagliari are one of the best sides in this tournament and we need fear nobody.”

[Jocksboy]

It's reported today that Cagliari may play the remaining home games of the season at Trieste due to the crumbling state of the Stadio Sant'Elia. The ground's capacity has been cut to 14,500, below the 20,000 required by Serie A. Agreement has been reached with Trieste for the move, which may extend into next season while planning permission is sought for a new stadium.

[Marco_Italia]