These are our evaluations of the performance provided by Cagliari Of Davide Nicola on the occasion of the match valid for the round of 16 of the Italian Cup and lost 4-0 against Thiago Motta’s Juventus.
The report cards
Scuffet 5.5: good in the first half against Conceicao, he can do nothing about the advantage scored by Vlahovic and the second goal by Koopmeiners while he could do better on Conceicao’s third goal and is out of the posts and helpless on Nico’s fourth. He does quite well with his feet, trying to question the new hierarchies, but after a 0-4 he will hardly succeed.
Zappa 6: usual performance of solidity and precision, he doesn’t concede much to those who come to his area. Of course, he is lucky not to have Conceicao in front of him like his colleague on the opposite side, but the performance remains sufficient. (from 69′ Azzi 5.5: he comes in to pick up minutes that have been missing for some time, this can be seen in a solitary action that ends with a lopsided left foot and nothing more).
Wieteska 4.5: badly at the beginning of the action and in the final part on the occasion of Vlahovic’s goal, first with a rash exit in midfield then allowing the Serbian to turn and finish. He commits the foul that leads to the second goal and in general gives the Bianconeri opportunities several times. The only positive note is the cleanliness at the exit, but the main task – defending and marking – is missing.
Palomino 5: head held high and chest out, he has moments of apparent tactical madness expressed by launching himself into the attack like any other Calafiori. The defense holds up well, until he too – perhaps due to a lack of oxygen due to tiredness – goes into the ball until the indecision of 3-0 and the very slow recovery attempted for the fourth goal.
Augello 5.5: started with aspirin to cure the headache that Conceicao gives him every time he points at it. He tries his best to keep up the fight against the little Portuguese, but it’s not an easy evening and he pays a price. Although, despite the difficulties, he is one of the last to sink.
Luck 5.5: among the most proactive in the first phase in which Cagliari scares Juventus, he is also good in the defensive phase and always on point. The ball is his for Lapadula at the start of the match, as are his various incursions that create the conditions for dangerous actions. He fades away along the way, even appearing a little nervous with some companions and taking part in the final early holiday.
Marin 5: difficult to remember a play, difficult to remember his presence. He practically never manages to get into the game, he does his homework when you would expect much else from him. And, among other things, he also does it quite badly (from 58′ Happy 5.5: tries to light up by returning to the right from the left, it causes apprehension for two actions and then you can’t see it anymore).
Track 5: it was an opportunity to regain confidence and cast doubts on Nicola, but he fails without going beyond simple and banal things. It’s not easy to impress after weeks of zero minutes, but the chance not taken as one would have expected remains and the feeling of a player who is mentally shutting down.
Deiola 5: he doesn’t repeat the last positive matches, the imprecise player with little personality in his presentation who has often struggled in the past returns. He makes a lot of mistakes, too much, plus Augello helps little or nothing in the doubles against Conceicao (from the 82nd minute Adopo SV: unjudgeable).
Gaetano 5: the first thirty minutes give the impression of a player on the right path, then once he misses the first ball he leaves the scene and gradually fades away. Postponed, again, but the training credits will have to arrive sooner or later because the exams, in the long run, end (from 69′ Piccoli 5.5: some balls played well, the usual header and foot shots that don’t find the target. A Bignami from the last matches).
Lapadula 4.5: the possible solution to the offensive problems and the hope of scoring a coup in the cup is in his feet after 30 seconds. Instead, once again, he shoots at the goalkeeper and the goal doesn’t arrive. It’s an evening of good feelings, he exalts Di Gregorio, he embraces opponents for fair play after tackles, he supports badly by serving the Bianconeri indefinitely. Sacrifice and commitment are not lacking, as always, but it cannot always be the alibi for every bad day (from 69′ Pavoletti 5.5: sees little or nothing of it, participates in the final shipwreck without offering resistance).
Nicola 5: his Cagliari lasted until the 1-0 scored by Vlahovic, displaying good football and frightening a Juventus team that wasn’t exactly at its best. The choices seem to pay off, but then the blackout arrives and some second lines do not respond, causing the castle that seemed to be able to hold properly to collapse. The cup went, one might say, not too badly, but the score and the mental exit that led to the 4-0 are details that should make us reflect quite a bit. First embarkation of its management, first windfall that arrives at the worst possible moment. The reaction must be immediate, Venice cannot wait.
Matteo Zizola
