Final result: Cagliari-Cremonese 1-0
Cagliari
Sherri 6 – In the second half he was called upon on a couple of occasions. Ordinary administration, of course, but he was still ready.
Hoe 6.5 – On paper he is a tight-fisted midfielder in a three-man defence, but in reality he is almost an added attacking winger and pushes forward a lot, aided by Cremonese’s tactical approach.
Palomino 6 – He is not yet in top form, the most difficult intervention does not go into the scoresheet because the guest action is invalidated for offside. He gets an avoidable yellow.
Upper 6.5 – An authoritative performance by a defender who wants to climb the manager’s hierarchy. A personal action in the middle of the first half gives him courage and confidence, in the second half he doesn’t make a single mistake.
Azzi 6 – As often happens, he continually pushes forward but often makes the wrong choice at the moment of the final pass. He misses the opening goal, but he still deserves to be applauded for his grit, physical condition and determination.
Makoumbou 6 – He also needs to find his best form, when he is called to set up he struggles a bit especially at the start. The usual lion in interdiction.
After 6.5 – One of the best on the pitch, he applies himself in both phases ensuring quality and quantity. Clean in his plays, effective in closing down. From 90′ Deiola sv.
Happy 6 – He is not as devastating as he was last year, even against Cremonese. A bit imprecise on set pieces in his favor, but all in all his time is sufficient. A talent to follow carefully. From 60′ Viola 6 – He comes in and adds quality and unpredictability to the play, the post denies him the joy of a goal.
Eagle 6.5 – He redeems the terrible match against Empoli by showing himself once again to be highly professional and very attached to the shirt. He runs like a kid and provides the decisive assist for Lapadula. From 80′ Zortea sv.
Gaetano 6 – In the first half, Cagliari struggles to build play and is forced to move back to touch the ball. He comes close to scoring with a header and is always proactive. From 60′ Small 6.5 – His entrance changes the face of the game, growing the understanding with Lapadula. There is a lot of him in the second half, aggressive and full of opportunities.
Lapadula 6.5 – He hits the post with a play of extraordinary intelligence, the only flash in an hour that was not exactly exciting. As a true striker, however, he capitalizes on the best opportunity by taking advantage of Augello’s assist. From that moment on, he gets going and is the protagonist of some quality assists. From 80′ Luvumbo 5.5 – Usual flaw: good at running, imprecise at the net. He misses a great opportunity.
David Nicholas 6 – First win as Cagliari coach. Now he will have to prove in the championship that he is a valid coach regardless and not only when he transmits motivation as a substitute.
Cremonese
I will be 6.5 – He doesn’t have to make any exceptional saves, but he is always ready both when coming out and when intervening between the posts. He did well on Viola and Lapadula in the final stages, if Cremonese stayed in the game until the end it is thanks to their good goalkeeper.
Lokhoshvili 5.5 – When he plays in position he confirms that he is a reliable player, but he suffers when Cagliari puts their faster players into action.
Moretti 5.5 – All in all, he holds his own against an awkward customer like Lapadula. However, he too is out of position when the Peruvian striker scores and decides the match.
Antov 6 – Cagliari churns out crosses repeatedly, it takes all their ability to read the trajectories in advance to clear the penalty area and protect Saro’s goal.
Curd 6.5 – He was caught out twice from behind by Zappa’s runs, but paid for the poor coverage of the midfield. He took courage after a header save near the line that was worth half a goal. He also did well in the second half.
Milanese 6 – He doesn’t catch the eye, but he deserves a passing grade because – during the match – he suddenly switches from winger to half-winger without creating problems. A tactical growth that will come in handy. From 70′ Vazquez 5.5 – A couple of flashes and nothing more.
Mayer 5.5 – Great opportunity to start, he who seemed one step away from farewell and who instead remained on the indication of the technical staff. He does not shine, but the opponent is of another category and has a different pace.
Pickle 5 – Stroppa gives him the keys to the direction, but on some occasions he gets confused and seems to suffer from the obligation to always build from the bottom. He gets a yellow and offers very little forward. From 70′ Nasti sv.
Barbers 5 – The coach asks him to take advantage of some counterattacks, it would be up to him to create numerical superiority. Afterwards, however, he wins the physical duel and contains it very well. Test not passed, but he has qualities that can be useful in B. From 85′ Collocolo sv.
Johnsen 5 – Technically he is perhaps the strongest player among the guests. At least among the starters. He has a good chance at the start, but he misjudges the pass to a completely free De Luca. Same scene in the second half, with Obert towering.
From Luca 5.5 – It certainly can’t be said that he lacks initiative and the desire to believe, he tries twice from the edge but finds the Cagliari goalkeeper ready. In the aerial game he is always a factor.
John Stroppa 6 – His team overall made a good impression, losing the match mainly due to the inconsistency of the midfielders when not in possession.