Cagliari had a strong summer in the transfer market and seem to have capitalised on that with an impressive start to the season. However, there are some underlying statistics that suggest Cagliari are getting more out of their performances than they actually should. This tactical analysis scout report will look at Cagliari’s tactics and the statistics that suggest they have been somewhat lucky so far.
Transfer business
Cagliari might have sold their prized jewel Nicolò Barella in the summer, but they invested the money from his sale to Inter wisely. Firstly, Radja Nainggolan has returned to Sardinia, five years after he left the club for Roma. Cagliari also added Napoli’s Croatian Marko Rog, Club Nacional’s Christian Oliva and Boca Juniors’ Nahitan Nández to their midfield department. At the back, Swedish international Robin Olsen was signed from Roma as the club’s new goalkeeper, while former Chievo defender Fabrizio Cacciatore and new Juventus left-back Luca Pellegrini strengthened the defence (Pellegrini on loan). Upfront, Giovanni Simeone joined on loan from Fiorentina. This transfer activity provided head coach Rolando Maran with a very good squad.
Tactical analysis: Cagliari’s tactics
As mentioned above, Cagliari’s head coach is former Chievo coach Rolando Maran. His preference is to set up in a 4-3-1-2, but he is not afraid to deviate away from that system, especially when defending. As we will now see, Maran has created a very flexible defensive system with Cagliari.
To read the full tactical analysis of this scout report – click here
If you love tactical analysis, then you’ll love the digital magazines from totalfootballanalysis.com – a guaranteed 100+ pages of pure tactical analysis covering topics from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and many, many more. Buy your copy of the October issue for just ₤4.99 here
