Cagliari Calcio Tactical Analysis 2024/25: Good Chances, Poor Finishing—What’s The Solution?

Serie A has just left matchday six, and the table is slowly but surely taking shape.

Cagliari Calcio, who have played five matches to date, are in need of some points, and quickly, as they’ve gone winless in those opening games.

They’ve conceded eight, which, for a team that finished one point above the relegation zone in Serie A last season and conceded 68 goals along the way, eight goals shipped in five games is not a reason to panic — it is certainly not the reason they find themselves rock bottom of Serie A in the early stages of the season.

Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri guided the club to safety last season in their first campaign back in the top flight, but new manager Davide Nicola tactics have yet to find the right formula to get his team firing on all cylinders.

According to data, Nicola has his Cagliari side playing aggressively out of possession.

In possession, they consistently move the ball forward and into the box—they just can’t seem to find that goalscoring touch.

This team analysis will provide a team-focused scout report and tactical analysis of Cagliari’s attacking problems — an insight into their tactics on the ball as we look to uncover just why they’re struggling so much in front of goal.

The analysis will also include a brief discussion surrounding their high-pressing tactics.

Davide Nicola Tactics  Lack Of Effective Attacking Support & Decision Making

As we mentioned in the intro, Cagliari Calcio have not struggled in terms of possession under Davide Nicola, when it comes to getting the ball forward or getting shots off on goal.

They rank highly for several attacking metrics that do provide hope for improvement in the near future, but there is more to their attacking problems than just bad luck in front of goal.

Part of their problem could be caused by the lack of goals itself—a potential psychological impact on the team that could impact their confidence in key moments.

Desperation could also sneak in as they try to get the team firing together.

Those psychological impacts could negatively affect Nicola’s attacking tactics because Cagliari’s build-up play is often to a good standard.

One tactical element that sometimes suffers due to the aforementioned reasons is a lack of proximity support around the edge of the box in key attacking moments, as shown in Figure 1 above.

After a clever, fast-paced move down the left flank, Cagliari did well to work the ball into the position in the image above, but a lack of support ultimately let down the attack.

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