Cagliari boss Ivo Pulga admits that Chievo have more of a reason to win their match against the Rossoblu on Sunday, though he’s adamant that his team will still be looking to secure the three points in their last home game of the season.
The Isolani will play hosts to the Flying Donkeys as the visiting team try to earn a victory in their fight to remain in Serie A and the 49-year-old insists that the home side will be entering the match with clear heads despite missing a number of key players.
Pulga spoke during his pre-match press conference on Saturday about Cagliari’s mindset ahead of the match with Chievo, while also commenting on their 3-0 loss to Napoli on May 6.
“We will play our game, as we have always done, and try our best despite many absences,” said the tactician. “Whoever takes the field for us will give their maximum effort.
“Chievo have more motivation than us, but we want to close the season well in front of our home audience. We have clear heads. Usually when you play with a clear head, you play better.
“The loss to Napoli? After reaching the goal of salvation, there may be a decline in proactive mentality and more relaxation.
“We didn’t have the same amount of aggression and determination that we had in the previous games, I had a little fear about having this kind of attitude.
“Among other things, we faced a Napoli side that had many reasons to do well, especially with the events revolving around their Coppa Italia win. They’re a great team that has played with great intensity.
“We’ve learned our lesson and tomorrow you will see a different team.
“In the field we’ll use the best formation we can. We’ll review [Andrea] Cossu, to see if we can use him in the position of [Daniele] Conti tomorrow, and it’s also possible to use [Andrea] Tabanelli.
“Tabanelli is a player who has grown so much in the latest period. He’s a midfielder, a rangy player who can run, has good technique and a strong head.
“In Naples we tried the three wide players, but it has not given us a convincing result. To implement this type of game, you have to work at it regularly.
“Tomorrow there will be no experiments.”
