Udinese, the anti-Cagliari eleven seems to have already been decided: Cioffi has no doubts about the form to use

It continues with the 3-5-2 that Gotti had set aside. Choices dictated by the turnover with Crotone, but watch out for young people

UDINE. “I have no doubt”. Gabriele Cioffi has filed the walk in the Italian Cup with these words to dive into the match against Cagliari scheduled for Saturday evening at the Sardegna Arena.

A challenge that Gino Pozzo will look at with particular interest to try to grasp the signs and implications of the management of the deputy (by Luca Gotti) promoted to head: the strategist of the “galaxy” has many worries in this period, considering that not even Watford, recently entrusted to Claudio Ranieri, he is doing well between the shaky standings and the resurgence of Covid which forced the Premier League to postpone the match against Burnley scheduled for last night.

For his part, Cioffi, to launch the challenge to Mazzarri (a coach who made a move abroad at Watford in his career) made it clear that he had the reins of the team well in hand, however encouraging the players to increase the degree of competitiveness. within the group to raise the bar of performance. All in the name of “hierarchies that in football can change within three days”.

Let’s talk clearly: Udinese’s formation against Cagliari seems to be dictated by the choices – or rather, by the excluded – for the Coppa Italia match. If the Florentine coach chooses Becao, Nuytinck and Samir in front of the goal defended by Silvestri, if Molina and Udogie are on the flanks to complete a department made up of Arslan, Walace and Makengo, if Deulofeu and Beto juggle in attack, no one will be surprised.

Yet the doubts that do not lodge in Cioffi’s mind seem more to refer to the module, since even in the second half against Crotone, without “role players”, he wanted to keep the 3-5-2 system which, paradoxically , was one of the reasons that had created a party of the “Gotti out” at the beginning of the championship, within the Juventus supporters.

Gotti who then tried to tackle the back four and with the new game system he lost the bench. the new Udinese, in short, will revolve again around the old module, also in Cagliari, albeit paying attention to the answers coming from the so-called second lines.

Putting Success aside (who will miss the next away match due to disqualification), there were some comforting signs from the youngsters, for example, from Perez, Soppy and Samardzic. And also of the tactical experiments that make us think, from Forestieri deployed as a full-fledged winger in the final to Molina who for a time held the role of right midfielder, where his friend Pereyra is now missing, an absence that will last until February.

This is why Cioffi has “busy” around the midfield, where “it is not that we are full,” confessed Cioffi himself. And where, while waiting for the transfer market, everyone has to get busy: could that be the role of the German Samardzic? He could, the talent to stay in the middle is not lacking, but they need some more run-up and less tiptoe play. Since Saturday night.