Pisacane: ‘Cagliari made most of Atalanta struggle with Sarri ideas, Romano is a gem’ | OneFootball

Cagliari coach Fabio Pisacane explained how he tried to ‘make the most’ of Atalanta struggles in the early days of Maurizio Sarri, and called Alessandro Romano ‘a gem in my hands.’

It has been a truly remarkable start to the season for the Sardinians, who are now on nine points after four rounds.

Their only defeat was 1-0 to Champions of Italy Inter, getting the better of Parma, Lecce and now Atalanta in Bergamo.

Paul Mendy scored three career Serie A goals, all of them against Atalanta, and Daniel Maldini converted the decisive penalty past his parent club after a Gianluca Scamacca equaliser.

Curiously, that was the first penalty converted in the Italian top flight this season, at the 34th match.

Pisacane proud of Cagliari performances

BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 12: Cagliari Calcio head coach Fabio Pisacane looks on during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Parma Calcio at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on September 12, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“Undoubtedly, we needed a performance with movement that covered all the spaces. The team knew everything, that in order to get points here, it was unthinkable not to have the spirit of sacrifice and dedication, but also quality football,” Pisacane told Sky Sport Italia.

“This victory is not the final achievement, but it confirms we are on the right track. With this hunger, we can become dangerous, otherwise we become fragile and highlight all our weaknesses, which is what happened with Verona.”

While Cagliari have been excellent in the League, they crashed out of the Coppa Italia with a 2-1 home defeat to Serie B side Verona earlier this month.

BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 12: Cagliari Calcio head coach Fabio Pisacane issues instructions to his player Alessandro Deiola during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Parma Calcio at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on September 12, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“Daniel Maldini needs to stay in the game. He has more tasks off the ball this season, so I often speak to him, to ensure he’s fully focused. We made changes to the game plan in the second half, as we needed to overlap down the left too, as Jacopo Fazzini was slightly more central, and we ran some risks.

“We decided to cover Kessie with Mendy, and bring Maldini and Adopo around Scalvini and Kossonou. It’s important being able to change your system during a match, without losing your core identity.

“At this moment, Atalanta are still a work in progress learning the movements that Maurizio Sarri asks for, so I saw their back four isn’t quite well drilled yet, and we wanted to take advantage of that. I am convinced that Atalanta will get their fans excited within a few months, because Sarri is a maestro, I studied with him getting my coaching badges, and it’s an honour to be up against him today.”

PARMA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: Alessandro Romano of Cagliari Calcio celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on August 22, 2026 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Luca Amedeo Bizzarri/Getty Images)

Alessandro Romano again impressed, and the Switzerland-born midfielder is set to switch his allegiance to Italy for Roberto Mancini.

“I don’t need to keep Romano’s feet on the ground, because he knows what he wants and how to get there. I have a gem in my hands, and it’s up to us as the coaching staff to polish him so he can give his all,” added Pisacane.

Cagliari had already secured their Serie A safety relatively comfortably last season, and have started even stronger this term.

BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 12: Jonathan Rowe of Atalanta BC competes for the ball with Ze’ Pedro of Cagliari Calcioduring the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Parma Calcio at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on September 12, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

That is despite missing quite a few players, as Mattia Felici tore his anterior cruciate ligament, M’Bala Nzola and Riyad Idrissi are out of action, with Yael Trepy told he can resume training a month after nearly drowning in a swimming pool.

“I want to dedicate this victory to Roberto Muzzi, because he lost his father and we attended the funeral in Rome today, which is why we didn’t arrive in Bergamo until late. There were many players in the side today, including Mendy, who were raised by Muzzi in the youth academy, so him scoring the goal was an added dedication.”