Alright, so get this: After five fixtures in Serie A, Cagliari is sitting *ahead* of Juventus in the standings. Yeah, you read that right. The team that’s been one of the biggest surprises early this season is somehow outperforming the Old Lady right now, and it’s all thanks to a defense that’s playing on another level.
Cagliari’s Bonkers Defense Is Getting It Done
Cagliari is in fourth place, and they’ve been pulling off some absolute magic. How? They’ve notched four wins already, with three of those being nail-biting 1-0 victories. The other one? A 2-1 win over Atalanta. What’s wild is their actual defensive play style. Luciano Spalletti, Juventus’ own coach, broke it down: Cagliari will “deliberately give you a bit of space, inviting you to play in their half, and they have players capable of turning the play around quickly, passing the ball well and neutralising any counterattacks.” It sounds risky, right? Well, it’s working.
They’ve only let in two goals all season, which is just absurd when you consider the numbers. Cagliari is surrendering the second-most shots in Serie A, clocking in at 20.4 per game! They even gave up a whopping 31 shots in an August match against Inter Milan and still lost only 1-0. Their goalie, Elia Caprile, has been an absolute brick wall, recording one of the highest save totals through the first five games. They’re massively out-performing their xG for allowed goals, sitting at 8.74. And on the flip side, they’re creating one of the lowest shot totals themselves, at just 10.8. It’s a crazy formula, but you can’t argue with the results in the standings.
Juventus Has Some Explaining To Do After The Long Break
So, if Cagliari is flying high, what’s been happening with Juventus? They’ve been doing some “silly things” in their opening handful of fixtures, according to the standings. Most notably, they fumbled away some crucial points in a 3-2 loss to Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium. You just can’t be dropping points like that if you want to be at the top.
Now, though, everyone’s been on ice. The longest in-season international break, spanning from late-August into the first week-plus of October, finally wrapped up. The big question for this Sunday night’s match in Sardinia is: What does it all mean? Three weeks away from club football can take the wind right out of a team’s sails, especially for Fabio Pisacane and his Cagliari squad, who had built up so much early momentum. But it’s also a chance for Luciano Spalletti and Juventus to reset, shake off those “silly things,” and try to reclaim their spot. Can they get it together, or will Cagliari continue their shocking run? We’re about to find out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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