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Cagliari, Brazilian forward Jeda gave a long interview to Cagliarinews24 microphones. Here’s what he said.

Below is an excerpt from the long interview granted to Cagliarinews24.

Jeda’s Words

Jeda, you watched Cagliari’s victory over Hellas Verona from the stadium. Will the three points gained give confidence to the red and blues for the upcoming challenges?
“I was very pleased to watch Cagliari at the Unipol Domus for the first time and see the crowd. I confirm what I had already said, that I think the red and blues should make the most of the home advantage. The Sardinian crowd gives you something extra in terms of atmosphere and competitive toughness, all things that you need to win games. These are the games that Cagliari needs and that make the difference, you don’t even need to win 3/4/5 to zero. In Serie A there is a lot of balance, so when you win a game 1-0, controlling and risking little, it means that in my opinion you are on the right track. I really liked the team, I saw a very focused Cagliari with great leaders on the field”.

Davide Nicola is getting Cagliari to perform at good levels. What do you think of the Piedmontese coach?
“I personally wanted to thank Mr. Nicola and congratulate him because I think he is doing a good job. Cagliari, with all its staff and all available players, must be a group, everyone must be ready and in shape to help, especially those on the bench. Viola, for example, did very well when he came on and changed the game. In general, I also liked the other substitutions, when they came on they made a difference in the match against Hellas Verona, which until then was very tough, hard, and blocked. They came to play their game despite coming from the five goals conceded against Inter. The team was focused, compliments to Nicola! These are the games that the red and blues must win. Then, when you manage to play important games like with Milan and Juventus, it means that the team is there, but Cagliari has to play the championship with Verona, Venice, Empoli, etc.”.

Now the Sardinians are expected to face the tough challenge of Franchi against Raffaele Palladino’s Fiorentina. Do you think that despite the high difficulty of the match, Cagliari can bring points home?
“The one against Fiorentina is the type of game that can give you a lot, especially in terms of morale. When you go to the home of the Viola, it’s difficult, they are the real surprise of the championship, they must be praised for the work they are doing after a start where there was great skepticism towards Palladino. They have been patient and now they are the team of the moment! I’m not talking so much about a victory, in a game like this if Cagliari brings home a draw it means a lot. This is because it would be an away game and against a dangerous team at the moment, it would mean a lot for the standings and make a difference”.

Raffaele Palladino (PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI)

The match between Cagliari and Fiorentina has become an appointment to remember Davide Astori. As his former teammate, what memories do you have of him as a footballer?
“In some interviews, I had said that in my opinion he would have been the backbone of the National Team. He was tough in his ways, when he arrived at Cagliari I remember he wasn’t very shy, he made his tackles. It seemed that technically he wasn’t good, but he worked hard and over time he improved especially in terms of technique. Later, he became a good player in terms of elegance, he was very difficult to face because he was impossible to beat and he was also fast. He had technique and a lot of personality, and I think in today’s football he would have been one of the greatest Italian defenders! From what I saw him play, he had become top-notch, he improved a lot over time, he was the classic Italian defender. Great personality and knew how and when to tackle, considering that he also knew how to play the ball well”.

The former Cagliari defender tragically passed away while playing for Fiorentina. Besides the purely technical aspect, what kind of man and teammate (and locker room companion) was Davide Astori to you?
“For someone like me who was his teammate, it is difficult not to be a bit biased. Astori had many human qualities, just think that he was captain of two important teams like Cagliari and Fiorentina. To wear the captain’s armband for such important clubs, in my opinion, the human aspect is much more important than the technical one, you must have certain values in clubs that focus so much on the importance of the individual. The match between Fiorentina and Cagliari is always an important moment to remember Davide Astori, a man who was captain of two important teams! He will never cease to be an example for many players, in fact, many talk about him and praise his figure. He was a normal, common, and simple guy who made football his reason for living. That was something about him that struck me, I liked the fact that he was a player and a man with important values. I hope that the match will be a spectacle and since football is not mathematics, the one who commits fewer mistakes on the field wins”.

What happened to Edoardo Bove a few days ago unfortunately recalls what happened to the former Cagliari player. What did you think when you saw the images of Fiorentina-Inter?
“Seeing that situation, we were plunged back into what happened years ago, something that unfortunately has happened often at Fiorentina. Something that started with Astori and continued with their great director Barone, and then the other night it happened again with Bove. He is a very young guy who has just started his high-level football career, he is a player with great charisma. Seeing those images, many things come to mind, and in fact, there was a great mobilization of encouragement messages on social media. What I hope is that he can recover soon because I would like to see him back on the field as soon as possible so that he can show all his talent. In those moments when you didn’t understand what to do – except pray for him – for me, there was a lot of sadness. I hope he can resume his normal life and play, which I think is his great passion, I’m really sorry for what happened to him!”.

EDOARDO BOVE RAMMARICATO (PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI)

Expanding the discussion to the Serie A 2024-2025 season: who do you think are the favorites to win the Scudetto? Is Juventus pulling away from the group?
“I think, based on the squad and how they are playing, the favorite remains Inter, they have a very high level in the squad, you don’t notice the difference when one comes out and another comes in. Immediately below in the race for the Scudetto, I put Napoli and Atalanta, then there are Juventus and Milan but I wouldn’t forget Lazio which is having a good season. For the Scudetto, there is a lot of balance even though I see Inter slightly above the others for the great football they are playing. At the moment, I put Juventus a bit outside that group, but we’ll see what Thiago Motta can do when he recovers all the players who are currently injured. In my opinion, they are now out of the title race due to the quality of the game they are playing but clearly Juventus is Juventus, the same goes for Milan: these are teams that have the word Scudetto in their DNA. These teams are running a lot but then maybe soon the teams that are further down will start to do the same and things will change. For me, the surprise of the season at the moment is Fiorentina!”.

The Italian national team is resuming its journey after the disappointing “German” European Championship. What do you think is the secret behind the turnaround of CT Luciano Spalletti’s Azzurri?
“I think Spalletti is a great coach for Italy and the time for experiments is over, I believe he has understood which players are for the national team and which are not. The Azzurri have gone through a process of change as well as rejuvenation, we also need to give them time to work. I think the players have to understand that that jersey is important and represents an entire nation, in addition to the fact that when you wear it, it’s like going to war. You have to love the jersey and the national team and you have to know that you will fight for many people who expect you to deliver results. The national team is not a place where you go to be valued and to put this on your resume, there must be love for the jersey, something different from a club. I think Spalletti is managing to instill these values in the minds of his players, conveying to them what responsibility it represents. In my opinion, he has chosen the right elements for Italy, the experiments have already been done, albeit not too many because then he would have risked confusing the players. I think the Italian national team at the moment is one of the best in the world, the European Championship was a disappointment because the expectations were different. I hope this team can bring great satisfaction to the Italian people!”.