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

Following is an excerpt from the lengthy interview granted to Cagliarinews24.

Jeda’s Words

Jeda, you attended Cagliari’s victory over Hellas Verona at the stadium. Will the three points earned give confidence to the Rossoblu for the upcoming challenges?
“I was very pleased to attend a Cagliari match at the Unipol Domus for the first time and see the crowd. I confirm what I had already said, that I think the Rossoblu need to make the most of the home advantage. The Sardinian public gives you something extra in terms of atmosphere and competitive fierceness, 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 them 3/4/5 to zero. In Serie A, there is a lot of balance, so when you win a game 1-0, controlling and taking few risks, it means you are on the right track in my opinion. 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 coach Nicola and congratulate him because I think he is doing a good job. Cagliari, with all its members and all the available players, must be a group, they all must be ready and in shape to help, especially those on the bench. Viola, for example, did very well when he entered and changed the game. In general, I also liked the other substitutions, when they came in they turned the game around against Hellas Verona, which until that moment was very tough 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 Rossoblu must win. Then, when you manage to play important games like with Milan and Juventus, it means that the team is there, but Cagliari must play the championship with Verona, Venice, Empoli, etc.”

Now, the Sardinians face the tough challenge at the Franchi against Raffaele Palladino’s Fiorentina. Do you think that despite the high difficulty of the match, Cagliari can bring home some points?
“The match against Fiorentina is the kind of game that can give you a lot, especially in terms of morale. When you go to play at the Viola’s home, it’s difficult, they are the real surprise of the league, they must be praised for the work they are doing after a start where there was great skepticism towards Palladino. They knew how to wait and now they are the team of the moment! I’m not talking so much about a win, in a game like this, if Cagliari manages to secure a draw away from home, it means a lot. This is because it would be an away game and against a dangerous team at the moment, it would be 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 memory do you have of him as a player?
“In some interviews, I had said that in my opinion he would have been the pillar of the National Team. He was tough in his ways, when he arrived at Cagliari I remember he was not very shy, he made his entrances. It seemed like he wasn’t technically 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 beat because he was impossible to pass and he was also fast. He had technique and a lot of personality, and I think that in today’s football, he would have been one of the greatest Italian defenders! From what I saw him play, he became the top, over time he improved a lot, he was the classic Italian defender. Great personality and he knew how and when to enter, 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 do you, Jeda, think of Davide Astori as a man and a teammate (and in the locker room)?
“For someone like me who was his teammate, it’s hard not to be a bit biased. Astori had many human qualities, just saying that he was the captain of two important teams like Cagliari and Fiorentina. To wear the captain’s armband of such teams, in my opinion, the human aspect is much more important than the technical one, you must have certain values in clubs like these 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 the captain of two important teams! He will never stop being an example for many players, in fact, many talk about him and exalt his figure. He was a normal, common, and simple guy who made football his reason for living. This was the thing 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 is a spectacle and since football is not an exact science, the one who commits fewer errors on the field wins.”

What happened a few days ago to Edoardo Bove unfortunately recalls what happened to the former Cagliari player. What did you think when you saw the images of Fiorentina-Inter?
“Watching that situation, we were plunged back into what happened years ago, something that unfortunately has happened often at Fiorentina. It started with Astori and continued with their great director Barone, and 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. Watching those images, many things come to mind, and indeed on social media there was a great mobilization of encouragement messages. 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 and didn’t know what to do – except pray for him – for me, there was a lot of sadness. I hope he can get back to his normal life and play, which I think is his great passion, I am 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 distancing itself 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 player 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 who are having a good season. The balance for the title is a lot even though I see Inter slightly ahead of the others for the great football they are playing. At the moment, I place Juventus a bit outside that group, but we’ll have to see what Thiago Motta can do when he recovers all the injured players. In my opinion, they are now out of the title race due to the quality of the game they are playing, but of course, Juventus is Juventus, the same goes for Milan: they are teams that have the word Scudetto in their DNA. These teams are running a lot but then maybe soon the teams that are below them will also start doing the same and things will change. For me, the surprise of the season right now is Fiorentina!”

The Italian National Team is getting back on track after the disappointing “German” Euros. What do you think is the secret behind the turnaround of Luciano Spalletti’s Azzurri?
“I think that Spalletti is a great coach for Italy and that 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, and we must also give them time to work. I think the players must understand that the jersey is important and represents an entire nation, and that when you wear it, it’s like going to war. You must love the jersey and the national team and know that you will fight for many people who expect you to bring results. The National Team is not a place where you go to be valued and to be able to put that on your resume, there must be love for the jersey, something different from a club. I believe that 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, he has already done the experiments, although not too many because then he would have risked confusing the players. I think the Italian National Team is one of the best in the world right now, the Euros was a disappointment because the expectations were different. I hope that this team can bring great satisfaction to the Italian people!”