Cagliari defeat, Lotito madness, and Brescia on the horizon | A recap of Cittadella’s week

An eventful weekend on and off the pitch for Cittadella. From Sardegna to Salerno to Brescia, there’s lots to talk about from this past week.

We are getting into the nitty gritty of the Serie B season. Matches are coming left and right, and chaos off the pitch adds to the drama. There was also Coppa Italia matches ongoing this week, as Cittadella were defeated in Sardegna.

As the Granata continue their league unbeaten run, tension continues to rise for the other Granata in Salerno. Claudio Lotito has yet to find new owners, and is risking an expulsion from Serie A. The Italian Football Federation has given Lotito time, but the gap is closing in.

Salernitana’s difficulties may spark a ripple effect throughout the Italian football pyramid. One of the teams fighting with Cittadella for promotion is Brescia. Under Pippo Inzaghi, Brescia has risen to 2nd in Serie B, but face a tough challenge on Sunday against Citta.

Lots of action dealing with the club, and here’s a breakdown.

Cittadella knocked out of Coppa Italia, despite a brave effort.

It was always going to be a difficult task going into the home of a Serie A club and winning. Cittadella fought hard, tried their best, but were eventually beaten by Cagliari on Wednesday night.

Though the scoreline may insist that it was an unbalanced affair between the two teams. The truth though, was that it wasn’t entirely.

The Granata started the match on the front foot, trying to score an early goal to stun the home crowd. Head coach Edoardo Gorini made attacking changes, including putting top scorer Enrico Baldini on the bench.

Cittadella looked more like the Serie A team in the opening 15 minutes. However, when you play against a team in a higher league, it only takes one chance for a goal. On their first attack, Gabriele Zappa’s cross was unchallenged in the air, allowing Alessandro Deiola to head the cross home.

Down a goal against the run of play, Cittadella tried to equalize off of Luigi Cuppone. The striker, who had a goal chalked off later on, had some bright spots in the 76 minutes played.

One player who didn’t have the greatest game was Luca Maniero. The backup keeper filling in for Elhan Kastrati was responsible for two goals during the match. Maniero couldn’t parry a shot wide enough, allowing Cagliari’s attackers to have an easy tap in.

Though 3-1 beating showed some flaws within the Cittadella team, there’s certainly lots of positives to take away. A goal of the season contender was struck by Daniele Donnarumma, making headlines across Italy. Wednesday night also saw a professional debut for 19 year old Nikolas Smajlaj. Having played with the Primavera since 2019, Smajlaj entered the pitch in the 79th minute for Davide Adorni, giving him a night to remember!

Definitely lots of takeaways in Cittadella’s performance, both good and bad. Gorini will look to strength the teams lineup on Sunday against a strong Brescia squad.

Salernitana to be excluded from Serie A?

After Salernitana were promoted on May 10th, we all knew Claudio Lotito would have to sell the club. Due to rules set by the Italian Football Federation, a person could not own two clubs in the same league. Lotito, who owns Lazio and Salernitana, needs to sell one of them.

The original deadline was given at June 30th, 2021. However, a trust was given, allowing them to play in the Serie A 21/22 season.

It wasn’t until this week were reports coming out saying Salernitana were risking exclusion from Serie A, as the new deadline, December 31st, was approaching.

It’s unknown whether the league would actually expel Salernitana, but what does Cittadella have to do in any of this?

An expulsion midway through Serie A could see some adjustments in the promotion set up. A golden opportunity lines up to cut the amount of teams in the top flight. This brings some question marks regarding the pathway to Serie A.

Suppose Salernitana is kicked out, and the league will remain with 20 teams. This could mean 4 teams from Serie B may be promoted, which will no doubt change the playoff system. Cittadella could sense an opportunity in finishing in the top 3, if that means direct promtion.

Another tough test awaits, this time with Brescia.

Though a loss midweek made a minor setback, the league form did not change one bit. Cittadella are currently riding a seven match league unbeaten run. A win against second place Brescia at the Rigamonti will put the Granata high up in the standings.

Working hard to get in the top 8, Cittadella finally reached that point last weekend in a win over Ascoli. Meanwhile, two back-to-back home losses for Brescia have caused slight concern for Pippo Inzaghi’s side.

His younger brother currently sits on top of Serie A, and a win for Pippo could potentially see both brothers stand at the summit of both Italian leagues.