Zdenek Zeman still believes Cagliari can achieve Serie A safety, but admits he’s not the man to lead them there.
The 67-year-old resigned as Coach of the Isolani this morning, after returning to the job last month, and has outlined his reasons in a Press conference.
“I came back because I was convinced we could do well,” Zeman explained.
Zdenek Zeman still believes Cagliari can achieve Serie A safety, but admits he’s not the man to lead them there.
The 67-year-old resigned as Coach of the Isolani this morning, after returning to the job last month, and has outlined his reasons in a Press conference.
“I came back because I was convinced we could do well,” Zeman explained.
“The first half against Empoli gave me the right answer. Then other performances have not been up to that level.
“It’s not an issue of winning or losing, but of playing the football which I try to teach. The team has not succeeded, and I think it’s fair for me to give them a chance to do things another way.
“I’m convinced that the team can be saved, but not with me.
“If you’re the Coach of a team, what you want to see them do on a Sunday is what you ask of them, nothing more. There’s nothing else behind my decision.
“I’m sorry to have disappointed so many people, but I always did my best.
“I haven’t seen the team play the football I want to play. If there’s no success then it’s also my fault. I can’t fault the team’s commitment, we’re not the best team in the League.
“We can only compete well if we have good organisation, and that’s been lacking in recent times.
“I tried to bring in my style of football, and at the start of the season there were 10,000 fans present.
“I still think there’s a chance to save the team, but not with me. With my departure, I want to give the club and the young players a chance to succeed.
“It’s wrong to think that the team is poor. If the team was poor we would not, for example, have won at San Siro [4-1].
“We played my style of football, but not now.
“Maybe I sometimes got the system wrong, but I always did the best I could. These things happen with every team.
“From what I understand, both on and off the field there is no belief. Once I realised that, I realised it wasn’t helpful for me to continue.
“The team is made up of youngsters and experienced players who are capable of having a good season.
“The team needs a shock to the system, and maybe this can serve as one. The team has to continue to fight until the end, and I’ll continue to follow them all the way.
“I feel like this team is, in a small way, a part of me.”
It has been suggested that the actions of some Cagliari fans, who confronted the team at the training ground may have been behind the decision, but Zeman denies that.
“It has nothing to do with it. I have a lot of experience, and certain things happen in football.
“There are fringes of support who discourage families from coming to the stadium. We have to do something to improve the situation.
“Most of the fans are true fans, and they want to help the team.”