Cagliari have reached the first international break with the look of a side already changing the terms of their season. Fabio Pisacane’s team have taken 12 points from their opening five matches and sit fourth in Serie A, a position carrying an early Champions League flavour even if the larger task remains to build a calmer survival campaign than many expected.
A fast start under Pisacane
The Rossoblù have become an awkward opponent for every level of the division, including the established leading clubs. Their early points haul has been supported by a group of players finding form quickly, with Daniel Maldini and Alessandro Romano particularly prominent.
- Cagliari have collected 12 points from a possible 15.
- They are fourth in the Serie A table after five rounds.
- The club entered the season with the aim of securing safety with greater comfort, but the opening weeks have offered considerably more than that.
The first five games have also brought strong individual returns in fantasy-football ratings, considering players who have received a rating in at least three matches.
Maldini leads the attacking contribution
Maldini has been Cagliari’s highest-rated player on an average fantasy score of 8.3. The former Milan player has scored three times, moving close to his best Serie A return after only five appearances.
His previous top-flight high was four goals for Monza between January and June 2024. Reaching three so early gives his contribution a different weight in a team whose start has been built on more than one familiar name.
Paul Mendy has also made a decisive early case for himself. His goal against Atalanta, together with a run of convincing performances, has put him ahead of Kevin Carlos for the central attacking role. Mendy’s current average fantasy rating is 6.8.
- Daniel Maldini: three Serie A goals and an 8.3 average fantasy rating.
- Paul Mendy: established as the preferred central forward, ahead of Kevin Carlos, with a 6.8 average.
Romano and Adopo give the midfield substance
Alessandro Romano has emerged as one of the more striking stories of Cagliari’s opening chapter. Pisacane has used the 2006-born midfielder in the middle of the pitch, where he has produced a 7.3 average fantasy rating.
Romano also marked his Serie A debut against Parma with his first goal in the competition, an early milestone for a player who has stepped into a side currently operating with confidence.
Michel Adopo has provided another dependable reference point in midfield. A regular starter under Pisacane, he has at times been asked to play further forward and has already supplied two assists in five games. His average fantasy score stands at 6.7.
- Alessandro Romano: 7.3 average rating and a debut Serie A goal against Parma.
- Michel Adopo: two assists in five appearances, with a 6.7 average rating.
Caprile anchors a composed defence
The league position has not come solely from attacking momentum. Elia Caprile has conceded only two goals in five matches, giving Cagliari the kind of security that has become a feature of his game over recent years.
For a goalkeeper at a club expected, on paper, to be involved in the fight for safety, his 6.6 average fantasy rating is an especially valuable return. The former Bari goalkeeper has recorded just one clear below-par score, a 5, across the opening five fixtures.
His strongest individual display came against Udinese, when he received a raw match rating of 7.5. It was another reminder that Cagliari’s early rise has been formed at both ends of the pitch: Maldini’s goals, Romano’s arrival, Adopo’s service, Mendy’s claim to the line and Caprile’s calm behind them.
