Cagliari in Dire Straits in Serie A

Cagliari's winless run in Serie A extended to an unprecedented 11 games, following a 2-0 defeat to Juventus last weekend.

Walter Mazzarri's men sit 19th in the table at the halfway stage, six points off safety. The club have won just one game in the entire season and have the second-worst defensive record in the league, conceding a mammoth 40 goals.

Defeat to Juventus Piles Misery

Little could have been expected from Cagliari from this game. However, given Juventus' topsy-turvy run in Serie A this season, it is safe to say that Cagliari had a shot.

Despite keeping the Turin club at bay for the first 40 minutes, familiar errors crept in as a defensive lapse gave Juventus the breakthrough. The Old Lady were unlucky in many ways as they were often caught offside. As a result, they had to wait for the second half to extend the margin of victory with a late goal from Federico Bernardeschi.

Cagliari recorded just a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes from their total six attempts and managed to create just a single set piece chance.

Lack of Quality in the Attacking Third

Cagliari's front two have been way short of goals. Joao Pedro, who plays as their lead man, often has to drop back to give cushion to Cagliari's midfield. With more men packed in their midfield and in their own half, Cagliari end up creating way fewer chances every game.

With no playmaker capable of contesting Serie A standards available in their ranks, they have to heavily rely on Parma loanee Alberto Grassi. The 26-year-old has to balance his position between a holding midfielder and a creator of opportunities up front. This often renders their midfield quite vulnerable to counter-attacks as well.

Cagliari's Shocking Season so far

Cagliari witnessed their worst start to Serie A this season. It took the club 10 league games to register their first and only win to date against Sampdoria.

Eleven defeats in their opening 19 games has seen them plummet straight into the relegation scrap. In fact, bottom-ranked Salernitana has managed two wins so far, compared to Cagliari's solitary win this season.

Adding salt to their wounds, veteran Uruguayan defender Diego Godin recently announced that he will leave the club in the January transfer window. He is exiting due to differences with the club's board.

Without a doubt, Gli Isolani are in dire need of points in the second half of the season.

What next for the Sardinians?

Cagliari has a run of fixtures which offers them a great opportunity to get back on track. Their next outing is against Sampdoria, the club against which they have their only win of the season. Two out of their next four games are up against Bologna and Sassuolo. However, unless they improve their quality and creativity up front, they will end up conceding more than they score.