The Udinese coach Kosta Runjaic spoke at a press conference on the eve of the match against Milan, valid for the eighth matchday of Serie A. Below are Runjaic’s words.
Runjaic on the last week:
“We must not forget the match in Lecce. We made several mistakes and approached the match badly. We suffered our fifth consecutive defeat at the end of a complicated match. We want to show that we are a different team. We must play with the right balance, without being too emotional but bringing the right intensity and the right energy against Milan. My task is to take the pressure off the team. We were not capable of reacting against Lecce, but we must learn immediately.
We must improve a lot in general and transfer that onto the pitch. The team spirit. Tomorrow there will be difficult moments, and we will have to show the right reaction by remaining compact. We won 0-3 in the last match against Milan, but it is not as though they did not have chances. We will have to stay focused. I hope the fans will be by our side; they are right to be disappointed. Tomorrow we will see a very different team in terms of attitude.”
On whether he has been able to convey motivation:
“I cannot have an impact on this. I try to give everything, do my best and carry out my work. For me, we have trained well. I took responsibility and I will do so tomorrow as well. In general, the club is satisfied with our work, there is mutual trust, and theirs must be repaid.
I am very motivated and have a great responsibility towards the club and the fans. I am very motivated, I take full responsibility, I am under pressure, but that is my role. I try to prepare the lads as well as possible. I think they have a lot of confidence in me; I do not have the feeling that the team is not following me.
The match against Lecce was the exception, not the rule. Everyone would have wanted to see a different team; a performance like that after defeats is bitter. Tomorrow, we have the opportunity to make amends against Milan.”
On Zaniolo:
“He will be available, he will definitely play, but not as a starter because he needs to be managed. We know his injury history. He cannot wait to get onto the pitch; he is frustrated that he has not been able to help us. I am very happy that he is with us. I am sure that tomorrow he will have his chance, but he will need to be managed given the many matches close together.”
On Solet, Runjaic said:
“He has had a minor muscular problem. We will see whether he will be able to be available tomorrow (vs Milan); if not, we will try to prepare him for the next match.”
On Abankwah and Zanoli:
“Zanoli will not be there; he has had a minor relapse, but that was to be expected. It is normal for him to have a few problems. We are working a lot with him to get him to 100% as soon as possible. Abankwah could have played against Lecce, but I did not take the risk; he will be there tomorrow. Piotrowski will also be there tomorrow.”
On whether he is considering a different tactical plan:
“We are talking about an opponent like Milan, the team that, along with Inter, has the most possession in the league. They have players of great quality; we know that very well. We believe that we will not have much possession, so we will have to be compact defensively and good at exploiting spaces in attack. We know what tomorrow’s match will be like; we will have to be disciplined, united and very focused.”
On Milan:
“We watched them against Bournemouth. There are different tactical interpretations, but it was evident that they have great quality and that they can play vertically. They are also strong in one-on-one situations, and tomorrow we will have to be good at shutting them down. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, but Milan have more strengths than weaknesses.
We are ready, we know what we have to do, but now we have to let the pitch do the talking. They are higher up in the table and have won a lot. Despite the injured players, they are not weak. They have a squad equipped not only for Serie A, but also for other competitions. They have a large squad, and those who have played less will be able to make the most of the opportunity. We must think about ourselves, and then we will see the result.”
