Our new coach Andrea Sottil gave his first exclusive interview to Udinese TV on Monday evening. Sitting alongside technical director Pierpaolo Marino, the former Udinese defender touched on a whole range of topics, from his own football philosophy to the players at his disposal and much more.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the four years I spent at Udinese as a player,” began the coach, who plied his trade in Udine between 1999 and 2003. “It's an incredible feeling to come back now as a coach. I'm happy and proud.
“There's everything you need to work well here. The lads have been brilliant and showed tremendous enthusiasm. They're ready to put in the hard graft.”
The new boss was asked about his ten-year coaching career, working his way up through the lower divisions of the football pyramid.
“We all have our own path to take and the road you go down depends on your instinct and your goals. My goal was always to be a head coach. I felt that was what I was meant to do, even before I hung up my boots. I took a punt on myself – no one ever gave me anything for free.
“I've learnt a lot from the route I've taken. I believe that climbing the ladder one rung at a time helps you to improve, to understander football better and to understand the players better.
“The facilities here in Udine are first rate but at lower levels you have to make do with what you have, motivate players who haven't been paid, train with a limited number of balls, and so on. Things like that have helped me. I've reached Serie A now and I feel ready for it. But you never stop learning.”
That same principle applies to Sottil's formation of choice, which is 4-3-1-2.
"I've used all sorts of formations because it's not easy to build a team the way you would prefer to. You need to be smart, adapt to the players you have, and base your tactics on them. It's not a problem for me. In the modern game coaches need to be able to switch between different formations and tactics.
“Playing four at the back is different to playing with three but the principles are the same. I'm not set on one way of playing. Besides, you have to understand Udinese's philosophy. I bought into it when I was a player and as a coach I have no problem playing with a three-man defence – especially as there are lots of footballers here who have been playing that way for years.
As a former centre-back himself, Sottil was never short of grit – and that's something he has carried into his coaching career.
“I haven't changed my approach to matches. I've learnt to be more balanced than when I started out, but that's a natural part of your development. I'm a bit more relaxed and that makes it easier to read the game.
“The defence is a unit that needs to train together and hone specific movements. A forward can have more freedom to float about but the defence needs to move as one and communication is important.”
Pablo Mari and Nehuen Perez – two key defenders from last season – have returned to their parent clubs but Sottil is “not at all worried. The owners are always alert and ready. We'll replace the players who have left with other top-level players.
“I've always dreamt of coaching Udinese because the players suit my football philosophy, which is based on technique, strength, and attacking the spaces. There are a number of players, such as Roberto Pereyra and Gerard Deulofeu, who raise the quality of the team but they're all good players. The youngsters have shown great ability and promise too. I can't wait to start training them properly, to get into the dressing room and get this team where I want it to be in the table.
“Beto is a fabulously talented player with incredible physique and pace. He can score lots of goals and his work rate is excellent. If he can further improve the technical and tactical side of his game and learn to control his strength, he could become one of the best players in Europe."
At the start of the new season, Francesco Guidolin would famously wrote “40 to go” on the blackboard to set the team's target but Sottil admitted he has a different modus operandi.
“I don't like focusing on numbers. We mus try to win every game we have without thinking about long-term targets. We have to prepare well for each match by working hard during the week and without setting any agenda.”
On the coach's request, the club has organised a busy schedule of pre-season friendlies to help the team get into shape before the campaign kicks off.
“It's important that all the players get lots of minutes in their legs. Having back-to-back friendlies means I can rotate the players better, giving them blocks of 30 or 60 minutes, so that we reach our first competitive fixture in the Coppa Italia with a team that's ready and has built up match fitness. Otherwise it can be hard to play at the tempo needed, especially as the league's going to be starting with a bang this season.”