Gabriele Cioffi spoke to Udinese TV ahead of Sunday's trip to Venezia. This is what he had to say...
What sort of a week has it been after a superb win against Cagliari last time out?
“I can't deny that after such a big win as a coach your main concern is whether the team will retain the right attitude the next week. The lads have looked professional and determined to reach our 40-point target as soon as possible. We can't afford ourselves the luxury of thinking that 35, 36 or 38 points might be enough.”
You have a few more players available compared to the Cagliari game but you're without Roberto Pereyra. Will you change formation to compensate for his absence?
“If we want to achieve our goal, we need everyone to contribute. Pereyra is a key player for our team and I'm sure he'll be a very important player for Argentina too. He's ageless, lively, determined, and in incredible physical shape. He was a major contributor to our win over Cagliari with a couple of pieces of magic. In any case, I'm sure that whoever plays – albeit with different qualities – they will perform at the highest level.
How has Beto been this week after ending his barren run with a hat-trick against Cagliari?
"He's been looking good – as he has done in previous weeks. He's the sort of player who celebrates when he scores in training, who knuckles down and is constantly trying to learn from his mistakes and improve his game.”
Udinese haven't won back-to-back matches since the start of the season. Would beating Venezia be a sign the team has found some consistency?
“Every match is important and you must try to win them all. That much is a given. But consistency will take us closer to our goal, which is to reach 40 points as quickly as possible. Then we'll see.”
Venezia are in a precarious position now having lost their last five and they've failed to score in their last three. Are you expecting a battle in Venice?
“Definitely. Venezia are still alive and kicking and they're scrapping to stay up. They can play good football and get stuck in and be physical as well. [Paolo] Zanetti did a superb job in Serie B and he's doing well in Serie A this year too. They surprised a lot of people in the first half of the season. They haven't had much luck of late, especially against Spezia. It's a relegation six-pointer for Venezia but it's the same for us too. We'll need to show just as much desire as them”
Six of Venezia's last eight goals have been headers. Is that something you need to be wary of?
"It's one of the dangers, yes. But you can't judge a team by the type of goals they score. There are times in the game when you need to be alert to set-pieces, times when you play on the break, times when you build play from the back. Whichever team understands and makes the most of those moments will come out on top.”
Over 2,000 Udinese fans will be making the trip to the Stadio Penzo. Is that an added incentive for the team at a ground where Udinese have never won in Serie A?
"People have explained to me that Udinese represent not just Udine but the whole of Friuli. We'll have lots of support but also lots of responsibility. We want to make our fans proud of us and what we do on the pitch.”