“Our desire to win probably made us a bit unbalanced in the first half,” explained Udinese coach Gabriele Cioffi after the 1-1 draw away to Sassuolo in Reggio Emilia.
“We gave them too much space, but did well to stay in the game.”
The team’s deserved equaliser was netted by substitute Bram Nuytinck in the second half, with the boss keen to praise the goalscorer.
“I’m pleased the goal was scored by a player who I haven’t been able to pick much in recent games.”
Cioffi rang the changes in the 60th minute, sending three players on who were full of energy to guarantee more freshness and “cutting edge”, which is an ingredient that “has to be used well” in the last two games of the season.
As for the team’s mentality and ability to make sacrifices, the coach was keen to focus on how “the path taken is the right one. Being at the top of our game is paying off. [Ilija] Nestorovski is an example of that. He’s not had much game time under me, but he came on and did so well. This means everyone wants to show what they can do.
“The team was able to dig in without losing our shape, which meant we could stay clear-headed.”
The boss concluded by looking ahead to the final two fixtures: “We want to get as much as we can out of our upcoming games.”