Following Udinese’s loss to Fiorentina, coach Kosta Runjaic and Group Technical Director Gian Luca Nani held a press conference.
Runjaic: “We played well in the first five minutes of the game; you could tell that Fiorentina were struggling. Then we did them a great favour with that red card. Mistakes happen. We lost a player, but you can still perform well and win with ten players. I am disappointed because the team didn’t react. We conceded too much and gave up when the score was 3-0, and we did so against a team who is fighting to avoid relegation. It’s not easy to bounce back from that.
“We are very disappointed and we’re sorry we let our fans down. We will do better against Lazio. Congratulations to Fiorentina on their win and Merry Christmas to everyone.”
Nani: “It was an unacceptable performance. We’re disappointed that it happened just before Christmas, and it won’t be a nice holiday for us. If you lose 5-1, it doesn’t matter if you’re one man down: 5-1 is 5-1. We knew what the challenges of this match were going to be. A team can also win with 10 players, if it is good and has great ambitions. There are no excuses. We won’t look for any and we’re here because the club stands by the team. You can’t lose 5-1. We were influenced by that red card, but we should’ve had a different attitude.
“I’m concerned because we are unable to reach the next level and it’s a shame because we have a good team. We won’t use the penalty that wasn’t awarded to us at 4-0 as an excuse. We never get those penalties, not even when we’re losing 4-0. Of course, however, we didn’t lose because of the referee. It was our fault. You could tell that Fiorentina were struggling, but we should’ve been able to react to those negative moments, otherwise we won’t make any progress.”