During the international break, Christian Kabasele, who scored a goal for Udinese against Cagliari in their last match, went as a guest on Udinese Tonight. The Belgian defender talked about that particular goal, his role in the team, the current phase the team are going through and the potential of his younger team-mates.
The chat started with the goal against Cagliari: “I really deserved it. I’m one of those players who really works hard, regardless of whether I’m going to play or not. And when you work as much as I do, life always gives you something back. It was a great moment for me, especially after what I’d gone through in the days prior to the match.” Kabasele lost his grandmother a few days before the game. “I wanted to keep it to myself and not say anything to the team because I’m a leader in the dressing room and I didn’t want them to be sad too; I wanted instead to share a positive feeling with them ahead of the match. I only told the coach about it, and it wasn’t easy. I prioritised the team, as they needed me to be strong before the match.” Then, after scoring that goal, he shed some tears and made a dedication: “The coach said that my goal was a sign from above. Unfortunately [Thomas] Kristensen got injured the day before the match, so I got the chance to play and make my contribution. The coach told me to push up if I got a chance and try to score. He was right.”
Christian Kabasele’s goal against Cagliari was his fourth in 34 matches playing for Udinese. It’s an excellent average for a defender. “I’ve managed to score many goals in just a few matches. The only negative side to it is that we’ve never won when I’ve scored. However, this means that I can score an even more important goal in the future.” There was actually a fifth goal that he scored last season at San Siro, but it was disallowed because he was just inches offside. “It still hurts, because my friends were there at the stadium and scoring in front of them at the last minute against Milan was so amazing. If [Jurgen] Ekkelenkamp had had a smaller size shoe, maybe the goal wouldn’t have been disallowed (laughs, Editor’s note). It really bothers me because it’s hard to understand how the VAR can intervene in that type of situation.”
Three out of the four goals by Kabasele were the result of set pieces. “We focus a lot on set pieces. When we’re not lucky enough to score from open play, like against Cagliari, we always have corners at our disposal. We can score many goals that way. Last year we were the second team with the most set-piece goals behind Inter. We have everything we need to score even more. I can’t say how many we’ll score, as we also have to take into consideration our opponents and by now the other teams know that we’re good at scoring from set pieces.”
Then the current phase the team are going through was discussed, as Udinese prepare for their next match against Cremonese on Monday: “After playing against Inter, we had the impression that we could have a great season, but after our game against Milan we started having some misgivings, and playing like that is always hard. Then came our match against Sassuolo, in which we did everything wrong in the first half. We can bounce back in our two upcoming matches. If we bring home six points, we can reach an average of nearly two points per match, which would be a good start of the season.”
Arthur Atta’s performance has been consistent with that of the team, but Kabasele considers him a great player: “I believe he felt a lot of pressure. Everyone was talking about him after the first few matches. He has too much pressure on him to be decisive in the game. When he finds the peace and freedom he felt in the first matches, we will see that player again. I believe he will play for a major club in the future; he can truly become a great player. We mustn’t forget that the team did not play well after our match against Pisa, and this of course didn’t help him feel freer on the pitch. When you’re weaker behind, your forwards won’t feel as confident as they should. The team need to be more solid to see what Atta can truly do.” The first few matches were very good not only for the French player, but also for Thomas Kristensen: “He looked very comfortable at centre-back. I have a good relationship with him. I’ve seen him grow year after year. He always asks me for advice. I talk a lot with him. After our match against Frosinone two years ago, he came to me and said, ‘thank you, you’ve helped me a lot this year.’ I was very happy to hear that from him. Having this type of relationship with a player who plays in the same position as you isn’t all that common. I have a more special relationship with him than with any other player. I am sure he will have a great career. He has everything a player needs to succeed. Maybe he just needs to believe a bit more in himself, because just like Atta he has a lot of potential.”
These accounts too help understand the importance of Christian Kabasele in the dressing room, but now he can show that he can also do a lot on the pitch: “I knew it was going to be my role in the team even before I signed the contract, but I still thought I’d get the chance to play a few matches. Now my moment is here. I have to be ready to help the team. I still don’t know whether I’m going to play. The coach has many options to choose from. I have to continue working and I hope I’ll get to play the next one.” This opportunity alone is a reward for all the hard work Kabasele has always done throughout his entire career: “It’s always been like that. I’ve always had to do a bit more than the others. Maybe people don’t believe in me enough, I don’t know why. I’ve always had this mindset of being ready when the time comes and so far, it has paid off a lot: it was also apparent last week when I scored. As I’ve always said, the team is what matters most.”
Kabasele’s career began with him playing as a forward. The Belgian defender, however, would not go back to that position: “I prefer playing as a defender now; it’s the right position for me on the pitch. Initially I struggled to play in defence because I had to be focused all the time. When you’re a forward, you always have one or two chances to score, while as a defender every mistake you make is a chance for your opponent. You must always be completely focused.” Then, as a well-established defender, he moved to Watford and then Udinese, for which Kabasele thanked Andrea Carnevale: “I must thank Andrea. Without him I wouldn’t have played for Watford and then Udinese and perhaps I wouldn’t have done all the great things I’ve done throughout my career. He’s a very important person for me.” What about once his career comes to an end? We won’t necessarily see him as a coach: “The problem is my wife: I’m never at home (he laughs, Editor’s note). For now I don’t want to be a coach. I want to stay home more with my wife and children, then we’ll see what happens.”
Finally, he gave his opinion as a team veteran on two of the most interesting players in the squad according to him, namely Lennon Miller and Matteo Palma. Here’s what he said about the Scot: “From the very first days I saw him, I could tell that he had a lot of quality and personality, he was good at passes and wasn’t afraid of trying things. He’s just 19 years old, but he’s not afraid of going into tackle. He will be an important player for this team.” Kabasele also praised the Italian-German player: “He was a child when he started training with us last year. During our training camp in Austria this year, I saw a different player, a player who wants to show that he can play in Serie A. He played very well in our two Coppa Italia matches; the team didn’t help him much against Sassuolo and he didn’t play as well. He can become a great Udinese player. He mustn’t be questioned just because he didn’t play well against Sassuolo. He will play an important role in the team next year. I’ve always been a bit harder on him because I see the attributes of a major team player, as well as huge potential. He needs to grow and be aware that he can have a great career: that is the next step for him.”