Our new captain Jesper Karlstrom shared his thoughts after Udinese beat Carrarese 2-0 in the Coppa Italia.
“We had a good feeling going into the game today and it was important to win,” the Swedish midfielder began. “Not everything went the way we wanted but Carrarese are a good team. At 2-0 we managed to control the game pretty well but winning was the main thing today.
“It's a wonderful thing to be the captain of this great club and I'm very proud. It doesn't change the way I am but I obviously have to take more responsibility than the others, on and off the pitch. Today was my first match with the armband and we won so I'm happy. During the season I'll speak to the referees partly in Italian and partly in English.
“We've played well with 4-4-2 in pre-season, especially against Strasbourg, but we know we can play 3-5-2 too – as we did many times last year. It's important to play the way that best suits the players, and the opposition of course.
“We want to do better as a team. We've lost some important players but I think we're a better team now than last season. We're feeling good but Serie A is difficult so it's important to get off to a good start.”