Kosta Runjaic took stock of Udinese's season when he spoke at a media conference ahead of the team's final league fixture at home to Fiorentina on Sunday.
End-of-season feelings
“I'm focused because we still have an important match to play. Overall we're pleased with the season and we've had some good performances but we want to finish well with a win against Fiorentina in front of our fans.
“We should all keep last season in mind – that's why we're happy with this year. I can't imagine what the final press conference must have been like last season but today we're able to have a relaxed conversation about different things.
“We've never been close to the relegation zone this season. We were high up at the start, then for a long time we were tenth. Now at worst we're going to finish 12th and that's a great result. Obviously we're not happy with everything and there are lots of things we need to improve. We'll sit down and analyse everything in detail.”
Future
“I haven't spoken explicitly about the future with the club but I have another year on my contract. After Fiorentina, we'll analyse the season with a critical eye, as that's how we work. I'm satisfied with the season because we never had any relegation worries and staying up was our primary target. We had some bad spells and that's something we must work on for the future but we're a mid-table team, not a big club, so it's normal to have highs and lows. I work with a clear head, as a coach should, but it's up to others to judge me. It's nice to hear that the club is happy with my work.
“For now we have this last game to play and I'm fully focused on finishing the season in the best way possible with a home win against Fiorentina. It would be a very good sign going into next season.”
Two strikers
“We could play with two big strikers. I'll make the final call tomorrow.”
Progress over the season
“The most important thing is the team works well. Everyone has to play their part. Some play more and contribute more but everyone is important.
“Lucca has improved a lot this season, not just with his goals but his overall play. [Florian] Thauvin has been very important too and a big help. Unfortunately both have been unavailable recently. [Keinan] Davis has had lots of injury problems but he's still managed to help the team and we missed him.
“The young players have improved. [Arthur] Atta has made a lot of progress. [Iker] Bravo, in his first season with the first team, has scored and made lots of substitute appearances but it's only the start. We have to demand more and that's what we expect. Bijol is another player who has improved.
“We can make comparisons with last season, when Udinese were bottom of nearly all the stats: possession, duels, passing... If we analyse the data now, regardless of the results, we've taken a big step forward. We must do better still and reduce the mistakes if we want to be more consistent. Part of my job is analysing the situation, knowing what to work on and thinking about future scenarios that can help us improve.”
Transfers
“First of all, when other clubs are interested in our players it's a positive sign because it means we've reached a good level. It's part of the game. The aim is to improve the team but also the individual players, although that can come with a drawback because if you lose an important player you have a gap to fill and we'll work to fill any gaps over the summer.
“If we want to make progress, we have to focus on the way we want to play. I'm learning too. It was my first time in Serie A and now that I have a clearer picture I'll be able to work better next season. The league is divided in two in quality terms and on that basis we must create our playing style. We need to bring in the right players for the way we want to play – that will be our thinking when we replace anyone who leaves.
“We should be optimistic about the future. There's great communication within the club and we're all working together to find the right way for Udinese and the right players to achieve our targets. We'll see what the future holds. We'll go on holiday with certain expectations. We may have to replace some players but we'll be ready for it.”
Bijol, Kamara, Giannetti
“[Jaka] Bijol should be available for this game. He's started training with the team again and I'm fairly confident he'll be able to play. [Hassane] Kamara won't, however. We don't think it's a very serious injury and he should be 100% for the start of pre-season.
“[Lautaro] Giannetti has played well when he's been called upon but there's a lot of competition in defence. [Oumar] Solet and Bijol have always produced top-level performances and [Thomas] Kristensen has often done well so Lautaro ended up playing less. Generally coaches don't like switching around too much in defence unless they have to. In the first half of the season we often alternated players while in the second half we had a lot more stability. In any case, Giannetti is a reliable option.
“There are other players who aren't happy with their playing time but that comes with the territory. Everyone knows how football works. There will always be some players who play more and some who play less. But if you look at the stats for the season, nearly everyone has played.”
Thauvin
“We do miss Thauvin but that's nothing new. In a squad like ours, it's impossible to replace a player with that sort of technical ability but other teams suffer when they're missing their best players too. We've been without Thauvin for two months and we've had to adapt but he'll have recovered by July and will start pre-season with the rest of the team.”
Sunday's opponents
“Fiorentina need to win at all costs on Sunday. It's not all in their hands but they can still get into Europe so I expect them to play with anger and passion. They have a lot of quality, a formidable striker in [Moise] Kean, [Robin] Gosens, a pacy, top-quality player like Dodo, a very dynamic midfield, great character and a good goalkeeper. That's why they're in the top half of the table.
We want to make it tough for them. We remember beating them earlier in the season and we want to repeat that. We're going to need intensity and focus and we'll need to keep the ball more than we did against Juventus. We'll need a lot of energy because it's going to be hard fought with duels in every area of the pitch. If we win those, we can win the game.”
Stadium atmosphere
“There will be an amazing atmosphere at the stadium, as there is for every home game. We've always had magnificent support. We're a team that needs to grow but the fans have always got behind us and we want to repay them with our performances. On Sunday we must play with passion and show our fans. They've suffered in some games. We want Sunday to be a nice evening for them. We'll try to play well and we want to win.”
Future leaders
“[Jesper] Karlstrom slotted into the team well and adapted to Serie A quickly this season. Compared to when he was playing in Poland, he's improved a lot. He's the sort of player who stands up and takes responsibility and I expect him to do that even more in future.
“We'll see who joins then we'll assess the situation and decide who could be a leader of this team. Leaders have to feel the bond between the team and the local area, Friuli.
Thauvin is our captain. He has a big personality and produces big performances. We need to give the younger players time to develop. Kristensen is a player with a lot of room for improvement and [Maduka] Okoye – who's in his first full season as number one – is another.
“There are numerous players I expect a lot from. We'll draw our conclusions from this season with a view to next season so that we can improve. I'm not just talking about the players but myself as well. I've learnt a lot from this year and I'll put the experience to good use next year.”
Sanchez
“Alexis could play and possibly from the start. I'll make my decisions tomorrow as we still have our final training session. I don't want to talk about who will start because things could change between now and Sunday. Sanchez is a very good option. We'll see.”