Kosta Runjaic shared his thoughts with the media after Udinese defeated Nottingham Forest and Barcelona to lift the Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup.
“I'm very happy with tonight but I can't say whether or not we've reached our peak. We used two teams and it's not easy to assess games like this, but we won two 45-minute matches and kept clean sheets in both.
“Everything was organised superbly. It was a special night. It was important to put on a great show as we were representing Friuli Venezia Giulia. This was also the first time we've seen our fans this season. It was a great event and I'm sure they'll remember it for a long time.
“The team looked very determined in both matches. We defended well and were strong in the duels. It gives us some good feedback but we're still way off the level we want to be at.
“We want to reach the next round of the Coppa Italia then we'll have a few days before we kick off Serie A against Como, who are a great team. We must keep working and improving.
“The worst time of the season for all coaches is during the transfer window. Udinese develop players who can then be sold on. It's a model that has always been very successful and has enabled the club to remain at a good level in Serie A. All medium-sized clubs live partly off player sales but that's normal in every league. There are another three weeks to go and some of our players might leave but I'm focused on getting the most out of the players available to me. We'll see what happens in the market.
“We've been conceding too many goals in pre-season so today was a good sign. I'm happy for the team that we've been able to wrap up our friendly preparations in the best way possible. I'm happy for all of us that this trophy is staying here in the region. I really liked this event.
“The fans chanting my name? I'm not the first actor on the stage. If we want to get into Europe, it's a long road ahead. We know how many points we need. We'll give our all but if we're talking about results obviously the most important target is to secure our top-flight status as soon as possible, then we'll see. We want to improve on last season. After that perhaps we can dream. Well, the fans can dream – as coaches we have to stay grounded and focus on our work on the pitch.”