Kosta Runjaic held a press conference on Saturday afternoon – the day before Udinese's away game at Lecce. This is what he had to say to the gathered journalists:
Preparations for the game
“We got the week off to a good start by beating Roma with a solid performance. It's not going to be easy against Lecce but there are no easy games in Serie A. We want to be consistent and come back with as many points as possible. They've lost a lot of games but they've had some good performances. They're a difficult side to play against. I expect there to be lots of duels. They're scrapping for points to stay up and they'll play aggressively. Recently they've done well in possession too. We'll need to give it our all, use the ball well and make them run. The players seemed very focused this week, as they have been in recent weeks. We've recovered after Roma and prepared well for this match.
“We have various options in attack. [Nicolo] Zaniolo is better but I can't tell you if he'll start. We have to remember that he had an operation and came back very quickly. If he does start, he hasn't got 90 minutes in him, but it's good to have him with us.
“[Adam] Buksa has started training with the team again. He'll be on the bench and might be able to play a part – so that's good news. We have alternatives to [Keinan] Davis. The focus will be on the team tomorrow: we must all work together.
“[Jakub] Piotrowski will return to full training next week and [Hassane] Kamara is improving. Next week we'll have more players available.”
Ambition
“If the players and I say that our target is to make sure we stay up, it's not because we lack ambition but because that is our first target. Staying in Serie A for over 30 years is a huge achievement. Perhaps it's become normal but Serie A is a difficult league and this year is even tougher than last year. We must keep that in sight but it doesn't mean we won't try to get the most we can from every match and that we won't try to win as many games as possible.
“In any case, I prefer to focus on the present: we must get better in various areas and that's what we'll do. What matters most is our attitude – the result is a consequence of that. Udinese have been in the top flight for a long time and it's a wonderful story. We can set our sights higher but we have to grow as a team. We must plan and give players the time to develop. We have a lot of different players to last year and if everything goes well we can achieve certain targets but to do that a team has to be built in a certain way. We have our philosophy. The players know that if they perform well here, offers come in and then it's hard to keep them. It's been like that for years in Udine and the team has never gone down. Loads of top-quality players have come through this club.
“We're happy with our season so far. We want to do better but we're not looking too far ahead. The primary goal is still ensuring top-flight football but we want to do everything we can do improve on last season. I've mentioned 50 points before: it's been a long time since Udinese reached that figure and it's very hard to do in Serie A. Players come and go here and every season you have to sort a lot of things out at the start. We're pleased with the way our players are coming along but we must keep working.
“Now we're thinking about Lecce because we have enough experience to know it won't be simple. They want to avoid relegation and they'll be going all out. We want to play well and keep moving forward. I'm optimistic but it's better to talk less and produce more on the pitch.”
January transfers
“Having young players go out on loan is part of the Udinese philosophy. It's an opportunity for them to further their development and we're curious to see how thing go. Our players need to keep growing. We can't have them standing still here. We took the right decisions in the transfer window. There were more outgoing players than incoming but we have a full squad and confidence in our players. Sometimes it's actually better to have fewer players as you can do more specific, more intense work.
“We've signed two young players who I'm happy to have here. They're talented and have the right character for Udinese. They need to settle in but I can't wait to see the fruit of their work. [Branimir] Mlacic has played a lot of games in the Croatian league and he has a lot to offer. He'll need time to adapt but he's a great prospect for the future. I want players who have the right quality, mentality and maturity to establish themselves in Serie A. I don't like to experiment. We want to get points and win matches. To do that we need quality players. The newcomers need to grow and then they'll be able to contribute to the cause.”