Kosta Runjaic held a press conference on Saturday to discuss Udinese's next Serie A match, at home to Genoa on Monday evening. This is how he responded to questions from journalists:
The last week
“The week got off to a bad start with a virus affecting quite a few players, which made it hard for us to prepare properly for the Juventus game and also meant that we had to travel to Turin on the day. That shouldn't be used as an excuse though. We were coming off a great performance against Parma and morale was good.
"There's not a lot to say about the Juventus game: the first half was our worst performance since I've been here in terms of our courage and energy, but we were playing one of the best teams in Italy and, unlike us, they went into the game with the right mentality. We deserved to lose.
“After the Coppa Italia we rested and returned to work today with an open training session to give the fans a chance to meet the players. It was nice and it did us good. Hopefully we can harness that energy to make a good start to the week against Genoa. We want to give it our all and pick up from the Parma match. We need energy and passion because we want to win.
“[Arthur] Atta got injured. I'd have liked to protect him more but I didn't want to change too much for the Juventus match because I wanted us to give it a good go. Besides losing the match, we've also lost him, but it's all part of the game. We have plenty of midfield options and [Jesper] Karlstrom is fully fit again now.”
Genoa
“I expect a big performance from the team. We know it's an important game for us. We have to become a team that are difficult to play against at home by channelling the energy from our fans. We want to do better than last year at home and be more consistent. Genoa have found some consistency with the new coach and we know what to expect.
“No one is looking for excuses here, be it viruses, injuries or whatever. We're ready. We're all united and we want to show what we're capable of.”
Atta's injury
“Atta's absence is a blow for us because he's a key player but when one player is missing it's an opportunity for other people and the players know that.
“We always work on different formations but lately we've been doing quite well with three at the back, although not always for the full 90 minutes. We have [Thomas] Kristensen back now and, mistakes aside, [Matteo] Palma did well in Turin, especially in terms of his mentality. We have a very young defence and youngsters need time to adapt, improve and find consistency. After Juventus I spoke to the more experienced players to put our ideas across to everyone. Sometimes we're not able to express ourselves fully during the game. Sometimes we feel the pressure, but that doesn't only happen to us. We know what our targets are and we're working intensely to be consistent and pick up as many points as we can.”
Miller and Davis
“When a player is missing, another one steps in. Atta has played a lot and I wanted to rest him against Juventus but [Lennon] Miller and [Jurgen] Ekkelenkamp weren't well in the days before the game and we decided to go with those who were 100%. Miller had a little problem a few weeks ago but he's recovered and he's on the right track. We have three midfielders: Karlstrom is the holding player, he's important to us and he's a leader; one of the others until now was Atta and we alternated other players in the third berth. Miller can't be thrown in just yet. You have to think things through first. We can't afford to experiment too much. We need consistency and players who take responsibility, from the defence through to the attack. We have experienced players and we mustn't place too much responsibility on the youngsters – they need to be given time to develop. That said, when a young player is ready, I pick him ahead of a more experienced one.
“Davis is fine and ready for Monday.”
Africa Cup of Nations
“We're considering our options. After the Napoli match, we'll probably be without Rui Modesto, [Maduka] Okoye, [Vakoun] Bayo and [Jordan] Zemura, but that's something we've known for a while.
“[Hassane] Kamara won't be involved against Genoa but might return for Napoli. We're weighing up who can play on the flanks but that will become a situation after the Napoli game. For Genoa we have everyone available except Atta and Kamara.”
Iker Bravo
“How much he plays depends on lots of factors: our league position, his performances, the match, and so on. When he's fit he can definitely play. He came on against Juventus and did some good things, and some others less good. You have to give youngsters time and have a broad view. Serie A is a big stage and an opportunity to grow but players don't just get put on show – it has to start on the training ground. We know that Iker would like to play more but we have 18 points, Davis and Zaniolo have got four goals each and they're doing a great job. Bravo is important too and he's already scored one goal. We consider all our options. Some need to improve and we're working with them. Iker could play against Genoa from the bench but we also have [Idrissa] Gueye, who is another player with huge potential but not much experience. We need to find more consistency and stability in the standings so that we can hand more opportunities to the youngsters. And if they're in better shape than the more experienced guys, they can play anyway.”