Runjaic: “We must reverse the trend tomorrow”

Coach Kosta Runjaic held a press conference ahead of his team’s early kick-off on Sunday against Lecce. Here is what he had to say.

 

 

“I feel well. There’s a lot of tension, but in a good way. We know what situation we’re in; we must remain focused. So far our season has not lived up to expectations, but we can’t change the past. We examined what happened, reviewed many things and prepared well for Lecce. We want to win. Our last win at home was on 2 May, so we’re all the more determined to secure this victory. We’re going through a rough patch, but it’s not a desperate situation. It’s not like nothing is working. If we look back at our last two games, we dominated, the team have improved tactically and this is apparent on the pitch, but football revolves around conceding as few goals as possible. We also know that it’s important to seize the opportunities we get and are able to create; we’ve worked a lot on that. Tomorrow everyone will make their contribution. Our goal is to play without making mistakes. I believe we can do well. I can tell there’s the right energy and so can the team.”

 

 

“Tomorrow [Keinan] Davis will be available and so will [Alessandro] Zanoli: they’ll be very important for us. [Juan David] Arizala has also recovered, while [David] Alaba has had one more week of training. [Nicolo] Zaniolo, [Idrissa] Gueye and [Vakoun] Bayo, on the other hand, are still injured. [James] Abankwah is not injured; he felt a little twinge against Torino, but it was related to his nerves, so he’ll be available for tomorrow.” 

 

 

“A coach must use clear words with his players and I did on this occasion too. He is well aware that his decision led to us conceding a goal. You make many decisions throughout a match, and that was a bad one. If he gives it everything he’s got, Okoye is one of the five top goalkeepers in Serie A. We work a lot with him. In the past two games we dominated and Maduka did not have to do much. We need to find the right balance between calm and tension. Every mistake can have major consequences, so we mustn’t make any. We’ve played against two teams who maintained their compactness while defending; they fought hard and punished us. Tomorrow we must remain focused; we can’t maintain a 100% ball possession, so we need to be ready to defend all together and always be responsive. If we succeed in that, we’ll play a good game. We want our first home win of the season.”

 

 

“It’s a game with a lot at stake. Losing would not help make things better, although the season has just begun. Fans are very important to us. From 2007 to 2013 Udinese did very well at home, but since then the team’s win average has gone down. Two years ago it was seven, last year six. We want to do better. We’re focused on home matches. We want to make our fans happy; every game in Udine must be a celebration. We have the Curva Nord here to support us; seeing all those fans during games is truly amazing. We want to give it our all for our fans and they always support us until the end. I’m not saying that we didn’t give it everything in our recent games, but we didn’t get the results we were hoping for. Tomorrow we’ll have to run a lot, play well both in defence and up front; we have many players who can do a lot for us. I try to stay level-headed because a coach needs to remain sharp in these situations, and that’s what I’ve decided to do. We could’ve secured more points, but it didn’t go our way. Tomorrow we’ll have to reverse this trend by fighting as hard as we can to grab those three points.”

 

 

“All three of them can play; the playing time depends on many factors. Davis in Turin only played for part of the match, but he still stayed on more than we had originally planned. I don’t make decisions on my own and I also take into account my staff’s assessments. Keinan will be part of the starting line-up on Sunday though; the number of minutes he’ll play will also depend on how the game will evolve. Palma has been back since our last game; he feels well, but he’s still young and we’re working with him to help him grow. In these situations it’s up to the more experienced players to take responsibility. We’ll see what happens, but I’m sure we will make some substitutions, since we’re one of the teams that makes the most. What’s important is that those who come on bring new energy and help turn the game around.”

 

 

“We’re focused on the players we have. Gueye and Bayo are strikers, plus we have various centre forwards. We have various players up front. But some situations can’t be anticipated. We have a good mix of experienced as well as young players, who need time. Had I known we would have all these injuries, maybe I would’ve kept [Adam] Buksa, but I’d rather focus on the current situation. [Giulio] Vinciati will get his chance; he’s had some physical problems, also due to the change in intensity from the U20 to the first team. He still has a lot to learn, but he’s got potential. When you sign a new player, that also means that you take space away from players who are already part of the squad. To us, this is a good team, they can do better than last season, but the upcoming games will be crucial. Tomorrow’s match certainly will be.”

 

 

“Thanks to his personality and the way he communicates, he immediately settled in. he’s already shown what he has to offer and despite the challenging situation, he did well against Torino. He is a role model both on and off the pitch for the rest of the team and has a winner’s mentality. Throughout his career, he has won 70% of all the games he’s played, which means a lot. We talk all the time. He’s a good person as well as a symbol of professionalism, humanity and leadership. Will he be in the starting line-up on Sunday? The odds are 51% to 49%.”