Runjaic: "We want to be a different team against Milan"

With Udinese v Milan just one day away, coach Kosta Runjaic held a press conference. Here is what he had to say.

 

“We mustn’t forget about our match against Lecce. We made many mistakes and got off to a bad start. We’ve suffered many consecutive defeats and the one against Lecce was our lowest point. We’ve discussed it and the impression was that in that game we’d given up. That’s something that just can’t happen, especially in front of our fans. We want to be a different team against Milan. We mustn’t get carried away by our emotions; we need intensity, commitment and teamwork. Then we’ll see what the result is. Maybe against Lecce expectations were too high and we were unable to react. It’s my third season here and that game was our very worst. We need to learn from that.”

 

“After a defeat, questions must be asked and solutions found. We need to have our core principles on the pitch. Every coach wants to see a team who follow these principles, win duels and give it their all. We must improve on set-pieces; that’s how we conceded two goals against Lecce and Milan are good at set-pieces. We must implement what we’ve worked on during the week. We must stay united when things get hard. Last time we faced Milan we won 3-0 at San Siro, but it was no easy game. We played with great intensity, stayed focused and defended together. Tomorrow we must all be concentrated; our fans will be there to support us. They have every right to be disappointed with our performance against Lecce. Tomorrow they’ll see a team with a different attitude.”

 

“I always give it everything. We’ve trained well this week. I took full responsibility for the game against Lecce and will do the same against Milan. The club believes in me and I must repay that trust. I feel I have a responsibility towards the team and the fans. I need to ensure that the lads are more prepared. The performance against Lecce was an outlier that came at the wrong time. Even if we had been higher in the table, everyone still would’ve been angry about that performance. Tomorrow we can turn things around.”

 

“Zaniolo is going to play tomorrow, but not as a starter. We need to be careful, as we are all aware of his previous injuries. He can’t wait to play and wants to help the team. I’m happy he’s back. We have three games in one week. We’ll see how he does against Milan and then we’ll make our decisions.”

 

“Solet had a little problem, so we’ll see if he can play tomorrow. If he can’t, we’ll work with him so that he can play in our next game. Zanoli will not play; he had a small relapse, but it’s perfectly normal after such a serious injury. We’re working with him so that he can recover soon. Abankwah was already available against Lecce, but I didn’t want to take any risks. He will play tomorrow. [Jakub] Piotrowski will also be available.”

 

“Milan, alongside Inter, are the team with the highest rate of ball possession; they have a lot of quality. We won’t be on the ball much, so we’ll have to work hard in defence and take advantage of spaces as soon as we see them. It’s an important game, so we must be disciplined, united, focused and give it our all when things get hard.”

 

“We watched Milan on Thursday; their defeat can have many tactical explanations. They still have a lot of quality. They can play very good direct football and do well in one-on-one duels. We must close all spaces well, do well in one-on-one duels and seize all the chances we get. They have more strengths than weaknesses. We must focus on what we’re going to do on the pitch. Then, we’ll see what the outcome will be.”