Coach Kosta Runjaic met the media on Friday to preview the home match against Bologna on Saturday. Here is what he had to say.
Bologna
“My Serie A debut was against Bologna, so this is a special fixture for me. I remember that match well. We earned a draw with a bit of luck and on the bus home I thought, “I hope I can stay here a long time.” We then started the season well. This year we’ve been more consistent. Our principles and mechanisms are improving and we’re working hard every day to improve. We have many new players, yet we are keeping our level higher than last year.
“I’m happy to return after the international break. Rest is useful, but now we want to play. Bologna are one of the most in-form sides in the league. They are complete, they have quality and they defend man-to-man like Roma. Riccardo Orsolini is possibly the best winger in Serie A. We must give everything, show courage and prove we can compete with anyone. We want to build our season on results at home, helped by our supporters.
“We know Bologna are unbeaten in eight matches, but that doesn’t matter tomorrow. It starts 0-0 and we’ll see how the match plays out. They’ll come here to get a result but so will we. The aim is to put in a strong display, show passion, resist their pressure and bring something home.”
Bravo
“We’re focused on tomorrow and already have plenty on our minds. Iker Bravo has talent and ambition. He showed it last season and scored an important goal against Pisa this year. It’s normal that he’s not fully satisfied now. When you’re young, you are more impatient. Growing means learning to wait for your chance and keeping your emotions under control.
“He played at the U20 World Cup and has again been called up by Spain U21s, which says everything about his quality. Now he needs to work on himself, stay clear-headed, talk less and show more. In football, you’re judged on performances and those come from hard work during the week. We have strong competition up front. If someone isn’t playing, it’s not personal, it’s because someone else is in better form.
“We performed well against Roma but still lost. When that happens, you must reflect on what needs improving to win the next match. The substitutes did well in Rome and will be important again in an intense game tomorrow.”
Kristensen and Miller
“Everyone is doing well, including Kristensen, but he needs at least another week to regain full form. He is training properly but not yet at 100 per cent. Our checks this week showed it was better not to push him fully with the squad. Lennon Miller has recovered, trained well during the break and I’m pleased to have him available.”
Piotrowski, Ekkelenkamp and Davis
“I’m satisfied with Jakub Piotrowski. He’s improving constantly, adapting to Italian football and has great ambition. It is new for him to face such competition in his role, but he knows where he is and he likes this challenge. His commitment in training shows it.
“Jurgen Ekkelenkamp is also in good form in matches and training. He knows he can still improve, especially in his threat in the box, but he’s on the right path and I can see the improvement in previous months. I’m still deciding on the line-up. Both are in contention to start, although to play both I would have to leave out either Arthur Atta or Jesper Karlstrom. We must also consider [Sandi] Lovric, Miller and [Oier] Zarraga. There’s real competition in midfield.
“Keinan Davis has trained with the group. He played a spell against Roma and showed his qualities. We’ll see if he can start tomorrow. We know how we need to play: Bologna are strong in duels and it will be a battle. We must think carefully before decidin