Runjaic: "We'll give it everything"

Kosta Runjaic met with the media on Friday afternoon ahead of the visit of Atalanta on Saturday. This is what the coach had to say:

 

 

“Thankfully [Keinan] Davis has only picked up a minor muscle complaint. If all goes well, he should be available for the Roma game. [Iker] Bravo has been training very well and he'll be in the squad. 

 

“We're playing Atalanta and while every match in Serie A is mentally and physically intense they are particularly strong physically and in one on ones. They also have a top-quality, well-rounded squad. The match will be played at a high tempo. We're playing at home and it's very important to us. We'll give it everything we've got.”

 

 

“Either [Vakoun] Bayo or [Adam] Buksa will start but I don't know who yet. They both have good reasons to be chosen. We know how we want to play and both of them are contributing well. Buksa has come from a team where he played a lot but he needs to adapt to the intensity of training here. He's doing a great job for the team. In the second half against Juventus he put in a big shift in a tough match. Bayo is working hard but he too needs to adapt. 

 

“We mustn't forget about [Idrissa] Gueye, who is strong and will improve loads. He's young and has lots of room for development. Bravo has shown he can perform well. He's had some ups and downs but it's all part of this development process. Even without Davis, we have several options.”

 

 

“Kristensen is improving. I'm not sure when he'll start training with the team again. If all goes well, we might have him back after the international break.”

 

 

“Saba has had a few difficulties but you have to remember he joined us from a team that got relegated and he's had to adapt to our playing style. He's very young and we need to give him time. Errors are par for the course when you're learning. He made some mistakes against Juventus but I'm not sure the second one was a penalty. Of course he could have been a bit smarter. He's a player who always gives everything and doesn't hold anything back – he goes into challenges with power and energy. He can improve his reading of the game and when he's on the ball, but he's on the right track. I'm not going to crucify him for one game. Overall he's done well, regardless of any mistakes. He's just 21 and needs time. 

 

“We might rotate tomorrow. [Matteo] Palma and [Nicolo] Bertola didn't play in Turin. I expect a good team performance regardless of who plays. We must play like we did in the first half against Juventus – with courage, looking for different solutions in attack, limiting the number of mistakes and working as one at the back.”

 

 

“I'm curious to see how our youngsters develop. Gueye is on the right path: he's strong and can play his part. He's good with both feet and can be a danger in the box. He needs to work on the defensive side of his game and in one on ones, which are not easy in Serie A, but I'm happy to have him and he could feature against Atalanta. We're doing a lot of work with him and he's working to earn himself opportunities. He needs to be patient but I'm optimistic.

 

“[Lennon] Miller has played a bit more but he'd already played lots of games last season. I wanted to try him out against a team like Juventus. He could have done better but he needs a bit of time to grow and we're giving him that.

 

“I opted for [Sandi] Lovric in an interesting and intense match. He's training really well and he's shown me he wants to play his part. It wasn't an easy game. With his experience he perhaps could have taken on more responsibility but that's easier said than done. It becomes even more difficult when you're trailing but it's all good experience. 

 

“If we'd taken the chance to make it 2-2 it would have been different but that's how it went. We have another chance tomorrow and we're 100% focused. Expectations are high. The lads always give their all. We need to improve on a few things against the big teams but we're working on it.”