Saturday’s win against Sampdoria leaves Udinese in a much more comfortable position ahead of their upcoming games, the first of which is against Roma on Sunday. Goalkeeper Marco Silvestri spoke exclusively to Udinese TV about the significance of the result as he looked ahead to the rest of the season.
“We got a crucial win against Sampdoria. We’re at that point in the season where winning and losing can be make or break. We managed to get the win, setting us on a really positive trajectory at the moment. The victory against Samp was a continuation of all the good things we’d been doing in the previous games.
“We’ve been working with [Gabriele] Cioffi for a while now, and we’ve managed to take on board what he wants from us. We’re definitely a different side from when he first took over. He wants us to have a clear identity, which is what we’ve displayed out on the pitch in recent games. As the coach said, he was happy with our approach and character against Sampdoria. As we work together more, we will be able to act further on what he asks of us.
“I think we can have a positive end to the season. We have two games in hand on most teams, and we still have to play against Spezia, Venezia and twice against Salernitana. These teams are all in and around the same level as us, so we have a chance to bring home some points. Out of the top teams, we only have Napoli and Inter still to come, but like against any other side, we can still go out and play our game.
“Roma are a top quality side. The win against Samp gave us lots of confidence, so Sunday’s match is coming at an excellent time. In all our home games, aside from the Napoli one, we have put in fantastic performances. We will certainly try to go out and get three points. We need to assert our identity on the game.
“It’s really hard to see very little goalmouth action in a match because you have to stay focused, even when you haven’t touched the ball for 20-30 minutes. It’s not always possible to maintain such a high level of concentration. I’ve felt a lot more tired in recent games, like the one against Sampdoria, compared to matches where I’ve had to make multiple saves. When you’re not making saves, you can never relax. You’re always on edge and trying to concentrate. It’s very tough mentally.
“I hope that we can get as many points as possible during this final part of the season and make sure that we reach safety as soon as we can. On a personal level, I hope to let in as few goals as possible.”