With just one day to go until the return of Serie A, Udinese coach Andrea Sottil discussed his hopes for the year and the latest from the training ground during the break.
“I hope it’s a good year for everyone and on a personal level, I hope to be involved in winning plenty of football matches. We’ve been working hard with great intensity, calmness and the right mental approach, which I feel is just the mix that I like to work with in order to be ready. We’ve got the whole squad back and available, which is so important.”
The break for the World Cup has been something new for everyone involved with football clubs, from the staff to the players. “It’ll be interesting to see how the team approaches the game,” admitted Sottil. “It wasn’t easy mentally and physically. I think that in terms of the staff, we put together an excellent programme, making the most of the time to work hard individually and collectively, allowing us to get our injured players back. A new league begins tomorrow and we’re taking it seriously from the start in front of our fans with three points at stake. We have to be ready.”
The boss also provided an update on the team news front: “[Gerard] Deulofeu is the only player who still needs to be assessed. The attacking duo of Beto and [Isaac] Success complements each other magnificently. They link up so well, as I’ve said in the past. Isaac is more of an advanced playmaker who can link the play and serve up incredible assists. Beto is the classic striker in the box who loves getting in behind. I’ve seen the connection between them develop so much in the last few friendlies. The other players nursing injuries are doing well. Of course, they’ll just need to get more minutes under their belts.
“Empoli are a well-drilled and organised side with their own identity and explosive players who play total football. They have dangerous forwards who can make the most of any spaces that they find. We’ll need to be wary and play on the front foot, while keeping our shape on the pitch and doing all the things we’ve been working on in this period. That’s how we need to approach the game.
“We need to put the first half of the season behind us as it’s in the past now,” concluded the boss. “We have to live in the present in order to be hungry and competitive.”