13 August 2022
13 August 2022

Sottil: "Baptism of fire"

The coach spoke after the Milan game

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Andrea Sottil was interviewed after his side lost their opening fixture of the 2022/23 Serie A season 4-2 to Milan away from home. Here’s some of what he had to say:

“It felt amazing to be back at San Siro as a coach; I was swelling with pride. The match was a baptism of fire. While we lost the game I enjoyed how Udinese played at times. We performed well and showed courage. We should’ve made more of the chances that came our way and we need to improve when it comes to keeping goals out. The Milan game is in the past now, though. It’s time to turn our heads to our next game.

“There’s no way it was a penalty. I’ve seen the incident again. That being said, we were at fault for the other goals. Our marking should’ve been better for the second and we were lacking in concentration for the third and fourth. 

“I was a big fan of the courage and personality the team showed; we could’ve got a different result. It’s up to me and the lads to hone certain aspects. We’ve got a big week ahead of us with a home game at the end of it in which we need to pick up points.

“As for Destiny Udogie’s fitness, he’s been dealing with fatigue and had been following a different training schedule; that’s why he didn’t come along.

“I’m happy with the forwards we’ve got at the club. Isaac Success played well, and Gerard Deulofeu is a class act. The same goes for Ilija Nestorovski and Beto. They gave their all and while we need to be more precise in the next match I’m not concerned about our forward line.

“Regarding our defence, I think we’ve got some top players in that department including newcomers such as Jaka Bijol and Enzo Ebosse. Adam Masina hadn’t been playing in Italy for a while and Nehuen Perez has only just rejoined. We had to deal with some pacy forwards. Some of the goals came from our lack of concentration. I’m convinced that through hard work and belief we can improve in this area.”