Andrea Sottil commented on Udinese's performance after they beat Lecce 2-0 in a friendly match on Friday.
“We were up against a well-drilled side and it turned out to be a very intense encounter," the boss began. "[Marco] Baroni's team are hard to play against and they're strong going forward. It was played at a high tempo.
“I must admit we didn't start particularly well but we grew into the game. We had lots of chances and we didn't concede, which is always a plus. I could see a lot of progress compared to our previous friendlies.”
Udinese's last match before Christmas saw the return of Rodrigo Becao and Jean-Victor Makengo.
“This was the date we had in mind in our initial programme,” the coach continued. “It's a shame [Destiny] Udogie couldn't make his return too but he had flu and we didn't want to risk it. Becao and Makengo are quality, physical players with great leadership skills. I knew they wouldn't be able to play the whole match but the 45 minutes they did play was useful to improve their fitness. They both performed well too.”
Festy Ebosele also caught the eye with his display.
“It's good to see our young players improving. They're smart lads with tremendous quality who have come on no end since July and we've seen that in these recent friendlies. That's certainly the case for [Festy] Ebosele. I'm pleased with the work our staff have done. We have to keep it up.”
The boss ended with a message for the fans: “I'd like to wish all Udinese supporters and their families a very happy Christmas from the bottom of my heart.”