Udinese face Salernitana on Saturday in their last away match of the season. Coach Andrea Sottil is expecting good things from his players. “We’ve worked hard this week. We didn’t manage to beat Lazio and no one is happy when we lose. We’ll use our anger to make us determined to bring home the points. The players have trained with intensity and the right attitude this week.
“I’m not going to talk about the controversy in the last game because enough has already been said about that. Luca Pairetti’s suspension says it all. The trip to Salerno will be tough, but we want to go there and put in a good performance, bringing important points home with us.”
“Our main aim is to keep this mentality going and stay true to our identity. As well as our points record, we want to finish as high up in the league as possible. We know what kind of form Salernitana are in and they’ll want to win the game, but that’s also what we need to do in order to achieve our goals. We’ve not won away from home for some time. The team are focused and eager, so I’m expecting a big performance.”
Despite the situation in camp, the Udinese coach is taking a practical approach. “We have some players out, but as we’ve said many times, we’re not about to make excuses. We just need to train as best we can.”
Sottil is expecting it to be quite a different game from their encounter earlier in the season thanks to the efforts of Salernitana’s new coach. “The team has really taken on board Paulo Sosa’s ideas since he arrived. From our analysis, it seems like they are organised at the back and don’t leave space between the lines, effectively cutting off passing options. They’re well-balanced when they push forward and take a pragmatic approach. It’s made them a solid team. Despite the fact that they haven’t won many games and have picked up lots of draws, they’ve earnt some crucial points. On an individual level, they have some great players who make the most of the work they’ve done up to this point.”