Following Udinese’s 1-0 defeat away at Torino on Sunday, coach Andrea Sottil had some honest words for his players.
“It’s quite simple: if we want to compete in this league, we must not concede goals like that. We work hard on these kinds of situations in training and we did that a lot this week. You can’t stand off the ball; you have to attack it. It’s a shame because we reacted well afterwards.
“In the first half, we needed to play with more momentum and intensity. We need to develop our courage and individual personality. I say that often because I know that my lads can do it. If we want to raise the bar and take the next step, we must work on this. In terms of commitment and dedication, I have nothing to say. They are fantastic. It goes without saying that if you come to Torino and play in part with this mentality, you’ll run into trouble.”
Sottil was pleased with new signing Florian Thauvin’s performance from the bench. “He came on and showed great personality and commitment. We need to find the best way for him to be in the starting 11, which is something that will happen in the coming weeks. He can play behind the striker, as a winger, or as an attacking midfielder. Today, I couldn’t have done it any other way: I put him behind the two forwards, even though Success was very tired, because we were losing.”