Following Udinese’s home defeat against AC Milan on Sunday our Spanish midfielder Oier Zarraga appeared as a guest on Udinese Tonight. The discussions focused on the team's current situation and how it can overcome its recent struggles.
“We’d hoped that we’d have a good season, certainly better than how it’s going. However, I’m still positive. I think we can make significant progress. We’ve had a poor start, but we did have a good campaign in 2025/26. There have been positives in the first few months, and we can turn this around. If we stick together we can pull this off.
“It’s the defeats caused by naive mistakes that are the most painful ones. The match against Lecce wasn’t great, but that can be explained. However, it’s harder to reason with defeats like our one against Cagliari. We’re conceding avoidable goals and that hurts. Right now, we’re struggling to react after letting in goals, which wasn't the case before. When you give everything to win but don't get what you deserve - as was the case against Cagliari – then it’s tough to swallow. However, if we start believing that we can't overcome these challenges then things become even more complicated. We’ve put in top performances in the past, and I see no reason why we can't return to that level.
“We’re equipped to play in different formations. During pre-season we tested both a three-man and a four-man defensive line, and we’ve got experienced players who’ve played in a variety of roles. Above all, we need to focus on giving everything we have, because victories will surely follow. There’s little to be said, but plenty to be done.
“I don’t think I’ve ever lost six matches in a row before in my career. We’ve got to give our all for Udinese, put in a good performance in Parma and get the three points. We need to play as a real team.”