Luca Gotti spoke to Udinese TV ahead of tomorrow’s contest with Empoli.
Coach, how have you found things post-Lazio. Did that equaliser give you a real adrenaline boost?
"The match against Lazio was very exciting. We’ve immediately switched our focus to tomorrow's game, given the short time we have available. We focused on correcting the things that didn't go well and that allowed Lazio to score so many goals and, above all, we’ve tried to recover physically."
What have you focused on with your players in recent days, perhaps defensive solidity and playing the ball out?
"With tiredness and muscle fatigue it is not easy to train with intensity. We focused on the tactical side of things. We dealt with several topics, one of those was improving the way we manage the ball."
Empoli are one of the surprise packages this season, conceding and offering a lot at the same time. Do you expect another open and entertaining game?
"Tomorrow I expect a very intense game with two teams full of running."
What kind of team is Aurelio Andreazzoli’s side? Usually Udinese have done well against teams that play that way.
"In this Empoli team, you recognise some of the coach's ideas that we have seen in recent years. It must be said, however, that, being a team made up of different players, it is not the Empoli of two or three years ago under Andreazzoli. It has different qualities that he tries to leverage in another way and the patterns of play are specific to this side."
You will have to deal with several absences, due to injuries and suspensions such as those of Walace and Molina. Will that lead you to think about rotating more broadly, particularly in midfield as Walace is one of the pivots of the team and you have practically always picked him.
"We will be missing some players who have featured heavily in this first part of the league campaign. We’ll need a team in good physical condition."
Also missing in defence is Becao, who has a muscle problem. He’d been an ever present for the team, which says a lot about how valuable he is. Will his absence affect the decision to play three or four at the back tomorrow?
"Not the absence of the player per se, because I have a clear idea of how to approach this game. I’d have adopted the same approach with Becao and I’ll do so with someone in his place."