Ahead of Sunday's visit to the Stadio San Siro, Luca Gotti sat down for an exclusive interview with Udinese TV.
You've drawn the last four – with the last one against Hellas particularly frustrating – and now you face Inter. How have the team been preparing for it physically and mentally?
“We're all upset we didn't win against Verona. Now we have our third game in a week and we'll try to recover as best we can and repeat the mental intensity we showed in the first two games, against Hellas and Atalanta.”
Regardless of the penalties and refereeing decisions, have you spoken to the players about staying focused to avoid the sort of mistakes that can ruin otherwise excellent performances, like Wednesday's?
“You can always improve and the first thing we, and I, need to do is to try to cut out our mistakes – that's something every player must work on. Having said that, Verona had their first shot on goal in the 93rd minute. If we didn't allow a team like Verona to shoot for the entire game, it means everyone must have been extremely focused and, up until the penalty, the mistakes very minimal.”
Inter are chasing AC Milan and Napoli at the top of the table. How much has Simone Inzaghi changed them since joining in the summer?
“I think it's the same playing system with a few differences. They're basically a cross between last year's Inter and last year's Lazio. They play a way that suits the current squad – they've replaced two or three players with other top-quality players.”
Is there one thing in particular about Inter that you need to be wary of? What do you want to see from your side tomorrow?
“There's not one specific area because Inter are a great team all round. What I want to see is my team doing everything possible to come away from San Siro with some points in the bag.”
How is Ignacio Pussetto's knee? Gerard Deulofeu is available again – how's he looking?
“Nacho is in the same place he was before the match on Wednesday. He still feels pain. We'll see how it goes next week. Gerard has had one training session with the team. Physically he looks good and I'm sure he'll be able to do his bit.”
The new formation helped Isaac Success show what he can do and can perhaps bring out the best in Deulofeu too. Is it something you're going to continue with?
“It was a shame we had to play Atalanta and Verona – teams who often turn matches into one-on-one battles – without Deulofeu. No two matches are the same and Inter will pose a different threat but there will be times during the match when we find ourselves in situations similar to those we faced in the last two games.”
Will you rotate the team since it's your third game in a week?
“I make a few changes from one game to the next but I'm not planning to completely the team.”