Simone Scuffet appeared on Udinese Tonight on Monday to discuss his season so far and look ahead to the team’s upcoming fixture against Juventus.
“The embrace at the end [of the Benevento game] was a sign of the unity within this group – we love working together and reaching our goals,” said Scuffet. “It was our way of celebrating the win because it was a massive three points for us. We told each other that we deserved the win, because it was the culmination of all the work we’ve done this year, despite all the difficult moments. Hard work is the only reason we’ve got to this stage of the season with the points tally we have.”
Scuffet had messages of support for Matteo Carnelos and Ilija Nestorovski after their injury news.
“I want to send all my support to Matteo and Ilija, who are great friends of mine and are going through a tough time – I’m sure they’ll come back stronger than ever,” he said. “I’m very disappointed for Ilija because he was going to be involved in the Euros this summer and that was going to be the most important moment of his career. These injuries are a reminder of just how unpredictable life – not just football – can be, so we need to enjoy every moment.”
Scuffet went on to look ahead to Sunday’s match against champions Juventus.
“This needs to be a normal working week in training for me,” he said. “Sunday will be a great game and it’s fantastic to be involved. The build-up will be the same as normal – I’ve always given my all in training. The only difference is we have a massive game at the end of the week.
“Juan [Musso] is having a rest on Sunday. We’ll continue to work together all week – we have a great group of goalkeepers here and it’s fantastic to be able to work together.
“We do this job because we love it. When we play it should be about joy and fun, not stress or anxiety. That’s the way you have to approach this job.”
Scuffet also spoke about Nahuel Molina and Jayden Braaf, both of whom have had their first taste of Italian football this season.
“Molina and Braaf are both great lads as well as great players – they can achieve big things,” he said. “Both are in their first year in Italy but they’ve already been able to show their talent. We’re well aware that Italian football requires certain attributes that aren’t so necessary elsewhere, but they have time to learn. Braaf scored a great goal yesterday.”
Scuffet was recently voted the best goalkeeper in Serie B 2019/20 by goalkeeping coaches in the league – and the Udinese keeper was full of gratitude for the accolade.
“It’s always nice when your work is recognised,” he said. “This award was especially nice because it was decided by goalkeeping coaches I’d competed against throughout the year. They will have watched all the games carefully, from a specific perspective. There are some things that only people who have been goalkeepers can see and understand. To receive the award at a time when I’ve not been playing also gives me added motivation to keep improving.”
Last but not least, Scuffet looked ahead to his objectives for the rest of the season.
“It would be great to finish as high up the table as possible,” he said. “Finishing ninth is not the same as finishing 15th. We need to continue to show that we’re working hard every day to finish as high up the table as we possibly can.”