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Udinese head coach Kosta Runjaic has praised his side for their start to the season, but explained why AC Milan ‘will finish high up in the table’.
Fifth-placed Milan make the trip to face fourth-placed Udinese in the fourth round of Serie A action. The difference between the teams is their results against Cremonese: the Rossoneri suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to the newly-promoted side at San Siro, while the Bianconeri got a draw.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side have recorded back-to-back wins against Lecce and Bologna without conceding, which is a good response. However, Udinese pulled off an impressive scalp by beating Inter away from home, so they are looking for a Milanese double.
Runjaic previews Milan test
Runjaic spoke at a press conference on the eve of the game at the Bluenergy Stadium, in what is a clash between two sides currently in the European places. His words were relayed by TMW.
How are you feeling about the start?
“It must be said that we’ve only played 8% of the matches. We’re clearly satisfied with the points we’ve collected so far. We’re working well, but we still have a long way to go. We need to stay focused throughout the season; this season will have its own story compared to last year.
“We’ve started well, and now in front of Milan and our fans, we’ll try to put in a good performance. It’s up to us to continue this trend. We need to keep our feet on the ground. We want more consistency than last year.
“To achieve this, we need to think day by day and give it our all in every match, aiming to win. Milan are coming, a new team compared to last season, with a coach who has brought a wealth of experience. They’re a stable team that plays with discipline, a team with great players.
“They’ve also signed Modric and Rabiot, who bring a wealth of experience. It’ll be a tough match, but I can’t wait to play it and see how the team face Milan, a team that will finish high up in the table. We don’t know where we’ll finish, but tomorrow we want to put in a good performance.”
Should a winning team be maintained?
“It depends. Different ideas can vary depending on the opponent. We need to bring our playing principles to the pitch, which is to say, playing with courage. So far, we’ve translated what we’ve practiced in training onto the pitch, but we’ve made mistakes that we need to avoid.
“For example, against Pisa, Solet failed to clear a dangerous ball properly, and against Milan, we can’t afford to make a mistake like that. We’ll need to be focused in every situation. I’m satisfied with the work we’ve done.
“It’s a pleasure to be here every day, spending so many hours with the lads. We now want to translate the weekly work onto the pitch, and that’s what we’ll try to do tomorrow. In football, you have to keep working, stay on top of things. I can’t say anything about the lineup yet.
“Everyone is available, even Bayo. Lovric is recovering, so I’m happy to have the entire squad available. We also have more quality on the bench. With such a deep squad, it’s sometimes difficult to choose, but that’s also an advantage.”
Tomorrow you will meet Allegri and an iconic player like Modric. Will you talk to him?
“If the opportunity arises, I’ll definitely talk to him. His history speaks for itself. He’s an extraordinary player, an example, I think, for all athletes in the world of football. Being able to play at this level at his age isn’t just a matter of genetics, but also of daily work.
“All the players who want to produce this kind of performance do an extraordinary job both on and off the pitch. I’m happy to be able to see him. I watched the match against Bologna; he was the metronome, he already knew who to pass it to and where the others were going.
“He’s very familiar with the ball, and we already know that. He’s integrated very quickly. It would be nice to talk to him after the match, maybe not before because we’ll be focused. I’d seen the documentary on Juventus, so I saw Allegri. I know he works on the details.
“If you manage to win the Scudetto with two different teams, it means the coach deserves credit. He puts a lot of emphasis on communication, he has experience, and he brings it to the pitch: you can already see Allegri’s touch in the first few games.
“Milan are disciplined and difficult to play against. I think they’ll improve game by game, and I can’t wait to get into this battle.”
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“The boy is young, it’s his third year here, the past two years haven’t been easy for him, but he’s gained a certain amount of experience, he’s grown, he’s matured, thanks to his work.
“He’s also managed to learn from his mistakes, he trains diligently, and in every match he plays he continues to mature, I think the improvement is evident to everyone. He’ll have to confirm that against Milan too, he’s improved now, he’s stable, and that’s important for a central defender.
“He’s done an extraordinary job and is a pillar of our defense, I’m optimistic he’ll continue to improve. Whether he’ll play for Milan, Turin, Sassuolo or PSG in the future, I can’t say, and it’s not the time to think about the transfer market, but it’s normal for young players to grow and then be able to make a leap forward thanks to the performances he showed against Udinese.
“As for harmony, that’s always important, we’re a family, that doesn’t mean we don’t address certain issues. We’re working diligently, young players have arrived, then we’ll see what happens. They are players who are still young but experienced, like Solet, we want to continue working like this.”
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