Gabriele Cioffi insists Udinese cannot rest on their laurels and must keep aiming higher following their recent upturn in form.
Having gone three games unbeaten, Udinese now face a tricky trip to Alberto Gilardino's Genoa.
“Recent results have been good but we expect more because we know we can be better than this,” the boss told the gathered journalists at a press conference on the eve of the match.
“We have lots of room for improvement. After a string of disappointing results we've put a few good results together. We can only regret the points we drop from now on but I think we're on the right track.”
On criticism that Udinese are an overly physical side: “You have to play to your strengths. Being a physical team doesn't mean you can't play good football. We use our physical attributes to attack space but if you look at the games against Sassuolo and Monza, we had a lot of possession and played some nice football.”
The coach then shared his thoughts on Genoa's front pairing, before dismissing any notion of his team being intimidated by the atmosphere at the Stadio Ferraris.
“[Albert] Gudmundsson is a very similar sort of player to [Gerard] Deulofeu. He drags defenders about and hits the accelerator when he receives the ball. We've prepared for the game bearing in mind that he's one of Genoa's star players. [Mateo] Retegui is too but he's more of an off-the-shoulder forward, a penalty-box striker.
“When faced by a hostile atmosphere, you can quake in your boots or you can seize the challenge – and I'm sure we'll seize the challenge.”
Cioffi also offered encouragement to Deulofeu, who recently expressed fears he might not play again due to his injury.
“I've given Gerard my support and I continue to support him. He's a special person and he was a key player for me during my first spell here. I still owe him a pizza for a bet that I hope he wins. He's a champ whether he's playing or not. When he retires, hopefully as late as possible, he won't have any difficulty reinventing himself.”
Asked specifically about Lorenzo Lucca's drop in form after the striker netted four times in December, the coach said: “When you know how important a game is and you've got 200 matches under your belt, you react a certain way; when you have 15, you react a different way. He was frustrated because he wasn't able to have an impact but I'm sure he'll play well against Genoa.”
In response to suggestions that Isaac Success refused to come on against Monza, Cioffi explained: “I asked him if he felt up to it because he's had a thigh problem. He said he didn't. It's wrong to make one player the scapegoat.”
The boss then delved into other matters of team selection:
“I hope to have [Roberto] Pereyra back for Salernitana. I see him as a wing-back, central midfielder, second striker, striker, playmaker and goalkeeper. As a player I want to have on the pitch.
“[Hassane] Kamara is better and he's really determined to win back that starting berth on the left.”
Cioffi also explained why Festy Ebosele has featured on the left flank in recent games.
“He's a player with fantastic potential. When he plays on the right he tends to dig himself into a hole if he can't find space. When you invert him, he's more likely to cross or shoot. But with Kamara back in the team, we won't see Festy on the left anymore... or maybe we will.”