Gabriele Cioffi could not hide the importance of the weekend clash with Salernitana at Bluenergy Stadium on Saturday afternoon while speaking in his pre-match press conference.
The boss started by discussing the return of the Curva Nord after it was shut for back-to-back home fixtures.
“We’ve played our last two home games with a significant penalty because not having the love from the fans and the power of our Curva was a negative extenuating circumstance rather than a positive for us. The ultras and the fans in general in Udine are very English in terms of getting behind the team right till the end. We need the fans’ love and the power of the Curva to get back to doing what we’re paid to do, which is to win games.”
Roberto Pereyra will also be cheering the team on from the sidelines as the injury that he picked up against Monza will keep him out of the game, as the coach explained.
“We tried to get him back to be on the pitch but we didn’t manage it. He’ll be pitchside but we won’t be able to select him.”
As for the battle between Festy Ebosele and Joao Ferreira down the right, Cioffi admitted that Kingsley Ehizibue is out of contention to start.
“Kingsley has only trained with us twice this week. He sustained a significant head injury, so we’ll see how he gets on. He won’t be in our starting XI but he is available. Christian Kabasele is an option in defence.”
There was also discussion of the hard work in training throughout the week.
“We’ve been working hard, just as we’ve always done. All coaches are under scrutiny when the weekend comes around. I’ve got through the week just like any other. I always move at 110 miles per hour, so it’s difficult to do much more than that.”
Cioffi touched on the role of Lazar Samardzic, who got on the scoresheet when the two sides met earlier in the campaign.
“When our right wing-back was Ebosele, who has a high propensity for getting forward, we needed a player alongside him to balance the team. As he wanted to cut in on to his left foot, Lazar became predictable and our opponents had studied him. This doesn’t mean he’ll never play down the right again and I’m sure that by the end of the season, he’ll have shown everyone who he is and what level he can reach.”
In midfield, the pressure from Martin Payero is stimulating his team-mates to do more and better.
“Lazar deserved to play in the three matches where we earned five points. Martin needs more playing time than five or ten minutes given his physical attributes,” continued the coach. Brenner and Keinan Davis are getting fitter, but “as long as those who play perform well, I see no reason to change. Brenner is ahead of Keinan, who came on with the right mentality in a very difficult match in Genoa and is on the path to recovery.”
Cioffi admitted that “Salernitana have some strong individuals up front and in midfield. I expect a team that will come to play with their guard down and to go for it. We’ll have to be good at reading the different phases and waiting for the right moment to strike.” He finished up by revealing that if he had to sum the match up with one word, it would be “calm”.