Christian Kabasele and Kosta Runjaic sat down with journalists in the wake of Udinese's 2-1 win over Venezia in the Coppa Italia last 16.
Kabasele: “We're really happy for [Vakoun] Bayo. He went through a tough time after the Como game as he knew he'd missed a great chance for us but he's always scored them in training. It was only a matter of time before he scored – he did that today and showed that hard work pays off.
“When [James] Abankwah went to Watford I was a bit surprised because I could see how much potential he had two years ago. He too has shown that hard work pays off. He did well at Watford and has come back more mature. He might make some mistakes but he's earned himself a starting spot and he can have a great season.
“It was the first time [Nicola] Bertola and I had started a game this season and we needed a bit of time to bed in but then we defended well. Venezia play good football. We have to keep it up and concede less. Defence must be one of our strengths.
“The most important thing for us is to perform well consistently and maintain a positive, aggressive approach even when we're on the back foot like today or at Monza. If we keep doing that every game, who knows how far we can go.”
Runjaic: “I'm happy with everything – the result, the performance and [Vakoun] Bayo's two goals – but we have to improve in certain phases of the game. Venezia made it tough for us and they started the match really aggressively, while we didn't. It wasn't easy to get back after falling behind but we kept believing and managed to equalise in the first half. Then we played well in the second half. [Keinan] Davis got an excellent assist for Bayo's second and then we held on till the end. We have plenty of takeaways from this game.
“Davis needs to play to find his best form but we need to be careful not to overdo his playing time. He's an important player for us but he's prone to injuries so he needs to be managed. He'll start against Lazio. We're going to need him this season and he wants to do even better than last year.
“[Unai] Gomez had a good game today. [Jurgen] Ekkelenkamp did well against Monza and we decided to rest him today.
“I'm glad the transfer window is closed now. We have a good squad. A coach is never 100% happy but d I'm pleased with the players I have. They all have room for improvement and with the right atmosphere and everyone giving their all, we can be successful
“[Lennon] Miller has improved since last year and so has [Idrissa] Gueye – and it's not easy for a striker in Serie A. I have confidence in Bayo and [James] Abankwah did really well at Watford. I liked the look of him two years ago but he wasn't ready. It just shows that it takes time and hard work.
“[Jesper] Karlstrom is a machine – he just keeps playing and keeps running. [Christian] Kabasele is very important and I've run out of words to descrice [Oumar] Solet. [Enzo] Ebosse has come back and needs a bit of time to settle in but he has my confidence.
“[Nicola] Bertola has made a few small mistakes due to inexperience but he's young and he's improving. He did well last year and now there's more competition. He has to keep working and believe in himself. I took him off today because he'd had a few niggles over the last ten days but he needed some playing time because we're counting on him this season.”