Christian Kabasele is adjusting to life in Udine, having reached a good level of spoken Italian in a short time, while dealing with injury problems that have hampered his playing time. The defender has been on the sidelines for the last few games, but is now fit again and was an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw against Genoa at the weekend, which he discussed on the show.
“I’m ready. I’ve been in full training and I’m available,” he explained. “We showed great character against Genoa.”
The point gained, as coach Andrea Sottil described it in his post-match press conference, could be a turning point in the season, which Kabasele echoed.
“Along with the coach and the staff, we always try to do what we can to win games. Sometimes we have to play it long, sometimes we play it short, but the aim is always to find the best system to get to the opposition goal.”
In terms of the style of play, the former Watford player can see commonalities under Sottil with his time at his previous club: “It’s similar to what I experienced in the Premier League. He wants us to be very aggressive in tackles and in one-on-one situations, particularly us defenders. He asks us to play with our brains and stay clear-headed.”
Even though the number 27’s natural position is on the right, he admitted he has “played on the left for many years. I do everything to help the team, particularly now that Adam Masina and Enzo Ebosse are unavailable”.
The 32-year-old admitted that he wanted to test himself in his career despite being in his 30s. “After seven years at Watford, I felt it was time for a change. I spoke to the club and they thought Udinese would be good for me. I want to bring my experience to the team. There are so many young players here and it’s my pleasure to help them.”
Kabasele also touched on how to channel his aggression going forward. “Being here can help me improve the way I control my aggression on the pitch. I got some yellow cards in the first few games. I put in my best performance so far against Frosinone, but I could’ve done more in the others.”
Thomas Kristensen has filled in for the centre-back, who heaped praise on the Dane. “He has done well in the matches that he’s played in. He’s good with his feet and his head is in the right place. He’ll have a good season. He’ll learn even more from the experienced players on the pitch.”
The defender has not always played at the back, however, as he explained how an injury changed the course of his career. “A team-mate at Eupen got injured and I played for half an hour in defence in a friendly. That was followed by the whole opening game which we won 4-0 and I was named man of the match. I haven’t changed since then at Genk and Watford. I’ve also played there for the national team.”
Given the time he spent in England, Kabasele touched on the differences between the two divisions. “There are so many box-to-box transitions in the Premier League. There’s less onus on tactics and there’s more individual quality that is linked to improvisation. Here on the other hand, it’s more collective. We prepare for and study the opponents before each game.”
The 32-year-old will be moving to Buia with his wife and children on Wednesday and became emotional when shown some of his own family pictures from Instagram. “I’m sorry, they always make me emotional,” he admitted. Christian’s return to action is now drawing closer and he has already demonstrated how much he wants to make the fans feel proud of him in Udinese colours.