Jesper Karlstrom stressed the importance of being able to grind out victories even when you're not playing at your best, as Udinese showed against Lecce.
“It was important to bounce back after two defeats,” the Swede said following Saturday's 1-0 triumph at Bluenergy Stadium. “We started the game well but then fell away a bit. We made some mistakes and weren't playing the way we wanted to. Our movement wasn't right. It was a strange game but we still managed to carve out openings. We spoke in the dressing room at half time and the second half was better. It wasn't our best performance but winning was the main thing and we managed to do that.
“We knew ourselves that we weren't good enough in the first half. The coach told us we needed more character and energy but we all knew that's what we needed to win. We came out after the break and, while not perfect, we played with character. It's good that we're able to produce this sort of energy even when we're not at our best.
“The coach knew me from before because we were on opposite teams many times, but like everyone else I have to do well in training every day and in the match to earn a starting spot.”