Daniele Padelli has spoken about the mood in the Udinese camp following the upturn in results under Gabriele Cioffi and his own role as one of the veterans at a club renowned for developing young players.
“I always train to play – it doesn't matter if I'm second or third keeper,” the 38-year-old began. “If the younger lads see the older guys always trying their hardest, it encourages them to do the same.”
The international break came when Udinese had gone three league matches unbeaten after the return of Cioffi, but Padelli doesn't feel momentum will affected.
“The gaffer's had more time to work. Having a weekend without a match won't alter our spirit. We're riding the crest of the wave after a tough spell. We suffer as much as anyone when we're not winning but we've got ourselves back on track now and results have picked up. We've got that first win, played really well at San Siro against Milan, drew at Monza and produced a great performance against Atalanta. We're pulling ourselves out of the quagmire. We just have to keep at it.
“I liked that the boss came in and made the youngsters feel responsible without taking responsibility away from the senators. If we're all under fire and everyone wants to earn their place, you raise the bar.
“Lots of young players join every year and often they're not familiar with Serie A or how Serie A footballers train. Fortunately all the new lads are smart and they know Udinese is the ideal club for them to develop into a top player. They've come in and listened to everything. It takes time and patience and they have to be allowed to make mistakes.
“We've shown what we're capable of in our last three league games but we mustn't lower our guard because we're still in a dangerous position. We must keep calm and look forward with confidence. If we keep playing like this, we'll get good results for sure.”