After impressing at Napoli last time out, Udinese must aim to reproduce that same level of performance on a regular basis – starting with Empoli, says Kosta Runjaic.
The boss was speaking to the media ahead of the home game against Roberto D'Aversa's side on Sunday afternoon.
“We need to be able to keep proving ourselves week in, week out,” Runjaic began. “We've played some great teams and performed very well. Napoli was a big test for us and we gave a great account of ourselves. Now we have to see if we're able to reproduce the same sort of performance in our next game.
“Consistency is important in sport and it's what we need. It's not enough to play well in a single match or only when you take on the big teams – you have to do it in every game. We know we're capable of playing well when we hit it off on the pitch, when we all work together in defence and attack, and when we're able to keep hold of the ball. We've been working hard for many months. Now I hope to see the fruits of our labour in terms of consistency.
“[Keinan] Davis won't be available for this one. As I explained before, he had a bit of flu which meant he missed a few days of training. He's had to recover but he's back with the team.
“Everyone else is available and in good form. We have lots of options. It's normal to have a few aches and pains after an intense match like Napoli, but they'll all be ready come Sunday.
“We're thinking about the formation. I don't want to go into detail but the players should be able to find consistency by playing together.
“[Sandi] Lovric does a great job in the middle of the park and is very useful to the team. He performs well when we're in possession and he's not afraid of taking the reins. I'm happy with his improvement and what he does for the team. He scored against Venezia too. That's how we expect him to perform. He works well alongside [Jesper] Karlstrom.
“Ekkelenkamp is capable of more than what we saw against Venezia and he showed that against Napoli – not just with his goal but his all-round display. He'll only get better.
“[Arthur] Atta did well against Napoli too and we're considering our options for Empoli.
“Some of the players need a bit more recovery time and we haven't made any decisions yet but those who play will be 100%. Lots of them had niggles after Napoli.
“[Oumar] Solet had cramps but that's understandable as he hasn't played much this year and it was a very intense match.
“[Thomas] Kristensen ran a lot against Napoli and [Jaka] Bijol put in a huge shift too. We still have time to make our decisions.
“The lads have been very focused in training and I'm really pleased with the way they've been working these last few weeks. There's no reason for us to lower our guard now and put less effort into it. We have some big games coming up.
“We played well against Napoli but it's in the past now and we mustn't underestimate Empoli. When we played them in November we were close together in the table. We're in a better position now but things can change very quickly. We need the same energy and passion we had against Napoli. The aim is to turn out good performances against every opponent.
“We know it's going to be difficult. Empoli need points and if we afford them space they can be dangerous. If we don't work well together, they'll hurt us. They have good quality and they'll come here to play their game and pick up points.
“It will be a different to the Napoli match. We'll have more of the ball and we'll need to use it well. We've prepared for this sort of game.”
“We're playing well with 4-4-2. The team have taken it on board and did well against Napoli. But any formation can only work well if everyone is on the same wavelength. There were some good things against Venezia but it was much better against Napoli because everyone moved in sync. The team has to be able to react to every situation and switch formation.
“[Kingsley] Ehizibue can play both in a midfield five in a back four. He's versatile. Generally we want the whole team to be versatile but you still need a basic formation. Until now we'd been playing with a back three. We've switched to four now and have been playing well. We went with four in the second half of the reverse fixture against Empoli too and it went well.
“I want to leave our options open .We' practise everything in training but what we focus on are our playing principles, which remain the same and differ only slightly depending on the system. I hope we'll perform well on Sunday regardless of the formation we use.
“[Alexis] Sanchez is definitely improving. I talk to him a lot and I've made him understand that after an injury like his he needs to be patient. We see him as an important player and that's why we're taking things very carefully with him. He gets it and it's important for him to be a leader even when he's not playing. He's training well, doing his bit and you can see what he's able to give the team. I'm happy with what he's doing – he's an example for all the others.
“With Sanchez it's not about whether he can play part of the game but whether he can start. We'll see if he does against Empoli. I'm happy with his contribution in training. He needs more time to reach full fitness and also to adapt to the team. It's great to have him and he's a fun player. I know he's totally motivated and can't wait to help in matches, especially at home. I can't tell you if he'll play on Sunday but I know that when he gets his chance he'll make the most of it.”