Kosta Runjaic sat down with journalists on Friday to discuss Udinese's next Serie A match, away to Monza on Saturday evening.
Below you can read what he had to say:
What to expect from Monza
“There's no such thing as an easy game, especially at this stage of the season because everyone wants to start well to make things easier for themselves. It's going to be tough in Monza. They'll chase us down man for man and they gave Inter a run for their money in the first half at San Siro.
“We'll go out to play our game and try to our strengths. We want to do well both home and away and play with confidence on the road too. We'll do everything we can to bring home the three points tomorrow.”
Palma, Zaniolo and Davis
“It's not good to lose two players like [Matteo] Palma and [Nicolo] Zaniolo, but injuries are part and parcel of the game. That's the way it is but we're working to get them fit again in a matter of weeks.
“Perhaps I left Zaniolo on for too long against Como but he was playing well. We're expecting big things from him this year. Over the years we've built an identity and developed a real team spirit. We know how to deal with moments like this. We have a strong squad regardless of the absentees and I'm confident we'll perform well tomorrow in what won't be an easy match.
“Davis will be with us. He's trained all week and is raring to go. He can't wait to play and help his team-mates.”
Replacing Palma and Zaniolo
“We've tried out [Unai] Gomez is Zaniolo's position. He can play out wide too because he's a very dynamic player. He'll start tomorrow. He's had a good pre-season and this is an opportunity to see what he can do on the pitch. I don't think he'll play the whole game but he will start.
“Against Como, our back three of [James] Abankwah, Palma and [Oumar] Solet was solid. Now we need to replace Palma. Ebosse kept things tidy in the last game but he's not the only one who could player there.”
Solet
“I'm happy Solet is still here. He'd like to play for bigger targets, which is what I want too. You should always aim higher. He had a great season last year and he's a key player for us because he's so good in one-on-ones, he's fast and builds play well. It would be great to have him for another season and build our defence around him. He's done really well in pre-season and been very professional. He's top class, a very popular figure with all his team-mates and he's taking on more and more responsibility. Our youngsters can learn from him in training. You never know what might happen in the transfer market but I'm optimistic he'll stay with us.”
Bertola
“Last year he had a good season having come up from Serie B. He played with maturity. I expect a lot from him but he also has high expectations for himself. He needs to play with confidence. He's a smart lad and he'll keep working away and wait for his opportunity. I'm happy we have competition in defence – I have more options and it keeps everyone on their toes.”
Objectives for the season
“This season we want to equal last season's total of 50 points and do even better. What we actually manage to do depends on many factors: Serie A is a long competition and the more quality and the bigger squad you have, the bigger objectives you can aim for. Last year we managed to get to 50 but it had always been lower in the seasons before then. There are various reasons why we didn't do better but at the same time there are lots of clubs who would gladly take that number of points and over 30 consecutive seasons in Serie A. We lost two key players this summer and I hope there won't be any more. We made a good start against Como and that's the way forward. We must continue in that vein against Monza.”