Kosta Runjaic held a press conference on Friday, the day before Udinese face Cagliari at Bluenergy Stadium. This is how he responded to the journalists' questions:
Build-up to the game
“We're in the middle of a process. We've had some good spells in our games this season but we haven't been consistent throughout the 90 minutes. We need to keep working on our movement as a team and our possession play. Tomorrow we'll see if we're able to extend those good spells for the entirety of the game.
“I'd have preferred to have a few more points but it is what it is. We have to keep working. We know there's a long way to go. In Serie A there are important games and there are very important games. This is a very important game. We're playing at home before a long break. We'll throw everything we have at it to win the game. In any case we still have a lot of matches to play. It's not all positive but I'm optimistic. I'm sure we'll improve over the course of the year and we'll have a good season.”
Zaniolo
“[Nicolo] Zaniolo will be in the squad tomorrow but we haven't decided how to use him yet. He's fine. He's missed a few training sessions but he's working with the team again now. There's always a bit of a risk but he's trained well this week. It's good to have him back in training with us and it will be good to see him on the pitch again. During the international break he'll be able to get back to full fitness.
“He's a very important player for us: he knows Serie A very well and we're a better team when he plays. I think he's one of the best Italian players in the league.”
Cagliari
“Tomorrow is not going to be an easy game. I don't think Cagliari will press us as Inter did at San Siro but they can counter quickly and they put in a lot of running. They've got off to a good start this season and I think they'd probably be happy with a draw but we want to win. Besides being dangerous on the break with their pace, they're also good at defending with a low block and managing possession when they get the ball. They're tricky opponents. It's a very important game.”
Treatment room
“We're not going to field a player who's not ready. Zaniolo could play and so could [Alessandro] Zanoli – he's worked really hard and he's happy to be back. Before the Inter game, we decided to leave them behind so that they could further improve their condition. It will be great for them to make their return in front of our fans. The treatment room is looking a bit emptier than it was a week ago.”
Right-sided attacking midfielder
“In that position we have [Unai] Gomez, [Vakoun] Bayo, [Giorgi] Chakvetadze and other options.
“Chakvetadze did well at San Siro: he showed his quality and I'm happy to have him available. Hopefully we'll see him on the pitch for longer.
“Gomez is adapting to Serie A and that's not simple when you come in from another league. You need certain attributes in possession and out of possession to play in attacking areas. We expect more from him. He had a chance in the first half and if he'd gone in with the came conviction that [Nicolo] Barella showed on their second goal, he could have shot straight away and caused a threat.
“Unai is a quality player. In training he does things that make me think, 'Why didn't he do that in the game?' He's listening to what we tell him and he's learning. He played well against Monza. He knows he can do better and I'm sure he will.”