Kosta Runjaic fielded questions from the media the day before Udinese visit Napoli for their final Serie A match of the season.
Here's what he had to say:
Coach of the Month award
“I'm happy regardless of the Coach of the Month award. There are lots of individual awards in football but we must remember that it's a team game. Awards are nice recognition but they only provide a snapshot of the work being done. I want to thank everyone who has helped me obtain this award. I always give everything I've got.”
The future and finishing the season
“I have a year left on my contract, I'm happy in Udine and I haven't finished my work yet. We have one more match left to play this season. We've reached our target of 50 points but that doesn't mean we've eased off – anything but. We started the game badly against Cremonese and we lost. I wasn't happy. We must stay focused until the end of the last game. It's important to us and we want to end the season on a positive note. We expect a good performance. We know that Napoli are favourites. They're in good form and they'll want to wrap up the season well too, especially in front of their fans, and consolidate second place.”
Team selection
“I don't like experimenting. [Juan] Arizala played last match because we didn't have [Kingsley] Ehizibue and [Nicolo] Bertola wasn't ready to play a full match in that position. We'll have a similar situation tomorrow because [Hassane] Kamara is suspended and Arizala has picked up a knock so he won't be available. [Nicolo] Zaniolo and [Alessandro] Zanoli are out and we have injured players like [Jurgen] Ekkelenkamp and others who aren't 100% but we're ready. We want to perform well and make it tough for Napoli. We'll need to play with intensity and energy and show that we're worthy opponents. We don't have a huge squad and we'll be short on options from the bench again tomorrow so there won't be any experiments. We'll put out our best team.”
Inler
“Inler and I came here at the same time. He knows this club very well and was an important player for Udinese. We got on straight away as we share the same football vision: you have to give your all, keep improving and never rest on your laurels. He's a source of inspiration for me and I like to think that he's taken something from me too. We're on a journey and there are ideas we want to implement but it takes time. We've started running open training sessions for the fans, which are crucial to strengthen the bond with them. We're making progress in lots of areas but there are things we still need to improve – for example, we've lost too many games at home, On Monday we'll analyse the season so that we can improve further. That's our aim and that's what we'll do.”
Taking stock of two years at Udinese
“There's always something to learn in Serie A. Coaching here has been a new experience for me. I've encountered some great coaches and great teams and I've become a calmer person. I've learnt to be patient because things don't always go the way they should. I work very well with Gino Pozzo and we're in constant contact. I have a lot of respect for the people who work at this club. I'm pleased with how things have gone so far. I've learnt a lot and I hope to keep on growing. Together we can achieve even better results.”