Runjaic: “We’ve made the most of the break”

Kosta Runjaic spoke to the media on Sunday ahead of Udinese’s next Serie A game again Torino. Read what he had to say below.

 

“It was a very long international break, made to feel even longer by the defeat against Cagliari before the break. There’s nothing worse than having to wait so long after a defeat. We made good use of this break. We had lots of players away on international duty, but those who stayed here trained well. [Matteo] Palma, [Juan] Arizala and [Alessandro] Zanoli are back in the squad and we’re pleased about that, whilst we’re less pleased about [Nicolo] Zaniolo’s injury. Unfortunately, setbacks can happen. You can’t blame anyone, so now we’re working to get him back to full fitness and we hope he can find the right consistency.

 

“One piece of good news is that everyone who went on international duty, apart from [Lennon] Miller, played. [Sandi] Lovric played, [Giorgi] Chakvetadze got some important minutes under his belt, and [James] Abankwah and [Mergim] Vojvoda played throughout. I’m pleased about that and I’m pleased they’ve returned injury-free.

“During the international break, we carried out our programme well, including a friendly in Poland, even though we received the bad news of [Idrissa] Gueye’s injury. We have to accept it, but let’s hope we don’t go through another spell with so many injuries.

 

“[David] Alaba has arrived and he’s a great addition to the squad. It feels as though he’s been here for ages He’s settled in quickly and has already shown his class and leadership in training. In just two weeks, he’s already slotted into the team’s system. He still wants to play. You can tell he hasn’t come here to wind down his career – he’s got ambitious goals. I can’t wait to see him on the pitch. I’m delighted with this signing. We needed a player like him both on and off the pitch, and the lads love playing alongside him. I won’t give anything away about the line-up, but we want Alaba to be available for the whole season, so his workload needs to be managed carefully. He hasn’t played for three months. He’s not 100 per cent, but he’s fit and wants to play. He’s been training with us for two weeks, but a match is a different matter. We’re always talking to him. We’ll see how to manage him on a match-by-match basis.”

 

“Throughout his career, Alaba has played in midfield, on the wing, as a centre-back and as a full-back. He’s capable of playing in many different positions. Initially, we see him as a centre-back. He can fill any of the three positions in a back three. He’s good on the ball, plays very direct football, communicates a lot with his teammates and brings that organisational structure to the defence that we’ve been lacking a little. He knows how to read the game and make the right decisions. There’s no need to say much more about the player he is. The next step is to see him on the pitch.”

 

“[Keinan] Davis can play, but not for 90 minutes. We must also learn from what happened to Zaniolo. Keinan is an important player for us and so we need to manage his workload – the same goes for Alaba. Davis has only rejoined the squad for the last few training sessions and has already shown what he can bring to the team, as has Alaba over the past two weeks. The thing we like most about him is that he’s always pushing forward. He’s also left-footed, and having an extra left-footed player in defence is an advantage. Davis and Alaba are two great players. Overall, we’ve got a good team. We’re not happy with the points we’ve picked up so far, but we need to analyse the situation. We’ve got the quality to achieve the results we expect. I’m optimistic. We’re heading to Turin to pick up three points, and we need to show our best form.”

 

“For young players, it’s important to have experienced teammates to look up to, such as Alaba and [Christian] Kabasele, or even [Oumar] Solet, who can set an example for Palma. Alaba talks a lot with Matteo and he can learn a great deal from him. It’s important that he gets into the right physical shape for Serie A. He’s still very young, and if we want to build a career path with him, we need to take it step by step. He needs to get some playing time, but without overdoing it – nor should we have overly high expectations of him. He’s working well. We’ll certainly see him back on the pitch soon, but it depends on various factors. We need to give him time to develop without any pressure.”

 

“Jovanovic will be there for Torino. He’s trained well, and it’s been good to have him with us for most of the international break. He’s a classy player – quick, technically gifted, and always takes on his man. We need players like him. He’ll be important for us at various stages of the season. Against Cagliari, for example, we could have done with him a lot. He’s showing his qualities in training. He needs to improve defensively, but he’s a joy to watch and a real threat with his left foot. If the opportunity arises, he could play as early as tomorrow, but as with Palma, I don’t want to put pressure on him. He needs time to develop. We signed him because he’s a great talent and now we need to develop him to his full potential. Through hard work, he’ll improve a great deal and will be able to make a real difference.”

 

“Lovric could start, but I don’t want to rule anything out. The break did him good. He played a lot for the national team and even scored, which is great for his confidence. He’s been here a long time and has plenty of experience. In midfield, we’re currently playing with two central midfielders – one is [Jesper] Karlstrom – and we have several options to play alongside him. I’m keeping my options open. They’ve all trained well, including Lovric, who has shown he’s ready. He handles the pressure well and can make a real contribution. I know I can count on him.”