Andrea Sottil was fully focused on Monday’s game against Lecce when he spoke to the press on Saturday afternoon but briefly addressed the betting scandal that has hit Italian football: “It doesn’t do anything for this beautiful sport that is football, but it hasn’t really affected us.”
Speaking about the progress made over the break, Sottil said: “We’ve worked hard. We played a challenging friendly that gave those who haven’t had much playing time a chance to get on the pitch. We want to be as ready as we can be for the next match.”
Udinese are hoping for their first win of the season at Bluenergy Stadium on Monday after experiencing a rough patch. This is something Sottil hasn’t shied away from.
“I can recognise where we’ve gone wrong. I’m objective and I know how to self-evaluate. We all want a win, but as I said a while ago, I’m asking fans to show some more love to Udinese. Difficult moments can happen, but I’m not seeing it as the catastrophe that others have painted it as. Having said that, the team and I know that we have to climb back up the table.”
Gino Pozzo’s visits over the last few days have helped to lift spirits.
“As a player, seeing the president or members of the management on the pitch used to make me feel good. As a coach, maybe even more. I’m happy he’s been here. He met the team and the staff. That’s the sign of an ownership that is present and understands what we’re going through. We’re all united and we know that the only people that can help us are ourselves.”
Udinese’s next game against Lecce comes just after the international break, which Sottil has seen as being only partially useful.
“I didn’t see any of the international players. Some of them didn’t even play and they just lost training time. We have to get back on track after two weeks and we have to deal with the injuries.”
The coach explained that Keinan Davis and Adam Masina are close to coming back into the squad but Vivaldo Semedo and Kingsley Ehizbue will still need more time before they’re back in action.
The international break allowed some players who trained throughout “to up the physical and mental intensity. We had to regain some clarity and I’ve seen that happen. We’re determined to get out of this rough patch.”
Sottil reiterated the fact that this positive mental attitude is extremely important.
“You can’t go out onto the pitch feeling scared. That comes before formations and tactics. Players know that you can’t start a game with this fear weighing you down. We trying to bring our love for football back into focus.”
Sottil also spoke about the need to block out external noise.
“The game against Empoli was portrayed as a disaster but it wasn’t like that. I tried to keep the lads calm and I asked them to only think about what we have to do on Monday to win. I’ll take all the criticism for them. Not because I’m some kind of Superman, but because that’s my job.”
On the subject of Monday’s game against Lecce, Sottil said: “I hope the stadium will be packed and that the fans give the boys the boost that they need.”