On the eve of Udinese’s first official game of the Coppa Italia, Kosta Runjaic spoke about what to expect on Friday evening.
Official matches are about to start. What team are you going to put out tomorrow?
I’m very excited. It’ll be an important match, especially because we’ll be playing in front of our fans. I can’t wait to get stuck in. A tough challenge is waiting for us, and we can’t underestimate that. We want to have a good match and get through this round.
We’ve still got one training session to go so I’ll decide on the line-up tomorrow. Some players have only been back for a little while so they will probably start on the bench.
Thomas Kristensen is still not available but he’s making a lot of progress. He was dealing with a muscle problem at the end of last season so we can’t risk it for tomorrow’s match.
Which gameplay concepts do you want to see your team use?
I’ve still only been here a couple of weeks. I’m asking for a bit more when it comes to ball possession. The team are happy with these new concepts.
In the friendlies I saw elements of what I’ve been trying to implement in training. I’m happy with how they’re learning and their attitude. We’re only at the start of the process and tomorrow’s game will give us our first bit of proper feedback. Playing in a more proactive way opens us up to a greater chance of counterattacks but the idea behind it is that we need to keep the ball and move it around more. The idea is to concede the smallest possible number of turnovers. If you manage the ball well, you reduce the risk of turnovers. I’m sure that we’ll make a good impression tomorrow.
In any case, Al Hilal was a great test for us. We conceded a few goals but also created some chances that we just couldn’t manage convert. Now that official matches are starting, we’ll change some things based on that.
The feedback we get from now on will also be more reliable and we’ll therefore be able to use it to make changes. This type of play with two trequartistas may be ideal for the team because we have a lot of different players that can play in that position. More generally, I think that formation allows you to be more flexible and even switch into a 5-4-1 in defensive phases. That’s the idea, but we can make little changes based on our opponents.
Are you happy with Lazar Samardzic?
Lazar started preparations a few weeks later than the others so he still needs to do a bit of work on the finer details. He’s a brilliant player and I’m happy I’ve got him in my squad. He’s making daily progress in training both with and without the ball. He can also play on both the left and right too.
Other than Kristensen, are there players that won’t feature in tomorrow's game? Out of the new lads, who were mainly picked by you, who do you think is ready?
There will obviously be others that won’t be in the team tomorrow. We have a lot of players at the club and we can’t put everyone on the bench.
Jurgen Ekkelenkamp has only just arrived, but he played a league game with Antwerp. I know Jesper Karlstrom pretty well and he’s already played two league games but it’s more a question of his connection with his team-mates rather than his fitness. They haven’t had many training sessions. Karlstrom definitely won’t be on the bench tomorrow. I’ll have to think about Ekkelenkamp.
There’s talk about Alexis Sanchez. Would you be happy to have him in the team?
I think Sanchez is a player that any coach would want in their team because he’s fantastic. He’s got a great personality. However, he is not currently one of our players. I’m focused on those that I have in the team now.
How much does the noise from the transfer market disrupt the work of a coach and their group?
It’s a problem for every coach. We know that the transfer market is part of the football world. Maybe a couple of players will be a bit calmer once the window closes but these are things that I can’t control. I’m just concentrating on what I can manage. I can see that everyone else is focused too.
What do you think about Karlstrom?
He shows real leadership on the pitch. He’s good in both phases of play. He’s a player that has some brilliant physical talent and he’s got good technical skills too. He’ll definitely bring balance to the midfield and, above all, desire. He really wanted to come and play here.
Where will you play Ekkelenkamp?
Ekkelenkamp can play in both positions. He’s a great runner and he’s very good with his feet as that’s what they’re taught at Ajax. He ups the level of competition in training and that’s very important for a coach.
Among the many younger players, is there anyone that has surprised you?
Matteo Palma is the youngest of them all. His physicality definitely surprised me. He’s a great lad that doesn’t feel the pressure on the pitch and is extremely serious. As he’s so young, we shouldn’t put too much pressure on him. We need to look out for him. He seems older than he is. I want him to continue to work with us in the first team. If things carry on like this, he could play in Serie A in the future.
Udinese is obviously very famous for its scouting of young talent. It’s not just Palma, there are loads more too. It’s up to them to show us their talent and to continue to work hard. Gokhan Inler helps me and gives me a perspective from outside of the pitch. We have daily chats about the attitude of the players, especially the younger ones and their progress.
Which position do you think suits Iker Bravo best?
I saw him play in the U19 Euros. He can play as a number nine or as a second striker. He’s very good with the ball and he’s always dangerous in front of goal. I’m very happy I’ve got him available.