Udinese, against Lazio Kosta Runjaic wants redemption

These are the words of Udinese coach Kosta Runjaic on the eve of the match of the 17th day of Serie A, which the Friulans will play tomorrow night at 6 pm at home against Lazio: “You can lose playing in 10 but then you have to at least try to make the performance, which instead was bad. We want to redeem ourselves against Lazio, we all expect a positive reaction after the defeat in Florence, it is not possible for a team to change its face like that between Napoli and Fiorentina, but we know that ups and downs are part of the growth process”.

“You cannot lose by taking five goals and in that way – repeated the Serbian-born German coach -. We were coming off a good performance and we have to be that team there, I cannot guarantee the result, but we can do much better in terms of attitude, in front of our fans whose support was never lacking”. In goal, Runjaic will not have Okoye, who is disqualified, available, and in his place Sava, who played in the first two months of the season before his disqualification, should return.

“We have made several individual mistakes even in goal this year’– Runjaic continued -In the world of sports they happen but we have to minimize them, then one mistake and we are immediately punished. Okoye’s red in Florence changed the game, it is not an excuse but it is still a fact, we suffered an avoidable ejection and the dynamics of the game changed. It is a matter not only for the goalkeepers, but also for the movement players, in the management of the ball, in the’attention put into the defensive phase.”

“We want to avoid and minimize these mistakes. There are still three matches left to close the first leg with positive results: we can further improve our position” concluded Runjaic, who is in his second year on the bench of the Friulians, having arrived in June 2024 from Legia Warsaw.

In just under a season and a half with Udinese Runjaic has totaled between all competitions 60 games, winning 22, drawing 11 and losing 27. Last July he extended his contract with the Friulani, which was initially two years, until June 30, 2027. The Bianconeri are currently 12th, while in the Coppa Italia they went out in the round of 16 at the hands of Juventus.