Udinese coach Luca Gotti spoke to gathered reporters at a press conference earlier today, ahead of tomorrow’s league clash against Inter. His words were noted by Italian media outlet TuttoMercatoWeb.
“We’re going to face a top-level opponent, and this must help us to put 100% of our motivation on the pitch from the start of the match. Matches like this can ignite the spark.”
Gotti then touched on Inter’s weak points.
“Every Serie A game has its difficulties and balances. If we look at Inter, after a first half where they dominated in Lecce, the game was taken over by a team that is fighting not to be relegated. This shows just how high the level of our league is.”
The 52-year-old Italian coach spoke about Udinese’s work in the January transfer window.
“Some guys have left who had been working so hard these past few months but haven’t found much playing time. I can only thank them for the approach they’ve taken. We’re a little less full now, let’s hope we don’t have to suffer any emergencies.”
He then spoke about the physical condition of the 29-year-old Dutch defender Bram Nuytinck.
“Today he trained partially with the team, I still have a day and a half to evaluate whether he can play or not.”
Gotti discussed the atmosphere in the squad after defeats to both AC Milan and Parma.
“I’ve had good responses from the team, both in application and commitment. It’s very difficult to predict what the team’s response will be in this match, that’s the only thing that counts.”
Finally, Gotti revealed his tactical plans for the defensive.
“I thought I’d start with the four-man defence for a few games.”
Udinese are currently 14th in the league table after 21 games. The club dismissed previous coach Igor Tudor at the end of October due to a run of bad performances, replacing him with Luca Gotti. The Italian coach has found success with the club so far, guiding them to four wins out of their last nine games in the league. The club haven’t lost at home under Gotti so far.
