Udinese comeback to win at the Franchi 1-2 against Fiorentina. After Kean's initial lead from a penalty, the Bianconeri changed their attitude in the second half and defended in a compact manner. Thanks to Ranieri's error, Lucca equalizes the score and then Thauvin finds the goal by aiming for the corner. Kosta Runjaic will comment on his team's performance at the press conference.
How important is the victory for the team also for the standings?
“A very important victory, after the first half many people would not have expected our comeback. We need every point to remain stable and work better during the week. We really gave ourselves a nice Christmas present for each of us, for the fans and for the club. Now we have to continue to end 2024 well at home. We know that last season was difficult but now we have a great opportunity.”
Is it a coincidence that you are getting more results away from home?
“Football is sometimes unpredictable and you can't explain it. Sometimes you play well and lose and vice versa. In the first half we didn't put in a good performance but in the second half we put in a lot of energy. From my point of view, it doesn't change to play in home or away and now we need to focus on increasing our performance level.”
Abankwah is growing from race to race and is making her choices difficult:
“Like all our young players he is growing day by day. The growth path is not regular but it has improved in recent months. Even against Inter he played well in the second half. He is good with the ball and has courage as well as having great physicality in duels. I'm happy to have him, now he's definitely an option.”
What did he say in the locker room to change the team's mind?
“They were exciting minutes, I had the feeling that with a better performance we would have been good at putting them in difficulty and getting another result. Luckily the boys followed my way of thinking and started the second half very strongly and with the right amount of energy that allowed us to press higher. My message was clear and I'm happy with how they reacted in the second half.”
How important is Thauvin for you given that he didn't even field Sanchez?
“I started in July with him after a bad season. He has great responsibility as captain and works very hard with great commitment. His goal was to do better than last year by having a greater impact. The armband also changed his task by giving him more weight on his shoulders. He started the year well but then got injured and is improving from game to game. He is a great man and understands football, allowing us to do different things on the pitch. He takes responsibility , he arrived late without preparation. He was out for three months and he's not 100% ready in terms of match pace. We play with great intensity to be compact yet, our foundations are hard work, staying together and Thauvin has also adapted well to defensive tasks. The understanding with Lucca is growing. We also have Davis who will return, Iker Bravo who trains well during the week and maybe Pizarro Sanchez is also one of the options in the future.”
