Runjaic Praises Udinese Break Work Before Torino Match

Udinese coach Kosta Runjaic said the club improved its preparation during the international break before the Serie A meeting with Torino, with returning players and new signing David Alaba becoming key points ahead of the match.

According to Udinese.it, Runjaic said the break allowed the team to complete its planned work despite several injuries, while players returning from international duty came back without new fitness problems.

"It was a very long international break, made to feel even longer by the defeat against Cagliari before the break. There’s nothing worse than having to wait so long after a defeat. We made good use of this break.

We had lots of players away on international duty, but those who stayed here trained well. Matteo Palma, Juan Arizala and Alessandro Zanoli are back in the squad and we’re pleased about that, whilst we’re less pleased about Nicolo Zaniolo’s injury. Unfortunately, setbacks can happen.

You can’t blame anyone, so now we’re working to get him back to full fitness and we hope he can find the right consistency," said Kosta Runjaic, Udinese head coach.

Runjaic also highlighted the return of several international players and noted that the squad had completed a friendly match in Poland during the break. He said Idrissa Gueye’s injury was another setback for the team.

"One piece of good news is that everyone who went on international duty, apart from Lennon Miller, played. Sandi Lovric played, Giorgi Chakvetadze got some important minutes under his belt, and James Abankwah and Mergim Vojvoda played throughout. I’m pleased about that and I’m pleased they’ve returned injury-free," said Kosta Runjaic, Udinese head coach.

Runjaic said Alaba has quickly adapted after joining Udinese and described the defender as an important addition. He added that the player's workload must be managed because he had not played for three months.

"Alaba has arrived and he’s a great addition to the squad. It feels as though he’s been here for ages. He’s settled in quickly and has already shown his class and leadership in training.

In just two weeks, he’s already slotted into the team’s system. He still wants to play. You can tell he hasn’t come here to wind down his career – he’s got ambitious goals.

I can’t wait to see him on the pitch. I’m delighted with this signing. We needed a player like him both on and off the pitch, and the lads love playing alongside him.

I won’t give anything away about the line-up, but we want Alaba to be available for the whole season, so his workload needs to be managed carefully. He hasn’t played for three months. He’s not 100 per cent, but he’s fit and wants to play.

He’s been training with us for two weeks, but a match is a different matter. We’re always talking to him. We’ll see how to manage him on a match-by-match basis," said Kosta Runjaic, Udinese head coach.

The coach said Alaba could initially be used as a centre-back because of his ability to play multiple defensive roles. Runjaic also discussed managing Keinan Davis after his return to training.

"Keinan Davis can play, but not for 90 minutes. We must also learn from what happened to Zaniolo. Keinan is an important player for us and so we need to manage his workload – the same goes for Alaba.

Davis has only rejoined the squad for the last few training sessions and has already shown what he can bring to the team, as has Alaba over the past two weeks. The thing we like most about him is that he’s always pushing forward. He’s also left-footed, and having an extra left-footed player in defence is an advantage.

Davis and Alaba are two great players. Overall, we’ve got a good team. We’re not happy with the points we’ve picked up so far, but we need to analyse the situation.

We’ve got the quality to achieve the results we expect. I’m optimistic. We’re heading to Turin to pick up three points, and we need to show our best form," said Kosta Runjaic, Udinese head coach.