ADAPTATION AND MENTAL SOLIDITY

'I think accepting criticism is just part of the game. This mix of emotions which surrounds the team doesn’t do us much good because we need enthusiasm and our path, just like our trajectory, is clear. We need to continue to maintain a degree of solidity. Then, the critics, when we lose or things are going badly, need to know that we are all in this together. When I talk about mental solidity and resilience, I’m referring to to the fact that there’s useless energy being spread. The fact that the team plays to win, always looking to score and approaching the games with the same spirit, has definitely been a positive aspect, and we need to keep this up. We need everyone to contribute and improve our management of certain situations, especially when we are under pressure. In Serie A, compared to the last two seasons, the tempo, the workload required and the kinds of games we’re involved in have changed, and this is involves adapting to the league.'

LECCE

'A match between teams with the same objective? I don't think it needs to be repeated at every conference that our aim is to stay in the league. It’s a marathon, a very long race and whoever maintains the best balance will come out on top. On Saturday, we face a Lecce team who, in the last two games and especially against Torino, have shown that they are in great shape, not just physically but also mentally. I’ve spoken with Almqvist about a few Lecce players: he’s given me some suggestions, but they have a lot of new faces. He wants to make his contribution to the team. Whether that will be from the start, towards the end or during the match, I don’t know. In recent weeks, injuries and suspensions have caused a few problems, but we have to respond on the pitch: the number of players available has reduced, but we need to have the right energy to face up to the match tomorrow. We will have Suzuki back and Hernani is in a better place. Hernani is a very important player, someone who allows us to have many different tactical solutions and options. In terms of the rest, the group is the same as it was last Sunday.'

THE DEFEAT AGAINST UDINESE

'Our last match still hurts. We came up against a physically strong team in good shape who remained united. I’d like to highlight the quality of our performance and our good start. Obviously, we’re annoyed and angry, that’s clear. Serie A, however, is like this, and you need a lot of things to do well. This defeat will help us because the league is made up of matches like this, against this type of opponent. We came up against a well-structured team with quality attacking players, but we maintained a good balance. It isn’t a question of men but how you interpret the match, something we did particularly well in the first half.'

ENTHUSIASM AND DESIRE TO IMPROVE

'We have a lot to learn and huge margins for improvement, and there is the desire from the boys to grow in every sense, from a defensive point of view, in terms of aggressiveness and from an attitude perspective. We definitely need to pay more attention in certain defensive situations and to crosses, but then there’s the skill of the opponents. We won our match against AC Milan in the second half: we have got four points and the first win was in the closing stages against AC Milan. I’d like to highlight the positives: the boys’ desire to play matches and give everything. The fact that they go onto the pitch and look for goals right away, something which we have adopted from last year, is something I want to particularly praise.'