“This Udinese is only missing a few points, not performance”

THE INTERVIEW

If it is true that the heart does not command, between his ex Sassuolo and Udinese, Nereo Bonato chooses Luca Gotti. The man, the friend, the coach remains in first place for the former ds who worked at Udinese only in the 2016-’17 season, and these words are enough to understand which side he will be on Sunday. “My hope is that Luca can overcome the moment and continue a cycle that still has a lot to say, because this year Udinese operated from Udinese on the transfer market, and Gotti is a coach who has many points in common, on the level of work, to Francesco Guidolin that you had in Friuli ».

Bonato, Gotti will be happy for this challenging combination, but in the meantime Udinese is at a crossroads with Sassuolo.

“The Bianconeri and his coach are missing only a few results, but certainly not the performances, because it is clear to everyone that Udinese have fewer points than their merits.”

In addition to the points, what has Udinese been missing so far?

«Some important players like Pussetto and Pereyra, Deulofeu himself is emerging now, and Beto we are just discovering it. The defense is at a level, but we still have to find the right balance and the appropriate solutions ».

Perhaps this is why Gotti seems torn between the classic 3-5-2 and experiments with other modules. His thought?

“We play by principles and not by pre-established modules by now, but having said that it should also be remembered that Sassuolo had been riding the 4-3-3 for years and in the transfer market we were looking for players with precise characteristics, and the same work is done in Udine. There is nothing wrong with that. Then, playing by principles, Luca is gradually introducing the young players on which the club has focused, and Gotti has already shown that he knows how to launch them ».

So Udinese lacks nothing to recover?

«Yes, because the club made a market from Udinese, monetizing very well with the sales of Musso and De Paul, and bought excellent players, including Beto whom I knew very well for following him. When he was taken by the Pozzo I called to congratulate and assure him on the qualities of this striker. Samardzic is another talent, and if he doesn’t play much now it’s because he is still in the training process. Another destined to do well is Udogie, who I know very well and is perfect for the 3-5-2. It is no coincidence that he plays continuously ».

The fact remains that Udinese have not won for almost two months …

«Also for this reason we will see a very tight match, with Sassuolo who experienced two reversed situations in the space of a few days, first winning with Juve and then losing against Empoli. The neroverdi want to make up for it and will play to win as in their mentality, with interesting players like Frattesi and Scamacca ».

Here, precisely, how does Dionisi’s Sassuolo describe?

«He is an emerging technician who prefers playing vertically, and in this aspect he differs from De Zerbi who focused more on domination with the ball and some predefined solutions. To understand Dionisi just look at the Empoli of last season, with a sought-after finalization after the closure of the spaces and with rapid restarts ».

Bonato, what is the secret of the Sassuolo company?

«It is a consolidated reality over the years that has had the good fortune to meet important level coaches such as Allegri, Pioli, Di Francesco, De Zerbi and now Dionisi, technicians who manage to be the added value in the short term, guaranteeing continuity of work. When Sassuolo were in the lower categories, they focused on coaches who had just been sacked and with great motivations, now they focus on young people in search of affirmation. And then there is the managerial discourse ».

Meaning what?

«When management is in the hands of managers, it is easier to plan. The presidents, on the other hand, are more instinctive and many times they want to change a project that in the long term is guaranteed by the solidity of the ownership, in the middle by the ruling class, but in the short term it depends on the technician, who becomes the fundamental key that most of all can affect in tight deadlines”. –