Udinese have announced the return of PaoloZanetti at the helm of the team, after sacking KostaRunjaic. The decision was taken following a series of disappointing results: the last eighth point in eight games pushed the club to look for a new approach. President GinoPozzo and general director FrancoCollavino confirmed that Zanetti's choice was motivated by the need to break a negative performance cycle and bring Udinese back to a more competitive position.
During the presentation press conference, Zanetti underlined his work philosophy: "Those who pedal, those who run and those who work play with me". The coach, who has had experience in clubs such as Venezia, Verona and Empoli, declared that he wants to bring the "low head" mentality that he cultivated in the youth categories, integrating it with the organized structure of Udinese. He also expressed respect for Runjaic's work, saying he had no plans to drastically alter his work.
The new coach highlighted the importance of making up for lost points on the pitch, underlining that hard work is the key to improving the team's performance. He also recognized the difficulty of taking office, still having to get to know President Pozzo and his family. “The recipe is simple: hard work,” he added, referring to the culture of excellence that Udinese wants to restore.
Collavino reiterated his appreciation for Runjaic, defining the exercise as "particularly difficult" but necessary to resolve the ranking situation. He also expressed confidence in Zanetti's choice, underlining the objective of giving the president, whose health is stable, time to get back into shape. The general manager asked the new coach to focus on recovering points and relaunching the team.
Zanetti closed his presentation by recalling the two times in which Udinese had shown interest in him, but had refused the job. Now, thanks to Pozzo's trust, he feels ready to give his all to repay the trust received. The immediate objective is to improve the performance of the "machine" and guide Udinese towards a more solid position in the league table. With his experience and work mentality, Zanetti intends to transform the team into a more competitive and disciplined group, ready to challenge their Serie A rivals.