Udinese Boss Runjaic: Double Injury Crucially Impacted Lazio Match
Udinese manager Kosta Runjaic believes his team suffered greatly from two first-half injuries to Jakub Piotrowski and Oumar Solet during their 2-1 loss against Lazio. These early setbacks forced two substitutions before halftime, significantly complicating Runjaic's strategic options for the remainder of the match.
"We lost Piotrowski and Solet, and we paid a heavy price for those two changes," Runjaic stated in his post-match comments. "We used up two substitution slots, which gave me doubts. Lazio played well; they are a strong team with strong acquisitions. They were the favorites. While we could have potentially earned a point, Lazio certainly deserved at least one goal."
The Udinese coach further explained his decision to substitute Keinan Davis in the second half, emphasizing his reluctance to risk the striker given the team's struggles with possession. "Both teams were tired, but we have to acknowledge their qualities. We couldn't maintain the possession we desired. I didn't want to risk Davis, and the first-half substitutions definitely affected us."
Runjaic also pointed out the lack of a direct replacement for Davis in his squad. He noted that summer signing James Abankwah still requires time to adjust to the tempo of Serie A. "Abankwah still needs to adapt to the pace of Serie A, and in terms of the substitutions, Lazio were superior."
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