Saturday's match between Udinese and AS Roma will likely decide the future of Bianconeri head coach Kosta Runjaic. The German manager, who made a surprise move to Udinese in the summer of 2024, enjoyed a positive start to his spell at the club. He guided the team to 12th place in his first season and then 10th in the following campaign, while implementing an attractive style of football and helping several key players fulfill their potential.
Among them were Nicolo Zaniolo, defender Oumar Solet, English striker Keinan Davis and Arthur Atta, who joined Fiorentina this summer. However, things became difficult in the first part of the 2026-27 season, and Saturday's match against AS Roma could be a crucial test for his future at the club. Udinese lost six games in a row before drawing 0-0 away to Parma on Wednesday.
Despite a solid start to the season, with a convincing home draw against Como on the opening day followed by an away win at Monza, Udinese are now 17th in the standings, with only nine goals scored and 18 conceded in nine matches. That is why the game, played on Halloween, could be the last call for his future at the club, even though the ownership has backed him and confirmed he will stay in the job at least until the November international break. Before Udinese's away draw against Parma, sporting director Gianluca Nani called for a reaction from the team after a challenging moment.
"We are coming off six consecutive defeats, but we firmly believe that this team is not who we really are. We are the same side that put in some impressive performances, against Como, for example, and also against Lazio. This is not an easy period, and it is our responsibility to turn things around and get back on the path we set out on two years ago," he told DAZN.
He added, "Performances like the one against Lecce are unacceptable, and the players know that. We want to see greater focus on individual moments in the game. In the other matches, the performances have always been there.
Take the game in Turin, for example: we should have won that one. The team must give everything, because when you do that, the results will follow. We are going through a difficult spell, but we must not be afraid.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
