Udinese‘s 3-2 comeback win over Parma surprisingly fired the Bianconeri into the Serie A top spot. With 10 points earned from their first four games, the Bianconeri drew attention to the work of their new coach, Kosta Runjaić, writes Alessandro Bai.
The 53-year-old coach, who has German nationality despite being born in Wien, was hired by Udinese in June, after being sacked in his second season at Legia Warsaw.
Runjaić’s arrival at the Dacia Arena marked his first experience as a coach in the first division of one of the top five European leagues.
His previous stints at Duisburg, Kaiserslautern, and 1860 Munich were all with German clubs playing in the second tier.
Kosta Runjaić: who is the new Udinese coach
Runjaić was a little-known manager when Udinese decided to hire him in June 2024, at the end of a season that had seen the Bianconeri change three different coaches and still fight until the closing games to avoid relegation.
His biggest achievements came with Legia Warsaw, with whom he lifted his first trophies as a professional coach in 2023, winning both the Polish Cup and Polish Supercup in 2023. In his final season at the club, the German also steered them to the Europa Conference League play-offs, before being eliminated at the hands of Molde.
Runjaić was deemed the ideal figure to manage a squad that mixes experience and youth, with profiles such as Florian Thauvin and Alexis Sanchez flanked by prospects like Lorenzo Lucca and Brenner.
The new manager opted for an offensive approach that immediately started to reap rewards. Udinese drew their opening Serie A games at Bologna before winning their following three fixtures in a row against Lazio, Como and Parma, respectively.
Udinese haven’t changed their team much this summer, aside from the purchases of Alexis Sanchez, already a club legend, and midfielders Jurgen Ekkelenkamp and Jesper Karlstrom. Runjaić brought the most significant updates, with a more offensive playing style and high pressing unseen in previous, tough campaigns under Luca Gotti, Andrea Sottil, Gabriele Cioffi, and Fabio Cannavaro.
Strikers Thauvin and Lucca emerged among the most prominent figures in this exciting start to the season, as they scored five goals combined to propel their side to the top of the Serie A table.
The Bianconeri currently sit first on 10 points, one more than second-placed Napoli, and will travel to the Stadio Olimpico next Sunday to take on Daniele De Rossi’s Roma.