Ranieri: Now the lads are starting to understand what I want

The win was the Giallorossi's second in a row - and the second by the same scoreline - as they bounce back after a poor previous run of form.

Edin Dzeko scored the decisive goal midway through the second half.

That's two wins on the bounce without conceding. You gave very little away in the second half today and created numerous chances – was it the best 45 minutes since you took the reins?

“I don't know about that but I do know we struggled a lot in the first half. We tried to stop our opponents from playing on the break, which is where they're most dangerous, but they caused us all sorts of problems in the first five minutes. After that we got the measure of them. We weren't able to put into practice the things we were supposed to, but you have to factor the opposition in too. The lads did well because they stuck together, stayed focused and worked hard to get these big three points. I said beforehand that it was going to be a very tough game and so it proved.”

Did Alessandro Florenzi and Lorenzo Pellegrini inject extra quality into the side in the second half?

“Definitely. We had four centre-backs out there today. [Ivan] Marcano had a great game but on the other side we had Juan Jesus and [Nicolo] Zaniolo, two left-footed players, which meant we couldn't play on the overlap. It was a bit easier in the second half.”

Did Edin Dzeko and Patrik Schick struggle to link up in the first half?

“We found it hard to get them working together and to break through the Udinese backline. I didn't know how long [Daniele] De Rossi could play for, and he ended up getting hurt, while [Lorenzo] Pellegrini has only just come back and I had to take him off against Sampdoria. When I pick the starting line-up I have to think about the possible substitutions.

"I knew that with Pellegrini in the middle our passing would be more fluid and I'd have someone to counter [Rolando] Mandragora or Sandro.”

Does this win help to settle things down within the camp?

“It does. The lads needed to restore a bit of confidence and calm. When a team like ours that's expected to win loses, everyone gets nervy. They all want to do that bit extra and we forget to play as a team. Now I see the lads have understood what I want from them – to work as a team and go the extra yard for their team-mates. Slowly but surely we're getting there.”

Is Zaniolo on a bit of a downwards curve at the moment?

“What I think is he's a box-to-box midfielder but I can't give him that licence at the moment as we have two central midfielders pulling the strings. His other position is taken by Pellegrini at the moment, who is a little better at showing for the ball and making runs. Nicolo is able to make up for the fact he's playing out of position thanks to his technical and physical ability. I'm asking him to make a sacrifice for the team, which is what we all have to do at the moment.”

Which of the other teams pose the greatest threat in the battle for the Champions League spots?

“Quite honestly I think all the sides in the mix will keep going till the end. They're all in good form and it will probably be the small details that decide who goes into the Champions League or the Europa League. Atalanta, Lazio and AC Milan are excellent teams so we're going to have to keep scrapping right down to the wire.”