

Udinese Calcio

Udinese look to continue their excellent form as we head on into the second third of the season. Great wins over Roma and Inter of late have confirmed this side’s credentials for another top four finish. This weekend they play host to Chievo, and a win could potentially – although unlikely – take us back to the top of the table. The Friulani maintain a one hundred percent home record – played six; won six.
As a matter of interest, here are our Serie A scorers so far this term:
Di Natale 9
Isla 3
Basta 2
Domizzi 1
Benatia 1
Di Natale is monopolising the scoring charts as always. Isla is in excellent form, while we have defenders coming up with goals as well (which is part of what’s making them so good this season).
We have the best defence in the league, conceding only six times. The second best defence is Lazio’s – leaking nine goals. It will be a matter of interest to see if Udinese can continue this all season. Well, let’s damn hope they can!

On the return from the international break, Udinese head to Bergamo to face the returned Atalanta. Both sides have made excellent starts to the campaign, but it is the Bianconeri that sit high in the table, as Atalanta’s points penalty has somewhat dampened their impact in the early part of the season.

In this week of the international break, I thought I’d take the opportunity to write a post removed from the usual match build-up/aftermath affair, and turn the spotlight on to a quite promising, if little known, primavera player.

Damiano Ferronetti has returned to the Udinese squad, after missing all of last season – and chunks of the one before – courtesy of a crippling knee injury. The twenty-six year old defender is a very welcome ‘addition’ to the back line that has actually proved quite strong so far this year. We’ve leaked just one goal in five Serie A games. That’s right: one! Nevertheless, Damiano feels like a new signing.
Serie A stops for a week now so that international matches may be played. It comes at the right time really. Yes, we are on a very good early season run and we don’t want to lose that momentum, but we are missing a few players (Ferronetti was one of them), and the current starting lineup could probably do with a little relief. It’s been virtually unchanged since the first day. Absentees like Floro Flores and Pasquale are on their way back, and hopefully they’ll be in place for the shortish trip to Bergamo a week and a half from now. That said I don’t think Guidolin will change the squad too much because, after all, we are flying high right now.

Udinese 2-1 Rennes, is the result of our first group match in the Europa League. Goals from Antonio Di Natale and Pablo Armero saw the Zebrette come from behind to take 3 points and go second in Group I.
A proper review and a preview of the weekend is coming soon!

Tomorrow night (Wednesday) is the second leg of Udinese’s Champions League play-off against Arsenal. As we all know, the Gunners lead 1-0 from the first tie in London. And of course, with the away goal rule, our boys have the pressure of having to score at least once to have a chance of getting through to the CL group stages…
Udinese – Arsenal … 24th August, 1945 GMT at the Friuli stadium Read the rest of this entry »

So, here we are. Europe’s premiere footballing competition and our great club Udinese are in it. But before we can claim a place in the group stages, we must first overcome Arsenal. The Zebrette are off to London tomorrow night and will be hoping for a point from the first leg affair or perhaps more.
Arsenal vs. Udinese, 1945 GMT at the Emirates stadium.

It was over the course of the month of July that Udinese parted ways with three of its prized assets: Cristian Zapata, Gokhan Inler and Alexis Sanchez. We perhaps all knew that they’d be leaving eventually, and you can’t say they haven’t gone to the right kind of clubs as is appropriate of their talent level.
For example, Barcelona are acknowledged to be the best footballing club in the world at the moment – that’s Sanchez’s destination. Good God, how are all those great players going to fit?! But that’s not what those in Udine will be thinking about… Their minds will be occupied with how the club is going to go forward.
The fixtures for the new season, commencing in just under a month’s time, have been released. Udinese have an arguably tough start, with Juventus, Fiorentina and Milan in the first four weeks. But when you look at the opposition after that it is not so bad. And yes, of course, everyone’s got to play everyone some time.
1. Udinese – Juventus
2. Lecce – Udinese
3. Udinese – Fiorentina
4. Milan – Udinese
5. Cagliari – Udinese
6. Udinese – Bologna
7. Atalanta – Udinese
8. Udinese – Novara
9. Napoli – Udinese
10. Udinese – Palermo
11. Udinese – Siena
12. Parma – Udinese
13. Udinese – Roma
14. Inter – Udinese
15. Udinese – Chievo
16. Lazio – Udinese
17. Udinese – Cesena
18. Genoa – Udinese
19. Udinese – Catania
Of course the home and away sides switch for the ritorno.
So first up is Juventus, at the Friuli. We made the Friuli pretty impenetrable last year, but not before – in this very fixture – we were beaten 0-4. I can’t see the same thing happening to be honest but it’s hardly a nice start. Elsewhere down the list, it seems our difficulties come in clumps: we have Napoli followed immediately by Palermo, and then a difficult December/April with Roma, Inter and Lazio clustered together. Lovely!

By way of summary, I present here a full list of the co-ownership deals that Udinese dealt with at the end of June.
Many moved on, perhaps no longer being considered worthy of a place, but some important figures were fully redeemed: German ‘El Tanque’ Denis, Paulo Barreto and also our favourite regista…
It will be curious to see if Barreto and D’Agostino remain in Udine. Certainly Barreto is an upgrade on Corradi, while what D’Ago can give us speaks for itself. I hope he can remain but maybe, if Pozzo wants him gone, then his time at the club is finally at an end.
Full list ahead: Read the rest of this entry »









