Zebrette Photo of the Year
By: vin |
8 Comments
Wow. Um… What can I say about this one without being *really* politically incorrect? Hmm… How ’bout “looks like a Roma celebration?” Inler looks so… graceful, and I just love the Boy Wonder look on Quags.
My last (grad school) assignment of the semester is due on Wednesday, so I’ll be able to post regularly once that’s through. Until then, here are the goals from Udinese vs. the Pyrotechnicians to hold us over:
See you after our Zebrette face the orobici!
Category: Udinese Team News
You can start worrying now.
By: vin | 1 Comment
I’m posting this, but I’m not watching it:
Udinese 0-1 Chievo
Also, I’m posting this, but I’m not reading it.
This Wednesday, Udinese face a very good Croatian side in a UEFA Cup match. Sometimes teams in trouble come up big for big matches. That’s all I’ll say for fear of jinxing the Zebrette.
Category: Udinese Team NewsNobody said this would be easy.
By: vin | 2 Comments
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You may be surprised to know that I’m writing this post with a great sense of relief. Why relief? Well, until about two weeks ago, I was silently wondering when the Zebrette would finally hit a patch of turbulence. I knew it would happen eventually, but because it hadn’t occurred prior to that Milan trip, there was this nagging thought of *when?* in the back of my head until then. Now, I know that the turbulence has arrived and more importantly, it’s arrived far from the end of the season.
Simply put, watching Udinese go through this rough patch after such a gleaming start is like getting that first ding or scratch on a new car; it pisses you off tremendously, but on some level, you’re OK with it, because you knew it was going to happen eventually, and now you don’t feel such an urgent need to keep that shiny finish perfect anymore. In that manner, it’s vindicating.
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Category: Udinese Team NewsField Trip to the Model U.N.
By: vin | 23 Comments
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Thank you, Zebrette. Thank you for keeping my faith in calcio alive.
If you haven’t had a chance to read the comments made by Quagliarella and Marino heading into tomorrow’s match with Inter (a.k.a. the Model United Nations), you friggin’ should. They provide quite a bit of insight regarding Udinese’s team culture as well as Marino’s deservedly praised coaching style. More importantly, they shed some light on how the club has been able to hold onto its stable of world-class players… players that could (quite frankly) make a lot more soldi elsewhere.
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Quagliarella:
In the locker room the word ‘Scudetto’ is banned, not to be pronounced even in jest. Whoever does say it will get a slap.
We are going to San Siro to get a result, but it is impossible to make predictions now. The club only asked us to keep a low profile.
Coach [Pasquale] Marino tells us the same thing every day: ‘Have respect for your opponents, but not too much.’
It is the right philosophy, as we go on to the field to impose our style of play, not to be passive. Then we’ll just have to see what happens.
It is good that Serie A has torn up the script a little bit.
I never thought of quitting Udinese, as I feel great confidence and respect here. You can be on the bench because that is the system of alternation.
I don’t know if I’ll start the game against Inter and I won’t make a big deal of it. There is enough space and glory to go round.
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Marino:
We must try to develop our own style of play. If we passively wait for the Nerazzurri in our own half, then sooner or later one of their many champions will place the knockout blow.
The team is in good shape and is getting accustomed to playing twice a week, especially thanks to the rotation system that has always been planned ahead.
When we meet a big side like Inter then there is no need to motivate the players. Tiredness just washes away when faced with such an important test.
This season the team has grown a great deal in terms of maturity and its ability to handle the pressures of an entire match.
A positive result at San Siro would help us build confidence, but would not change our targets for the campaign, nor our working methods.
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Category: Udinese Team NewsFirst Moscow… Then Inter
By: vin | 14 Comments
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On Thursday, Udinese face yet another unfamiliar opponent. This time, it’s Spartak Moscow, and I’m just hoping that Marino has sent his spy out again, because it appears as though Spartak’s coach already has already done his homework on Udinese.
Anyway, about these Russians:
- They’re currently sixth place in the Russian Premier League. Funny… if you had asked me before the season which team would be in sixth and which would be in second, I’d have put my money on Udinese in sixth.
- Their nickname (and I’m not joking here) is “Meat.” Yes. Our Zebrette are playing f*#%ing MEAT. What. The. F*#k. (Apparently they were owned by a farm conglomerate of some kind. Whatever. Parma had “Parmalat” on their shirts for years… and maybe they still do, but you don’t see us calling them “Milk.”)
- They have a Brazilian dude named Mozart. No word on whether or not he drops dope melodies.
- They’ve had some recent (i.e. a few since ‘03) racist incidents which is of some concern due to the fact that Udinese have a few Africans on the squad.
- Several members of the MEAT attack (I can’t believe I even just typed that) have featured on the Russian national team: Bystrov (MF), Saenko (FW), Prudnikov (FW), Pavlenko (MF), and Bazhenov (FW). Intererstingly enough, the same can’t be said for MEAT’s defense. That, plus the fact that MEAT have scored more goals thatn all but three teams in the Russian league this season leads me to believe that Udinese are up against an attack-happy group.
Category: Udinese Team NewsPlease place your seat back and tray in an upright position…
By: vin | 45 Comments
…and hold on to your nuts, ’cause it’s about to get bumpy, kids.
It figures too; just as two giants of calcio (Juventus and Roma, in case you’re wondering) appear to be waking up from a seven-week slumber, one of them is due for a visit to Friuli. On top of that, in the following weeks, Udinese must face second place (yes, second) Catania, followed by Genoa (meh), Spartak Moscow (another UEFA test) and Inter *explative* Milan. At. Meazza. Great.
The point, boys and girls, is that we’ve arrived at the part of the season where Udinese show us whether or not they belong at the top of the table. Are the Zebrette that good? Is this cohesive-looking outfit actually more worthy of a Champions League spot than a more… shall we say… storied and financially robust squad?
We’re sure to find out. And while this bumpy stretch is set to last until November 9th at least (that date being Udinese’s date with Inter), it starts with the capitol kids… tomorrow, and so that’s where we’ll focus our attention.
Category: Udinese Team NewsToward the Break: Quotes, Thoughts, & Highlights
By: vin | 14 Comments
As Serie A collectively heads toward the international break, it’s time a good time to turn around and take a look at the terrain we’ve covered thus far.
First off, I’m trying very hard to not get too excited about the fact that Udinese are currently in second place, because I realize that six weeks is a mere scratch on the surface of the campaign. When Fifteen weeks have passed however… then we’ll see. (For the record, I don’t think that Udinese can sustain second place this season.) For now, let’s just be thankful of the fact that our Zebrette don’t appear to be struggling much… at all.
Case in point, Udinese 2 – 0 Torino:
(Before anyone says it… yeah, I agree that Bianchi may have had a goal there. I’m honestly not sure.)
Category: Udinese Team NewsQuagliarella = Sixth Zebra to Score
By: vin | 4 Comments
First off, apologies for not posting more frequently. When I drop off the face of the Earth for a few days here and there, chances are, I have a grad school assignment due, and am allocating my time appropriately. Not to worry though; this next one’s due on Oct. 1, and after that, I should be able to ramp up the posts to two per week until the my assignment.
Now… Let’s get down to business:
As the title of this post indicates, we’re talking about goals here. Specifically, check out the number of Udinese players to find the back of the net this season. Impressive, no? (Sorry if the font’s a little small; the table was pretty wide, but I wanted to include all of it.) Only two other squads have had their goals shared between as many (or more) players: Milan (7) and Roma (6).
Category: Udinese Team NewsNo Rest for Zebrette
By: vin | 2 Comments
OK. We I have a lot of ground to cover following my grad school-induced disappearing act, so let’s get right into it.
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Juventus 1 – 0 Udinese
First off, Juventus looked fantastic last week. It seemed like every time a player in blue (the color of Udinese’s away kits) got a touch on the ball, he was surrounded by what I’m calling the “Oreo sandwich.” Point being, much credit goes to the Old Lady, as they were the better team on the day. HOWEVER, (You knew this was coming), I’m going to maintain that the Zebrette’s loss was due as much to their tactics as it was to Juve’s prowess. Marino himself admitted following the match that they were “trying” a different look here, and well… it showed up in the result. I hate the fact that I’m even saying this, but it appeared as though Udinese were demonstrating their own painful-to-watch brand of catenaccio, with eight or nine men behind the ball, and a huge gap between them and the strikers… strikers who were caught off balance by the surprise return of Chiellini. Yup. I’m chalking this one up to a lesson learned. Marino’s not going to make the same mistake twice. If there’s any positive to take from this, the fact that Udinese only lost by one goal following a 90-minute Juve onslaught is testament to the fact that the defense isn’t as shaky as I had feared.
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Borussia Dortmund 0 – 2 Udinese
Not only did Udinese manage to completely stun in their UEFA debut with two unanswered goals AT Dortmund (Holy s**t!!!), but they also managed to do so (for the most part) without Quagliarella or Di Natale! Therein lies the most significant take-away message from this match: Udinese’s fate does not rest on the shoulders of Toto and/or Quags alone; the rest of Strike Force Udinese are fully capable in their own right. How the Zebrette are going to hold on to all of this talent come January is beyond me, but for now, Marino has an arsenal at his disposal, and he’s shown us that he’s not afraid to mix it up a bit. I’ll be honest: I *never* would’ve guessed that he’d sit his two biggest stars, but then again, I’m thinking Borussia Dortmund never would’ve guessed it either. Thank you, Mr. Marino, for not giving a f**k, and for keeping everyone guessing. Well played, sir.
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Category: Udinese Team NewsBrief Points Before Juve / Borussia Dortmund
By: vin | 17 Comments
This one’s going to be quick, both because I’ve already posted some of my thoughts regarding the Juve match, and because my (grad school) semester just kicked into top gear.
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On Juventus
It appears as though my fears regarding their roster were not unreasonable, as pretty much anyone who was injured (minus Chiellini, which helps a bit) is back in action. That means that they’re likely to start Trez, possibly accompanied by Old Man Del Piero up front, and a full clip of midfielders behind them (Nedved, Camo, Sisssssssssoko and Zanetti are all in).
The interesting thing to note from the Udinese side of the equation is the inclusion of Domizzi, the last-minute defensive transfer from Napoli. Apparently, Marino thinks the new player has acclimated himself sufficiently to Udinese’s system, which is promising, although with no *real matches* under his belt for any team this season, we won’t know for sure until Sunday. (I’m skeptical, in case you haven’t guessed; I like Domizzi, but not the circumstances.) Felipe and Zapata are both still hurt, although the back four seemed to do OK without them last time… but Palermo and Juve are different animals entierly. Anyway, even if we ignore the fact that it’s basically trial by fire for Domizzi, this would still be *the* true test for the Zebrette defense.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that Strike Force Udinese is locked and loaded. Expect Di Natale, Quagliarella, and Pepe up front, supported by Inler, D’Agostino and Isla. Basically, it’s the best-case scenario, and if Juve don’t take our ragazzi seriously, they will pay. On a related note, Di Natale says that he and Quags often joke that they’re not really even acknowledged as one of the big-name strike partnerships in Serie A, but that’s fine with me. Stealth is good. Speaking of which…
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On Borussia Dortmund
This is great: Marino sent a “spy” (his word, not mine) to Germany at least half a month ago to gather intel on this squad.
If that doesn’t give you some idea of the level if importance being placed upon the UEFA competition this year, I don’t know what will. This match is scheduled for Thursday the 18th, which means that our Zebrette have three days (Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday) to lick their wounds before this match, although travel’s going make that feel like two days.
I have to admit that I’m a little concerned; to follow Juve with this isn’t going to be easy, especially for a team that hasn’t yet played in Europe since before the Marino era. Hopefully, Borussia Dortmund knows as little about Udinese as I do about Borussia Dortmund, although with Antonio “I score braces” Di Natale’s celebrations on the front page of every Italian newspaper, I doubt that’s the case. Let’s just hope everyone comes through this weekend injury-free.
Category: Udinese Team News
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