The Frozen Tundra of… Stadion Miejski?

By: vin | February 19th, 2009

Check out the pitch; it’s like something from the NFL Films archives!

(And check it out quickly, because you KNOW UEFA’s going to pull down these videos quicker than Catania pulls down shorts.)

Anyway, at least this was the away round, right? While I am not happy about the fact that Udinese allowed the home team to draw level minutes from the end of the match, I am satisfied with a draw, given the environment. (By the way, The video above is Udinese’s first goal, and Lech Poznan’s two goals appear below. Udinese’s second goal, which happened five minutes after the Quags’ goal posted above, was technically an Arboldea own-goal, but Pasquale apparently got a foot on it. Unfortunately, a Poznan supporter must’ve posted these vids, as they conveniently forgot to post the own-goal. Sorry about that. If anybody finds it, feel free to post it in the comments.)

COMPLETE DOWNER WARNING: Watch these only if you desperately desire more depression in your life:

[Blatant Sarcasm]Great, right?[/Blatant Sarcasm] At least the Zebrette host Lech Poznan on the 26th of this month.

Oh wait… Udinese plays at Friuli, the stadium without tifosi. Forgive me for being less than amused.

Speaking of things that leave me less than amused, have you looked at the rest of Udinese’s upcoming schedule? Here’s how it goes:

*Two Days Rest Since Today’s Match*

Sunday, February 22, Torino – Udinese

*Four Days Rest*

Thursday, February 26, Udinese – Lech Poznan

*Two Days Rest* (That’s right. February is short.)

Sunday, March 1, Udinese – Lecce

*Five Days Rest*

Saturday, March 7, Roma – Udinese

That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence, particularly the parts where the ragazzi will get very little rest, but this is where the Marino rotation (which we really need a nickname for) comes into play. Speaking of which, in trying to find a method to the madness here, I’ll try my hand at guessing who we’ll see next, and you can tell me what you think:

Di Natale and Pepe to get minutes against Torino.
Di Natale starting against Lech Poznan in the next round. Quagliarella may get some time against Lech as well, though possibly just a few minutes.
Pepe and Sanchez and/or Floro Flores against Lecce.
Di Natale and Quags both to get time against Roma, barring injuries or suspensions, as a siege on Rome warrants some serious artillery.

Oh – one last thing: For those who read the Channel 4 recap, did you notice the mention of the 4-2-2? I am not sure what to make of it, having only seen highlights, but did Udinese actually play said formation, or did we just see a variant of Marino’s 4-3-3? It is not uncommon for Marino to play (in what people call a 4-3-3 for some reason) two forward strikers with one attacking mid, either hanging behind in rotation with the strikers, or coming from a wing. At first glance, I interpreted Channel 4’s mention of a 4-2-2 as a misnomer for Marino’s modified 4-3-3, but having looked at the list of starters, I see only two strikers. Did Marino actually (Gasp!) switch it up?