Toward the Break: Quotes, Thoughts, & Highlights

By: vin | October 6th, 2008

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.)

Speaking of Udinese’s current position, listen to what the boss has to say…

President Pozzo:

“We would love to stay at these heights in the table. I can only say that the team has the right winning mentality. We just have to keep showing the character that was clear when we played Borussia Dortmund and we never gave up. I’m very happy with the Coach. He works well and the results are coming because of that.”

Damn straight the coach works well. Mark my words – it’s only a matter of time before Pasquale Marino is coaching Inter, Roma, Milan or Juve. Just watch. For now though, he’s all Zebra, and he’s every bit as valuable as Quagliarella, Di Natale or Inler…

Coach Marino:

“At the start we struggled a little, but then got back on our feet after soaking up Torino’s pressure in the first half.
The fans pushed us on. I complained about the media because of certain criticism I did not agree with aimed at my players after the UEFA Cup match. We deserve more respect, especially the layers, who worked so hard to get where they are now in Serie A and Europe.”

I have to say, I agree with Coach Marino; Udinese do get treated as an afterthought by the media. That said, I’m OK with it. I think it gives Udinese an underdog mentality which has been a major component in Udinese’s success thus far. Well… that, plus this…

Coach Marino (again):

“…but we have been working at this for over a year, so naturally we have more flow than a side that is just starting to be put together.”

Well, that much was apparent in the beginning of the season, when Udinese were playing (even with quite a few new kids on the squad) like they had been a cohesive group for quite some time. Compare Udinese’s early matches with those of Milan and Roma, and you can see what he’s talking about.

In other news…

Congratulations are most definitely due to Simone Pepe for his first Nazionale call-up! This is a very well-deserved call, in my opinion. True, Quagliarella scored a brace this weekend (as did Cassano), but in all likelihood, Lippi had his squad chosen before Sunday’s matches took place. So, taking into account the information with which Lippi had to work, Pepe was a good decision. The other members of Strike Force Udinese have proven themselves in the blue shirt, so there’s no reason to believe that Pepe’s excellent form will suddenly stop when he sheds his zebra stripes.

Since I’m on the topic of gli Azzurri, -even though this is an Udinese blog- I’d just like to point something out, because it needs to be said, damnit: When Lippi first retook the position of nazionale coach, lots of people, including a large percentage of the Offside blog regulars, cried foul when the coach called up familiar (in many cases, older) faces, while a wealth of young talent was left at home.

Meanwhile, a few of us were quietly pointing out that: A) It was the beginning of the Serie A season, and as a result, there were not yet any matches by which players could be judged, and B) For the sake of continuity, it made sense for Lippi to pick up where he left off… and that meant calling the players with whom he was most familiar. The same few also pointed out that we should give Lippi a little time to ease back into the saddle; we figured that he’d come around to the younger players eventually, once he was able to see who’d be in form, and who wouldn’t.

Lo and behold, that’s exactly what’s happening. Now. We are witnessing a changing of the guard on the Azzurri, but please – realize that it’s going to be a months-long process, ladies and gentlemen… and while that means that you might not see your favorite young Italian player called up with this cohort, rest assured that Lippi will gradually get more new blood into the squad as more time passes and players assert themselves on the pitch. It’s not going to happen overnight!