Team Overview: Udinese has been a “bubble team” for most of its existence, bouncing back and forth between Serie A and Serie B. But, in the last ten years, Udinese has enjoyed a period of relative success, and has now been afloat in Serie A for more than 15 straight years. Now, the club needs to improve to make a run at the top squads.
Top Performers: Udinese has many talented attackers, including Antonio Di Natale (who notched 12 goals and 5 assists) and Gaetano D’Agostino (who almost matched Di Natale with 11 goals and added 8 assists). Samir Handanovic played decently in goal, only giving up 1.32 goals per game. Udinese was close to being a top squad.
Highest Highs: Udinese, or as they are sometimes called… the Bianconeri were the best team in Serie A during April and May. During that period, they won 7 matches and earned 22 points. In fact, the only game they lost during that stretch was to league champ Inter, and everyone lost to them in 2009. Their offense was very hot.
Lowest Lows: Udinese needed their late surge because they really disappointed in November and December. In fact, they never picked up a W during either month, and they only earned two points in a sixty day span. In December alone, the squad played 3 games yet ceded 11 goals. 11 winless games in a row hurts one’s finish.
Future Outlook: Udinese can only improve on this year’s result if they improve their defense. Zapata may be leaving (this was written in mid-June) and Udinese will need someone to replace him in the back. Their defense wasn’t that special in 2009, so without Zapata in 2010, it could be ugly. All in all, fans of Udinese should be happy, but keep their expectations low.
